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September 26, 2024 27 mins

Kaylee Bell joins Sienna and Ben to talk about her journey from a small town in New Zealand to becoming an international country music artist.

Key highlights of the episode include:

  • Kaylee’s determination to chase her dream, from dealing with rejection and putting in the hard work and even moving to a new country in pursuit of success.
  • Embracing your individuality: Kaylee shares how it’s fine to love something your friends may not. While country music is now mainstream, it wasn’t always that way when she began, but she never let that hold her back.
  • Lessons Kaylee learned from touring with Ed Sheeran.
  • How stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to amazing opportunities, like Kaylee's experience on The Voice when she performed a song she wrote about judge Keith Urban.

And lastly, what advice would Kaylee give her younger self at Sienna’s age?

About The Show:

Sienna Boyce is 13 years old and constantly tells her Dad, Ben Boyce, what she wants to be when she grows up – an actor, scientist, rugby player, singer, chef or politician. 

Each episode of ‘When I Grow Up’ aims to showcase inspirational females from around Aotearoa and shine a light on them, what it takes to do their job and learn about their story of how they got to where they are so that Sienna can help make up her mind.

This is a podcast to help the teenager in your life dream big.

Follow The Podcast on Socials:

TikTok: Ben | Sienna 

Instagram: Ben | Sienna | The Hits

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Heads podcast network.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Mine. I was seeing it and this is my dadmin Hi,
and when I grow up, I want to be a
TikTok start right, or a.

Speaker 3 (00:10):
Sports player Okay, hang on, people, yeah.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Even a fashion designer. Actually maybe in all the players.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
Okay, slow down.

Speaker 4 (00:18):
Maybe we should talk to some amazing females who inspire
you and who you want to be, like yeah, and.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
We can find out what they did to get where
they are.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
Yes, and let's do it as a TV show.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Oh dad, only old people watch TV. Let's do it
as a podcast.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
Okay, yeah, yeah, I guess that works. Snap.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
This is when I grow up, I guess. On this
episode is Kaylee Bald who is an awesome country music
stuff and I found this shirt really inspired.

Speaker 1 (00:45):
Yes Saturday, I mean Kaylee's incredible.

Speaker 4 (00:47):
She's got great advice for anyone who wants to live
their dreams.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
Unless you have one of those weird cheese dreams, you
have one of those lots of cheese, it's a real
thank you. Okay.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
Well, anyway, Kaylee is from a small town like you were.
What she loved to talk to everyone about, and she
has taken her music to the big world and started
making it.

Speaker 4 (01:04):
Few the big world, the big world and the country
music as well, which maybe wasn't seen to be as
cool when she first started out.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
Would you told you know all about being.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
Cool with you know, don't be mad, don't be mad,
don't do that.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
There's so much to learn from Kayley's story, and we
find out what it was like touring with, it's sharing
going on the Voice the big reality TV show, and.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
I think the best their joke that I ever have
come up with in this chair it is check it out.

Speaker 3 (01:31):
It's a warning, hay Dad today.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
When I grow up, I want to be someone who
entertains thousands of people like country music. Start Kaylee Bell.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
You know, she's here, She's here.

Speaker 4 (01:41):
I'm glad you said that, because if you said someone
else it would have been a bit awkward.

Speaker 3 (01:46):
I kind of wish you had it.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:52):
I always try and put you on the spot at
the start of these ones, and then I'm like, well,
why do you want to be like Kayley Bell? Like
give us well, Paley Bell's here as well.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
Okay. I love that Kaylie has followed her dreams into
country music and you've even like moved countries to do
justly and you're super talented, but you've also worked really
hard to get where you are and it's really cool
that you're making it big with something like country music,
which makes you really unique.

