Tamworth Award Nominee Puts Eyes On The Whitsundays
Up and coming country music star Michaela Cook has been nominated for the Australian Country Music People's Choice Awards as part of the Tamworth Country Music Festival. Affectionately known as Micks, the 22 year old recorded a music video in the Whitsundays in the wake of Cyclone Debbie and now the ‘Everything Will Be Alright’ video has been nominated for best clip after garnering more than 250,000 views across social media in one week.
Written and produced in partnership with Tourism and Events Queensland, the song and its accompanying film clip were designed to shift the spotlight from the devastation to the beauty and revitalisation of the region. Originally Ms Cook was set to record a music video for a different song within the Whitsundays, however Cyclone Debbie struck during the process and the singer said she was inspired by the Queensland spirit of mateship, which she so beautifully captured in Everything Will be Alright.
The subsequent video was filmed in a number of locations throughout the region in July 2017 where cyclone was still evident in some places. Although Ms Cook described the experience as ‘confronting’ with some billboards still covering roads and yachts still lodged in the cliff faces of Shute Harbour, she said the region lived up to its reputation as the Sunshine State, with smiling locals managing to maintain a positive spirit in the face of the devastation.
The young country star attributes her mostly international fan base to the limited country scene in Australia. This allowed her to use her following to help the people of Queensland, with overseas fans asking for travel tips via social media after planning visits to some of the filming locations. However her nomination for Australian Country Music People's Choice Awards as part of the Tamworth Country Music Festival has now put the rest of Australia’s eyes on the Whitsundays. The talented country artist plans to visit Airlie Beach in mid-2018 as part of her Australian tour.
(7th February 2018)