RHYS THOMAS
INTERNATIONAL country music star Alexandra Kay is already planning her return to the country after her first Australian tour and first experience of the Savannah stage.
Kay was one of two international acts that performed at Savannah in the Round over the weekend with two slots, one on Friday on the Main Stage and another on Saturday at the Big Top Music Tent.
Before taking the stage for her first performance at Savannah, Kay headlined at shows in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Kay said the entire reason she decided to go on an Australian tour was because she was performing at Savannah in the Round.
“When my international agent called and explained the festival and asked if I wanted to do it, it was very easy for me to say yes,” she said.
“Because I am so interested in continuing to go to other countries and build in that market, it’s completely different here and in the US – we can do quadruple the number of tickets than we do here.
“But if we continue to come over here and cultivate our fan base and meet the fans, let them know we really want to be here for them then eventually 300 people will turn to 600, to 1000.”
Being her first visit to Australia, Kay had never heard some of the other headline acts who performed over the festival, including Casey Barnes who she had heard great things about.
With such an amazing line-up of artists who have made a name for themselves in Australian music, Kay was excited to listen and learn from their art.
“I’m excited to familiarise myself more with Australian country music and these artists, meet them and hear about their rise in this industry because it really is very different than being in the states,” she said.
On the day of her first performance on Friday night, Kay got a chance to experience some of the natural beauty the Far North has to offer including the Great Barrier Reef.
“Honestly I had no idea what to expect and it has completely blown all of us out of the water,” she said after her performance on Friday.
“We were all standing in the water today, in the Great Barrier Reef snorkelling and we just stood up and looked around – we were having so many pinch me moments.”
Kay said the quality of Savannah in the Round impressed her greatly from the quality of the sound and stage to the accommodation she was staying in.
“I am just super impressed with this festival for being in such a small town, just how amazing the sound is, how big the stage is, all of the press, all of the crew and the accommodation they have for us – they’ve really built it up and made the production something special,” she said.
Kay said she is already planning a trip to Australia next year and is extremely excited to return to Savannah in the Round next year.
Keep up with the latest news in Cairns and the Far North, and check out some of our top stories this week: A “Kool” solution in cold chain packaging and Maternity services continue to dwindle.