Speaker 5 (02:19):
Thank you, see you know wow, she like learned from you, right,
you for doing this, Thank you for having me and yeah,
it's amazing to be on here talking with you today.
And like you said, it's it's cool to be living
your dreams. You know, I grew up very small town
New Zealand, and to kind of wake up every day

(02:40):
and do exactly what you always thought you wanted to
do is it's a very very amazing thing.

Speaker 3 (02:46):
That's so cool.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
You have a very inspiring story for young people like me,
going from a very small town as you seid in
South Canterbury and now you're winning awards, awards, a few
of those, you're touring with Ed Sharon, and you've got
millions of years on tech talk. It proves that you

(03:09):
can do it no matter where you're from.

Speaker 5 (03:10):
Absolutely, I think a big thing as a kid, I
was lucky I had parents probably like you, that just
kind of said, like, do whatever you want, but just
do it properly.

Speaker 3 (03:22):
Was a big thing that was sort.

Speaker 5 (03:23):
Of chucked around the house and music obviously wasn't the
obvious choice. I think I was actually enrolled in Pea
School the same week that I got into performing art
school when I was eighteen and was sort of deciding
it was quite a big time in life of like
which direction do you want to go in? And I
just am so lucky that I had a family who
supported the crazy dream. And you know, because you go

(03:45):
to a performing arts school and you spend three years
studying and there's no guarantee you come out the other
end with the skills but absolutely no job, as opposed
to going to something like Pea School where I was enrolled,
where it was like, well, at least you could come
out and be a tea and I always love playing
sports growing up.

Speaker 3 (04:03):
But I'm just so lucky.

Speaker 5 (04:05):
That I got to make the decision that you know,
I wanted to make, and.

Speaker 3 (04:10):
Like I said, it was the less obvious one.

Speaker 5 (04:12):
But I had parents that, you know, just we're always like,
if that's what you want to do, go and do it,
and you'll find a way to make it work. And
you know, that's meant ten years of side jobs and
side hustles and all the things that you have to
do when you're chasing your dream. But I think the
big thing was just knowing why I was doing those random,
you know, little jobs and cafe jobs and paper run

(04:35):
jobs and all these weird things that you like, you
just do what you have to do to be able
to go and play on a stage at the end
of the week, and you know, do something that you're
actually proud of and feel like you put on the
put on the earth to do.

Speaker 3 (04:45):
You know, that's very very cool.

Speaker 1 (04:46):
I'm from small town New Zealand, from Masterden.

Speaker 2 (04:48):
But I think there is tells a story to even
so one.

Speaker 1 (04:51):
I think they're as proud of me as they are
of you. Where you're from.

Speaker 4 (04:54):
So my school, like anyone that did anything good got
their picture up on.

Speaker 3 (04:57):
The back of yours, isn't not really.

Speaker 4 (05:00):
One of the cricketers Ross Taylor he's got three times
three times.

Speaker 5 (05:03):
I feel like we're going to do it. We're going
to go to Marsterton on this time. We're gonna start
a protest.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
Every time someone I don't want to talk about that
because they don't have my picture.

Speaker 3 (05:14):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (05:18):
I also started performing when you were four years old
and Spangley cowgirl jackets. My dad had me and my
sister on TV since we were about the same age.

Speaker 3 (05:28):
I love time. Did you enjoy it? Did you?

Speaker 4 (05:30):
I really enjoyed Itoy, we put your sister in a pot?

Speaker 1 (05:40):
Was that your parents who got you into country music
with their love of country music?

Speaker 5 (05:43):
Cap from my family sang so my brother and sister
had older siblings and they both stand country and mom
loved music, not necessarily country though, but I think in
New Zealand we have a really strong talent quiz circuit
in country music, which is very random, particularly in the
South Island. Every weekend we'd go and you know, go

(06:04):
to a little random town somewhere and we get the
chance to compete in these country music competitions and it's
a real thing. And the moment was not like about
putting us into, you know, the competition thing. It was
more just like she loved music. She wanted us to
have the chance to love music, so we just that
was kind of the only thing you could do. Obviously,
getting access to country music and New Zealand was really

(06:25):
really hard though my.

