By LACHLAN BRYAN
Of all the young singer-songwriters to emerge in recent years, few have made anywhere near the impression of Melody Pool. The 23 year-old from the tiny town of Kurri Kurri in NSW burst onto the scene in 2013, winning the Telstra Road to Discovery Talent Competition, landing a record deal with Michael Gudinski’s Liberation label and a publishing deal with Mushroom Music Publishing.
But as is so often the case, Pool’s is far from an overnight success story. Born the only child of legendary Western Australian country singer Alby Pool, Melody began attending festivals all around Australia as a child. By her early teens, she was playing guitar and singing in her Dad’s band – harmonising on old classic country songs and building a broad knowledge and understanding of songwriting.
Inevitably, she began writing her own songs, releasing two EPs before crowd-funding her debut album, which she recorded in Nashville with the help of noted American artist and producer Jace Everett. That outstanding debut, titled The Hurting Scene, is filled with heart-on-sleeve confessional songwriting influenced by the likes of legendary writers like Joni Mitchell and well as relatively new faces such as the UK’s Laura Marling. Initially released independently, The Hurting Scene was re-released by Liberation to much critical acclaim.
In the year or two since its release, Melody Pool has toured Europe with The Milk Carton Kids and even opened for The Eagles here in Australia.
On Friday 5 June she will perform at MOTH (Music on the Hill) in Red Hill.
By Lachlan Bryan
