Born and raised on Murrindindi, a cattle property in the Baralaba district, central Queensland singer and songwriter Camille Trail played her first gig at her local Baralaba pub aged 14 years - and this week launched her debut album River of Sin.
For the country girl who has her own registered Bottle Tree Brahman stud, music was always her first love.
This Saturday, August 7 she will launch her album on tour at the Pier Bar in Cairns, a far cry from the Baralaba Hotel where she was paid $300 for the gig eight years ago.
"l was introduced to the joy of music at an early age and started playing the piano when I was eight," she said.
"Most mornings I'd wake up to music - Norah Jones, Bob Dylan, Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson and other great singer songwriters.
"Dad and I would dance in the kitchen while Mum cooked breakfast. I think that's why I love music so much - plus I loved listening to my mum play piano accordion - it was my entire childhood really."
It was at Tamworth Country Music Festival in January that Shane Nicholson - singer, songwriter, producer and a champion of emerging artists - invited Camille, whose album he had just produced, onto the stage.
One of the interesting things about Camille, Shane told the audience as his guest took to the stage, was that she's the only person he'd ever worked with who paid for the recording of an album by selling a couple of bulls.
As much as that is true, while music was always number one to Camille, it was during lockdown last year and there was no work so she sold a couple of bulls and some cast for age cows to keep going.
Camille's parents, who own Elmo Brahmans, registered her stud on her 10th birthday and she owns 35 registered red and grey stud breeders.
"My cows have actually saved my bum a couple of times, particularly during COVID that is for sure," Camille said
After high school, she committed to her musical ambitions and studied song writing at the JMC Academy in Brisbane.
While attending JMC, Camille would study by day and play as many gigs as possible at night - honing her craft, testing her songs on audiences and finding a community of peers.
It's also when she wrote the songs on her forthcoming album.
"I was writing in the early hours of the morning or late at night. I found that was when inspiration hit me the most," she said.
"I was inspired by heartbreak of course, love, and also what I was reading at the time and even just looking out the window and people watching."
Camille sent a demo to Shane Nicholson, asking if he'd be interested in producing her album. He responded enthusiastically and the album was recorded in three weeks in 2019.
Of the 11 tracks on her album, 10 are her own work. The other is her new single and a duet with Brad Butcher called Holding Pattern. It was written by Shane Nicholson with Matt Benbrook (Dido, Lana Del Ray) and Amy Lawton on a writing trip to London in 2019.
It brings the two gifted Queenslanders together for the first time. The single skyrocketed on the charts landed at #6 on the Music Network Charts.
Since graduating from JMC with a Bachelor of Music, specialising in songwriting, in April 2019, Camille's sultry melting pot of country, folk, blues and gospel has earned accolades far and wide as well as three top 30 singles on the Music Network Country Airplay chart.
Her single Devil's Drink peaked at #19 on that chart and its follow-up, Little History, featured on Spotify's Country Chill and Apple Music's Southern Craft playlists with over 130,000 streams to date.
Camille and Brad both live near Rockhampton and share a love of roots music. They'd been toying with the idea of touring together for a while and when Camille heard Shane Nicholson's demo of Holding Pattern, she immediately knew who she wanted to sing it with.
"I first met Brad in about 2018 when I was at uni in Brisbane," Camille said.
"We wrote a song together and I subsequently grew to love his music.
"We've come to know each other more now that I'm working in the music industry and we don't live far from each other. I was completely stoked when he agreed to sing Holding Pattern with me..
There was never any doubt that the extraordinary Shane Nicholson would produce the track. He has produced Camille's three singles to date as well as her forthcoming album.
Camille will tour from August with Shane Nicholson and open select shows for Michael Waugh.
Camille has just released the haunting new single 'I Know I'm Hard To Love', one of the most personal and vulnerable releases to date.
Tour Dates:
Saturday 7th August - Pier Bar - Cairns, QLD
Sunday 8th August - Pier Bar - Cairns, QLD
Friday 17th September - Harmonie German Club - Canberra, ACT
Saturday 18th September - Bowral Bowling Club - Bowral, NSW
Thursday 23rd September - Oodies Café - Bundaberg, QLD
Friday 24th September - Outback By The Sea Festival - Karumba, QLD
Saturday 25th September - Outback By The Sea Festival - Karumba, QLD
Saturday 2nd & Sunday 3rd October - Savannah in the Round - Mareeba, QLD
Saturday 9th October - The Barn at Wombat Flat, SA
Sunday 10th October - Trinity Sessions - Adelaide, SA
Sunday 17th October - Lizotte's - Newcastle, NSW
Friday 22nd October - Junk Bar - Brisbane, QLD
Friday 3rd December - Murray Delta Juke Joint - Goolwa, S
Sunday 5th December - Trinity Sessions - Adelaide, SA
Thursday 20th January - Wests Leagues - Tamworth, NSW
Friday 21st January - Wests Leagues - Tamworth, NSW
Helen Walker
Helen is the Toowoomba-based journalist who loves nothing better than covering anything horse sport related, however she covers all commodities and personality yarns. Over the years she has lived in Brisbane, Rockhampton, Longreach and Roma filing stories for the 'bible of the bush'. Contact 0459 827414.
Helen is the Toowoomba-based journalist who loves nothing better than covering anything horse sport related, however she covers all commodities and personality yarns. Over the years she has lived in Brisbane, Rockhampton, Longreach and Roma filing stories for the 'bible of the bush'. Contact 0459 827414.