Speaker 3 (06:26):
Grandparents used to get it from the Reader's Digest.

Speaker 4 (06:29):
Oh really, that's in the CDs, US like what CDs?

Speaker 5 (06:33):
But yeah, Okay, these are these things that you see amazing,
but yeah, you get these like compilation CDs, so it's
like you wouldn't even know, like obviously seeing you probably
know all the artists you listen to now, and whereas
we were listening.

Speaker 3 (06:44):
To these songs without even knowing who the singer was.
You know.

Speaker 4 (06:47):
I remember getting a CD for the first time when
the girls were little. I think it was you when
you were little from radio and you were like, how
do I get this in the phone?

Speaker 1 (06:54):
Because that's how do I listen to that? Put this
CD plays?

Speaker 3 (07:00):
It's a problem though, wasn't it.

Speaker 5 (07:02):
Actually the other day we were pressing CDs and I
got given one.

Speaker 3 (07:04):
I was like, I don't actually have anything to play. Yeah,
it's wild.

Speaker 5 (07:09):
So yeah, so got an into country through the family
and just ended up loving, you know, American country particularly.
It was a great time for females and country. When
I was growing up, it was the Shania Twains and
you might maybe a little yeah, okay, Taylor obviously when
I was sort of hit was like the same age.
So basically when I started hitting, like the twelve thirteen,

(07:29):
she was pretty big then. But yeah, like the trishy yearwards,
the Pam Tellis. It's like just a lot of female
American country that we grew up in. So they were
my biggest influences, like female country artists. And yeah, Leaan
Rimes was another one. She was sixteen. She's actually the
youngest Grammy winner of all time. I saw the other
day she was sixteen when she first won her Grammy.

(07:50):
And yeah, artists like that that, You're like they were
young females and it was like they were doing it.
It's pretty inspiring to you know, have that around you.
It's cool now, like you know in mainstream you ever
thought i'd hear you know, like you know.

Speaker 4 (08:06):
Slut Combe or Morgan Wolan and you know, you know,
it's like your country music is a big thing.

Speaker 3 (08:11):
Yeah, and it's on.

Speaker 5 (08:12):
Like my dream was always to wake up and here
on radio. I think for me it was missing, you
know in that mainstream world. Like I'd gone sing these
competitions in the weekend and I go back to school
on a Monday and just not talk about it because nobody.
It was like living these two lives because like at school,
like especially you know, small town New Zealand, it's like
you had to be sporty and yeah, and I was
so the sight of me like this music side kind

(08:33):
of just like it was sort of just something you
did with the family on the weekend and no one
talked about it.

Speaker 3 (08:37):
It's quite weird.

Speaker 2 (08:40):
This is when I grow up growing up with your
friends like indie country music.

Speaker 3 (08:47):
No, I didn't have dreams.

Speaker 4 (08:50):
It's kind of cool though, you found you know, you
didn't let that do to you totally. You know that
that's the thing you're into, you know, because it's so hard,
you say, to get swept up in something maybe you're
not in.

Speaker 3 (08:59):
Absolutely, did you ever.

Speaker 2 (09:00):
End up like thinking about giving up or moving away.

Speaker 5 (09:03):
From Yeah, you know, you're right. It's like, especially those
teenage years I remember so lucky. I had a really
solid group of friends that we started at Kinney together.
They're still my best friends now. But they had no interest,
so they were all the sporty kids, and it was
kind of those really awkward years around thirteen fourteen where
you're like trying to find your place in the world
and fit in.

Speaker 3 (09:21):
And you know that'd be going to this podcast.

