Gifted singer from Orange, 16-year-old Scarlett Gee has been picked up by a Los Angeles record label.
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During the global pandemic, Miss Gee threw her hat in the ring to compete in a series of online auditions, titled "Vocal Star".
Amidst the panel of judges, she piqued the interest of founder of Mars Records, and co-founder of the Industry Talks Network, Kyle Emerson Brown.
"The process was completely via Zoom, where you go through audition rounds in front of a number of [music] producers from America," Miss Gee said.
"[Kyle Emerson Brown] picked me up through his record label and I worked with him for months just to learn some of the industry-basics.
"He said 'okay, now you just have to write a song and bring it back to me' - so, I went home that night and wrote my first song and sent it to him the next day.
"Everything from there has just kept going forward."
For the past eight-years, Miss Gee's been working with Orange-based voice coach, Gabe Middleton.
During this time, she's also discovered her "own sound", which she said has been borne from a mix of established musicians.
"I think, over the years, I've really developed a mixture of a lot of different people when it comes to my own sound," Miss Gee said.
"I draw from a lot of other artists and from what I listen to - Billie Eilish is a big inspiration of mine, but then I also love the classics, like Dolly Parton and Amy Winehouse."
Prior to landing the contract with Mars Records, Miss Gee - with the help of American-based producers - self-released two original songs, titled This World and All The Things.
I went home that night and wrote my first song and sent it to him the next day ... Everything from there has just kept going forward.
- Scarlett Gee on landing a contract with L.A. label, Mars Records
"My second song is a heartbreak ballad, but it's more so about a friendship rather than a relationship - where the friendship hasn't fallen apart for any particular reason, but where they've slowly drifted away from one another" she said.
"So, All The Things is about that pain of being left behind and going through the motions of that - expressing that you still love the person, even though they're not in your life anymore."
Now, Miss Gee awaits the release of a third original song, titled Done.
It will be the first track to be professionally published to the world - under her brand new signing.
"It's really exciting and it does still feel a little bit surreal in a way," she said.
"Done has got those similar emotions of heartbreak from my All The Things, but it's sort of where you've accepted what's happened and been able to move on from it.
"It's having processed those emotions, after you've gone through that big grief period."
In the meantime, the Year 10 student from Kinross Wolaroi School, will continue to live in Orange with her parents, grandmother and younger brother.
She'll also continue booking gigs to perform at locally-based venues, with her last appearance at the Trundle Bush Tucker Day event over the weekend.
Miss Gee's mindset will remain intent on pursuing a full-time career in the music industry, with the idea of an international move, if the chance presented itself, not off the table in the years to come.
"Absolutely, that's the goal - to go wherever my music leads me," she said.
"I'd want to be performing, wherever I was, and as long as my music is reaching as many people as possible - bringing them joy and allowing them that safe listening space - then I'll be happy.
"My hope is that people find a way to listen to my songs and be able to relate to it in their own lives - bring it back to themselves, understand their own feelings, really feel those emotions and allow themselves to just let go."
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