Vanessa Jade

If simplicity and honesty are the hallmarks of great song writing, then 21 year old Vanessa Jade has begun her career with a huge amount of promise.  A folk classicist making deceptively simple and melodic music, she has a rare talent for weaving together melodies and lyrics that stay with you like an unexpected, but very welcome guest.   Writing with an honesty and thoughtfulness way beyond her years, one can’t help but feel that there is an old soul lurking within this quiet 21 year old. Floating above everything else, stitching the songs together is THAT voice, strong and clear, and it must be said, beautiful. Vanessa’s voice tells stories within an almost lullaby-like musical framework, delivered with a charming naiveté that is neither forced nor considered, but honest and direct.  It’s a rare trick to pull off successfully, and better still, it’s no trick. These songs come from the heart.   Having grown up on a steady diet of Fleetwood Mac, Joni Mitchell and Emmylou Harris thanks to her musically inclined parents’ record collection, Vanessa’s fate was seemingly sealed from an early age. Inspired by the sounds coming from the old three-in-one stereo in the corner of the lounge room, she picked up a guitar and started writing her own songs. Playing them tentatively at first, she started showing up at open mic nights, cafes, bars and anywhere else that would have her. Fate intervened when Australian music legend Kasey Chambers heard her sing at a local cafe and invited her to join her on stage at a show near her home town on the NSW Central Coast. From there Vanessa’s confidence grew, and she began to write with greater belief in her long held instinct that simplicity was the key to reaching people. On the evidence of the songs Vanessa recorded so far, that instinct has been shown to be right on the money.