Speaker 5 (09:25):
Yeah, yeah, well it is. You've got to have a
really strong sense and you don't back then. To be honest,
like you know, we're all just still trying to figure
it out. And I was very much like sport lid
and you know, wanted to spend my weekends hanging out
with the friends. And that was like, well, no, we've
got these competitions that you've got to do and Mum's
paid this money. And it's just like there's so many
moments I look back on like, thank goodness I had

(09:46):
that structure in my life, and I had amazing teachers
around me that always encouraged it. And we did actually
have an amazing singing teacher.

Speaker 3 (09:53):
We used. Tom used to take us an.

Speaker 5 (09:55):
Hour and a half every week up to Tomato to
Sheryl Higgs and Elster Bradley.

Speaker 3 (09:59):
They were like a couple. So Shiera would have.

Speaker 5 (10:01):
Been about twenty one when I was about eight, and
she was very influential, Like through those teenage years. I
feel like she really helped me hang in there when
it would have been easy to kind of just chuck
it away. She was the one that kind of kept
at me and just you know, just kept encouraging it
and just never stopped. I think the big thing was
just not stopping because it was like you come through
those years and you get back to being like sixteen seventeen,

(10:24):
you're like, no music. I love music, and now all
my friends love music, and I'm so glad I didn't
stop doing that.

Speaker 2 (10:29):
Yeah, it's amazing. You've also as your career has gone on,
you've moved to Australia and Nashville in America to follow
your dream. Was that like really hard, moving countries and
starting from scratch?

Speaker 3 (10:40):
Very scary? Yeah, very very scary.

Speaker 1 (10:43):
What they call it country music because you have to
move countries.

Speaker 3 (10:48):
You fit me on something.

Speaker 5 (10:50):
Yeah, although the Americans don't even know what's outside of
their country, so maybe, but it's.

Speaker 4 (10:56):
Kind of like that's really when you've taken that leak
to follow your dream. Yeah, well I'm moving somewhere that
you know, a whole another country.

Speaker 5 (11:01):
Absolutely, it's like it's like anything. I guess it's you
have to put yourself where the opportunity is. And for me,
country music it wasn't in New Zealand, but yeah, I
still remember sitting with mum at the airport being like,
am I doing the right thing? I was just turned
twenty one and she's like, well, if you don't go,
you won't know. And that was all it was for
me to be like, yeah, I just don't want to
have regrets in my life. I want to go and

(11:22):
see things and if it doesn't work out, I think
the big thing is like you're never stuck doing one thing,
you know, Like if something doesn't work out, it's like
we all have the ability to pivot in life. And
that doesn't necessarily mean if Australia hadn't worked out, give
up and try something else, but it's like, well, just
adjust and learn. I think the learning thing is a

(11:42):
big thing.

Speaker 4 (11:43):
You know.

Speaker 3 (11:44):
I've had a lot of things.

Speaker 5 (11:45):
Not go right in this industry for me, or like
a lot of pushbacks, a lot of nose, a lot
of self doubt, but it's I just think it's how
you get back up from that, and like not giving
up is just I just can't speak highly enough about
it because like I'm not the most talented one in
the room ever, but I'm willing to work the hardest
and I'm willing not to give up. And I think

(12:05):
that is the key to all success. No matter what
you want to do in your life, You've just got
to hang in there, and I think eventually good things
come to you if you just work your butt off.

Speaker 4 (12:16):
That's gonna be on those motivational quotes you see on
Instagram with music behind.

Speaker 3 (12:20):
Them, the dramatic Harry Potter music.

Speaker 5 (12:25):
Now.

Speaker 2 (12:25):
Also, you went on a TV music show called The
Voice in Australia, Dad, Now, explain what the show is
and who the judges are?

Speaker 1 (12:32):
Oh me, okay, all right?

Speaker 4 (12:33):
Good people would have seen the Voice with the swively
cheers you're singing to the judges and they probably got
them from Weirdhouse Satrio.

Speaker 2 (12:39):
Probably not.

