I met Trisha at Bemac’s networking night for female musicians. She didn’t know anyone when she arrived and looked a little uncertain walking into a crowd. But once she started talking, her whole personality opened up and she smiled and laughed readily particularly at her own enthusiastic seriousness.

“I was going to initially say I haven’t thought about the topic of belonging much before, but, I think that’s a lie. Because lately I’m trying to accept my differences from everyone else and not always try to make myself fit in so that I belong in my own unique way instead of how I think I should. If that makes sense? I hope that makes sense,” she laughs.

“I guess just with the things I’m genuinely interested in and, I’m still in touch with a lot of my friends from school, and I’ve been out of school for a while now, and so, we just all have different interests and activities and just the way I am I think is different. I like different things to them. I’ve always tried to be non-threatening and like the same things my friends have liked because that was the easiest way to get along. But now that I am out in the big world I’m learning to, sort of embrace who I am and move forward with that.

How do you see yourself as different?

“Well, I think I’m a bit more opinionated than I let on, because I don’t want to offend anybody. Not that I have overly dangerous opinions. And I’m just — I think in comparison to a lot of people my age I’m interested in different activities. A lot of the people I have associated with live in the moment more than I do, and I like to contemplate my future probably a bit too much, so I’m constantly thinking about ways I can improve myself in comparison to just living life and accepting how things are now. I want to try and make a difference. I want my life to matter. And so I’m actively looking for ways to make that happen.”

And is singing a part of that?

“Yeah. I’ve always thought that I was put on this planet to make other people happy, and the best way I know how is to sing. And I love seeing people smile when I sing, hopefully because they enjoy it. And being involved with anything to do with music makes me feel alive, so I feel that’s the best way I can move forward.”

What kind of music do you do?

“A bit of everything. If I’m honest I really like acoustic jazz, so imagine Adele [Laurie Blue Adkins] but stripped back with just a guitar. But I’ll pretty much sing anything I can pull off within reason. I like challenging myself vocally which is something I’m really trying to do now.”

Is that what you studied?

“Ah no, I am actually a geologist by trade. So, I work in a minerals lab, which I think has made me realise how much I love music because I fell into geology just by chance. Coming through high school my parents were like What do you wanna do?, and I’m like I wanna be a singer.  They said, No you don’t. You need to do something that’ll get you a job”. So I did all of that and now it’s my turn to take control of my life!

Have you got anything that you’ve released?

“No, but those are things that I’m realising I need to sort out. My brother is also a musician so I will be doing some back up vocals for him and his group. And I currently take lessons with a singing instructor just near where I live. And so we do recordings every so often, but now that I’ve established that singing is something I truly want to pursue, all of that is in motion trying to figure out, you know, how to organise myself, and yeah, start to take things seriously, and really put myself out there.

So that’s the big plan for this year. Follow my dream.”

(Bemac, Brisbane, March 2016)