After competing in the prestigious Ekka Country Music Showdown recently, local artist, Annabelle Johnson, walked away with tickets to the Brisbane raceway’s country music day and a Troy Cassar-Daley hat.
Annabelle’s achievements are a true representation of her dedication and talent; it was an incredible feat for her to be one of eight finalists selected from all over the nation.
“I was super nervous the whole time, but I was still excited and had so much fun,” said Annabelle after her performance.
“Before the competition I talked to some of the other competitors and that put some of my nerves at ease as they were equally nervous and excited.”
“I performed only second out of the eight, so it was over pretty quickly, and I was pretty relieved about that, but still anxious about the judging.”
“After it was judged I was happy and proud I had completed the competition, and also super tired!”
Annabelle thanked her supporters, especially friends and family who came on the day to watch her perform.
“The support from everyone was amazing!”
“I was told multiple times that I had the support from the whole Scenic Rim behind me, which I was very grateful for.”
“The crowd was large and enthusiastic, and I had everyone’s attention for my whole performance.”
“It gave me a lot of confidence to perform in front of such a large crowd, and it was so fun!”
Annabelle turns 18 years of age in 2024 and is looking forward to entering the open category at next year’s Ekka Country Music Showdown, which she says is a bigger and more difficult competition to get into.
She is looking forward to performing with Shane Pendergast of Canada and Monique Clare at the Festival of Small Halls at Rathdowney on 29 Spetember and Canungra on 30 September.
She will also perform at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in January 2024.
“I’d love to compete again as it was such a great atmosphere to perform in.”
“I didn’t end up placing, but that didn’t deter the mood as just performing and being a part of the competition was so much fun! I also had two strawberry sundaes so honestly that is a win in my books.”
She is certainly a young woman who has the whole of the Scenic Rim behind her.