Speaker 4 (12:42):
Yeah, So obviously you have these big judges you're performing
that they can't see you, hence the name that the Voice,
and they if they like yeah, they push a button,
they turn around. And on the Australian version there was
Keith Urban, big country music stuff from New Zealand. Originally
he's huge in the country world. Rita Orra was another
one of the judges. Is there right enough for your
explanation now?

Speaker 2 (13:01):
And you also decided to sing an original song of
yours called Keith about Urban while he was sitting there.
Were you really nervous to do that?

Speaker 3 (13:08):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (13:09):
That was terrifying too, because this is the guy that
you're singing the song. Yeah, classic TV, it's all very
last minute you know, like they changed the song at
the last minute. Yeah, So I was flying out to
Australia thinking I was singing Landslide by the Dixie Chicks
and land in Australia and yeah, the producer rings and
it's like, we've kind of thought about this a bit

(13:30):
more and would actually love you to do an original song.
And I don't know if you follow much of the voice,
but not many artists get to do original very rare,
so I was like, ah, Like I kind of was
just like really, like, are you allowed to do that?
And so they were like yeah, absolutely, like and this
was the day before, so it was all very like
but probably for the best because I think when you

(13:51):
don't overthink things sometimes it's just like, oh, well, it's
gonna be what it's gonna be. But I do still
just find like walking through those doors of the voice
and it's silent, like it.

Speaker 3 (14:01):
Is so quiet.

Speaker 5 (14:03):
It's just like your heels are like just doing that
like click clock and it was just so daunting, and
I just remember standing there and it takes like they
kind of allow you thirty seconds or something to kind
of get in the zone. But it's actually the most
terrifying thirty seconds of your life because you're like, I'm
singing to the like singing to the.

Speaker 3 (14:21):
Back of a tear is terrifying.

Speaker 5 (14:22):
Lit alone, I was singing to Keith Urban a song
that I've written like as a triviue.

Speaker 3 (14:28):
It was just there was a lot of layers.

Speaker 5 (14:32):
But again, one of the scariest things that I've ever
done has turned into seriously one of the most like rewarding.
And I think there was a lesson in that. You know,
it was like it was really pushing me outside my
comfort zone, you know, going to Australia to do that
with no safety in it, no no chance of like
TV and on TV in front of everybody, in front of.

Speaker 1 (14:52):
The Keith Bart.

Speaker 2 (14:57):
You.

Speaker 1 (14:57):
Yeah, he turned around and then they all.

Speaker 3 (14:59):
To round they did, which was a messive weight off.

Speaker 1 (15:03):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (15:03):
I just I can see it when I look back
at the video. I'm just like, it looks like something
has like come off my shoulders. It's just like, Okay,
you can enjoy this now. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (15:11):
We were actually watching the audition video the other day
and when everyone turned around, he cried emotional.

Speaker 3 (15:17):
There's a lot, it's a lot.

Speaker 4 (15:18):
It was really emotional because you know how much you meant,
and he turned around and they alter what you do?

Speaker 2 (15:26):
Like it?

Speaker 4 (15:27):
It was an emotional I do a good job about it,
and then they do they blocked him as your mentor
as well.

Speaker 3 (15:32):
Yeah, I still can't get over that.

Speaker 1 (15:34):
That was.

Speaker 5 (15:34):
Yeah, that's it's funny because I've really got the TikTok.
You know a lot of Americans commenting now and they
have the voice in America and you're not allowed to
do that, and they get really mad, really gets so
mad in the comments.

Speaker 3 (15:45):
They're like, he should have been able to steal her bag.

Speaker 2 (15:48):
It's pretty fun Like, why would that be part of
I Get It TV.

Speaker 5 (15:53):
Unfortunately, I do feel like I missed the opportunity to
work with, you know, someone that I would learn a
lot from. It's probably was the downside of that, But again,
you've got to look at that. I always try and
look at the positives. And the positives is that that
video alone has like reached so many people's lives and even.

Speaker 1 (16:12):
Recently, right we were looking last.

