WHAT began as a dream during a creative writing program in Bellingen is about to become reality, with Nambucca Valley singer-songwriter Snez preparing to embark on her first-ever United Kingdom tour to share music from her newly released album Cardboard Wings.
In just a few weeks, Snez will head overseas accompanied by her 11-year-old daughter, Ellie, and her friend, Kerasana, who she describes as the tour’s official merch girl, photographer and moral support, for what promises to be a true grassroots musical adventure.
The tour will take the trio through England, Scotland and as far north as the Orkney Islands, performing in folk clubs, house concerts, halls and record stores as they share the stories and songs that have become a hallmark of Snez’s music.
For the Nambucca Valley-based artist, the opportunity is both exciting and surreal.
“I’ve spent the last 20 years touring as a solo artist and in a duo across regional and remote Australia, and there’s nothing more rewarding than taking music to new places and connecting with people through stories and songs,” Snez told News Of The Area.
“This UK tour is my first venture into performing for overseas audiences, which feels both exciting and a little surreal.”
Snez said she was looking forward to sharing Australian stories, humour and culture with audiences on the other side of the world.
“One of the things I love most about touring is that no matter where you are in the world, music has a way of bringing people together.”
The idea for the tour first emerged two years ago while Snez was completing The Artist’s Way 12-week program in Bellingen.
Repeatedly asked where she hoped her creative journey would lead, she found herself returning to the same answer.
“Every time I answered it, the idea of touring the UK surfaced. At first it felt like a distant dream, but that was when the seed was planted,” she said.
Turning that dream into reality was no small task.
Starting without established overseas contacts, Snez reached out to more than 1000 venues while navigating the financial risks and self-doubt familiar to many independent artists.
With persistence and support from fellow musicians already touring the UK folk circuit, she eventually secured 14 performances across England, Scotland and the Orkney Islands.
The tour is inspired by her sixth album, Cardboard Wings, a deeply personal collection of 14 songs exploring themes of resilience, love, displacement and her Macedonian heritage.
“To me, it speaks to the human experience of being both strong and fragile at the same time,” she said of the album’s title.
“Cardboard isn’t an obvious material for taking flight, yet somehow we keep flying anyway and hope that we get to our destination unscathed.”
After more than two decades of songwriting, Snez said that creating music remained central to who she is.
“I’m a creative soul. If I don’t write, then I have no purpose. The songs come to me and it’s my responsibility to put them out in the world and share them as a gift,” she said.
As she prepares to leave, Snez is keen to acknowledge the community that helped make the tour possible.
“The belief this community has shown in me has been incredibly important and has sustained me as an artist,” she said.
By Mick BIRTLES
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