Speaker 2 (16:13):
Night, Yeah, there was a million.

Speaker 5 (16:16):
Yeah, it's like it's the Cat with Nine Lives that song,
It's just it just keeps finding people. It's wild. So, yeah,
that's found its way into America now and charting over there,
which is insane because I'm an independent artist from a
small town in New Zealand and to have a song
kind of have that effect in the biggest country like
for country music in the world is pretty wild.

Speaker 3 (16:37):
Actually, she was.

Speaker 1 (16:39):
Saying, So, TikTok's a good thing.

Speaker 3 (16:40):
You spend a lot of time on TikTok. Yeah, well,
Dad has it too, I do.

Speaker 1 (16:45):
I start getting into it now.

Speaker 3 (16:46):
I find a lot of like I feel like I
learn a lot on TikTok.

Speaker 1 (16:48):
Actually some conspiracy theories.

Speaker 3 (16:50):
Oh yeah, you just got to have your wits about you.

Speaker 5 (16:52):
But I do learn a lot and also like discover
a lot of new artists, which I love.

Speaker 4 (16:55):
It's kind of cool, like for people like yourself and
these and people like reach the world.

Speaker 5 (17:00):
Yeah, No, that's what's crazy, isn't it. And that's what
I think has changed so much about music that I love.
With you know, Spotify and streaming and obviously TikTok, It's
like we can be sitting here in Auckland and people
could be listening to this, you know.

Speaker 3 (17:12):
Anywhere in the world. It's wild.

Speaker 2 (17:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (17:15):
The fact we don't have to leave, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (17:19):
It's amazing. How like it can travel over, just like
a screen.

Speaker 3 (17:23):
That's always goes through my that's a good point. It travels.

Speaker 2 (17:28):
This is when I grow up. You're also opened for
sharing on his New Zealand war.

Speaker 3 (17:35):
Are you a need fan? Yes?

Speaker 2 (17:38):
It was amazing.

Speaker 3 (17:39):
What's your favorite Do you have a favorite song?

Speaker 2 (17:41):
Oh? It's too many.

Speaker 5 (17:42):
I know, we'll see because I had this thing where
every night I'd watch him and I'd be like, oh
my god, I forgot about that song.

Speaker 3 (17:47):
Yeah, that's song.

Speaker 5 (17:48):
So it was like every night I was discovering a
new favorite song. That's why I was asking, because I'm like,
I feel like my favorite song from the start of
the tour to the end completely changed.

Speaker 1 (17:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (17:57):
Did you learn like a lot from him?

Speaker 3 (17:58):
Absolutely?

Speaker 1 (17:59):
Yeah, I guess just watching him every night.

Speaker 3 (18:01):
Yeah, Oh my goodness.

Speaker 5 (18:02):
The first three shows we played with him were at
the Opera House in Wellington and they were small, intimate,
like three thousand kind of cap and they were some
of my favorite because we were sitting like right in
front of him, so you could actually see the loop
thing for the first time.

Speaker 3 (18:15):
Like and just like the footwork, the footwork, it would.

Speaker 5 (18:20):
Be amazing, like Rugby virus because those footwork is out
of control amazing. So yeah, that alone, but obviously, yeah,
we got to spend a lot of time with him.

Speaker 3 (18:29):
He is very very generous with this.

Speaker 4 (18:30):
Which seems really genuine, like lucky enough to interfe him
a couple of times, and he seems like he remembers people,
you know.

Speaker 5 (18:37):
And that goes a long way. And I think, again,
anything you do, I think if you treat people well,
it works both ways, you know. And he's another one
that will say you can do anything that you want
in your life, just like do it properly. And he's
again defied the odds, you know, even I went and
saw his show in Nashville, and for a guy from
the UK with an acoustic guitar to break into America is.

Speaker 3 (19:01):
Kind of unheard of, you know.

Speaker 5 (19:03):
Yeah, so he's another one that's like small town UK.
It's honestly email as will live in New Zealand, like
they're kind of a match of a matchness. And to
achieve kind of the heights that he's achieved again has
come down to just so much hard work. Not being
afraid to fail, I think is the thing I love
about him. And he always says that he's like the
amount of like pub gigs he had to do, and

(19:24):
like just the learning and the growth you have seen
of him in the last like ten years, it's just
because he wasn't afraid to fail.

Speaker 3 (19:30):
He just put himself out there.

Speaker 5 (19:31):
He picked himself back up, and now he's like this
incredible songwriter and artist that we kind of think has
always been, you know, but he will openly put videos
up that who's like completely singing.

Speaker 1 (19:42):
Yeah, you know, I was terrible, but I just wanted
to do it because he.

Speaker 3 (19:46):
Wanted it so bad and he didn't give up. And
I just love that.

Speaker 5 (19:48):
I just think he is the living proof of that
whole thing that you can do anything in life if
you were you're butt off.

Speaker 3 (19:53):
That's amazing.

Speaker 2 (19:55):
You also won a big award at the USA Country
Music Award. Very very cool. What was it like being
at the ceremony with your heroes.

Speaker 3 (20:03):
Yeah, it was a lot because.

Speaker 5 (20:05):
I had like post Malone was yeah, post Malone, Luke Combs. Yeah,
that stuff will never get old, and I hope it
never gets old.

Speaker 3 (20:13):
I hope that I always stay a fan.

Speaker 6 (20:15):
I know I will, but but yeah, I.

Speaker 5 (20:25):
Think I think I love the fact that I am
a fan of music as well, and artists, and you know,
for a long time, it was like it wasn't cool
to be a fan, you know, like you had to
be an artist innodad. But I think, I don't know,
I think we're getting more open to that now where
it's like you can openly fan girl over someone and.

Speaker 3 (20:41):
It's not weird.

Speaker 5 (20:42):
And it's like, I just never want to lose that
love of music, you know, Yeah, and your music as well.

Speaker 2 (20:47):
You manage yourself, you won't sign to any record label. Yeah,
that's pretty inspiring. How do you do all that?

Speaker 3 (20:53):
Don't sleep much?

Speaker 2 (20:57):
Hearing? Do you do?

Speaker 1 (20:58):
We're still part time and catch you.

Speaker 5 (21:00):
Yeah, I've got a funny little job on the side,
like I said, side hustles there.

Speaker 1 (21:04):
Yeah. I did another thing with country in the name
of Yah. Yeah. Yeah, it was like, could you get
me a country road bag?

Speaker 3 (21:11):
Bags and bags are great out there.

Speaker 1 (21:13):
Yeah. But you're still working hard, which is awesome.

Speaker 5 (21:15):
Yeah, And I again just think I always will. I
came from a family of hard work, you know. I
wasn't just given anything in life, so I enjoy working
and with the career thing, I enjoy managing myself because
I think it's important to know what's going on in
your own career, and I think someone that's done that
so well as Taylor Swift. You know, she is essentially
her boss, you know, she runs the show, and she

(21:36):
knows where her strengths are and the things that she
needs up she goes and gets helps with them. And
that's kind of how I look at it too. It's
like I know what I'm good at, and I know
things that like I need to outsource, and that's sort
of how it's become manageable. And I have a really
really great team in New Zealand who booked me on shows,
which has been really cool in the last sort of
twelve months to get out and play to so many

(21:58):
people around New Zealand. And we've got another two coming up,
and it's been cool to like, I guess, be that
person for the next generation that I didn't have, you know,
because growing up country music wasn't on the radio. I
didn't really have someone to look up to, particularly female,
you know, in New Zealand. So for me, I feel
like that holds a lot of responsibility and I and

(22:19):
I really love that I get to do that, you know,
because I think it's important for kids to see again
possibilities in life and things that you can do and
make happen for yourself.

Speaker 2 (22:28):
Cool. Yeah, that's really cool. So adding on to your music,
Dad loves.

Speaker 1 (22:33):
The great chair.

Speaker 3 (22:35):
Have you got a cowboy boot?

Speaker 2 (22:37):
I don't just Snaia Twain.

Speaker 3 (22:43):
I like that.

Speaker 1 (22:44):
It's kind of vibe.

Speaker 3 (22:46):
Have a bit of a problem with no.

Speaker 4 (22:49):
I actually do love Shani and I have a problem
with that. Don't impress me much, I was saying to
see d I was like, she said, like it's I was,
of course, it's going to impress anyone. I mean she's
obviously very hard to impress.

Speaker 3 (23:00):
Is very hard. Isn't a fight? Yeah? Her lyrics are
so quirky, aren't the song?

Speaker 2 (23:08):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (23:08):
You about that song?

Speaker 5 (23:10):
Yeah? Well she she lived in New Zealand, which is
really cool. Now she's my bucket list of like that
would be the day I would be like, okay, we've
clocked it, Like the day I get to go on
to Twain or put a song out.

Speaker 3 (23:22):
It's like she's my.

Speaker 1 (23:23):
That would be amazing list that could happen.

Speaker 2 (23:25):
Yeah, also, has you line dancing on the video?

Speaker 5 (23:28):
We watched us very loosely, very it was like it's
like it's like TikTok for country people.

Speaker 2 (23:35):
And.

Speaker 1 (23:39):
I like it really is.

Speaker 3 (23:40):
Yeah TikTok for country people. There's gonna be a next
moving the same kind of brick.

Speaker 2 (23:50):
Okay, before you go, we've got some quick, tough questions
to find out. I really want to be like you.
It's called this all that. It's really easy.

Speaker 1 (23:57):
You can pass on these.

Speaker 3 (23:58):
You don't have to get ready.

Speaker 2 (24:00):
TikTok or Instagram, Instagram, Harry Styles or Harry Potter.

Speaker 5 (24:03):
Oh god, that's hard. I'm gonna get Potter because he
was my first life. Jendles or Crocs Dandles. I hate Crocs.
I have a passion that I hate for cross.

Speaker 1 (24:12):
I love CROs.

Speaker 3 (24:15):
I know, once you're in your I refuse.

Speaker 2 (24:17):
To get Prime Energy or Frank Green drink bottle or
Frank Green is pretty cool kindle or real book oh real, yeah,
flex or Snapchat.

Speaker 3 (24:27):
Do you know.

Speaker 5 (24:29):
I went to go on my Snapchat the other day
and it's been so long that I wasn't even logged
in anymore, And it was just like one of those
moments we were like, I think I've I've.

Speaker 3 (24:36):
Loved not sleep in or stay up late, stay up late.

Speaker 5 (24:46):
I get a lot of ideas for songwriting, and like
the night my Phone is full that it's actually where
I first wrote Keith was two Am I've still got
the voice memo.

Speaker 1 (24:53):
It's like this, do you kind of sing it?

Speaker 3 (24:56):
And yeah.

Speaker 2 (24:58):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (24:58):
And if I've got like some oh have like notes,
I'll just write a lot of notes on my phone.
And that's kind of how most of my songs start.
So I think I have to be an idol for
that one.

Speaker 2 (25:05):
Oh yeah, Barbie movie or Fast and Furious or Barbie
All Day, such a good movie, camll hats or Boots,
Boots last One, Johnna or Ben.

Speaker 3 (25:17):
This is awd.

Speaker 1 (25:22):
Oh, thank you so much for your time.

Speaker 3 (25:23):
It's been awesome. Thanks for having me, Hayley.

Speaker 2 (25:26):
I definitely want to be like you because you work
so hard to achieve your dreams. You never gave up
and now it's happening and it's really awesome. And finally,
what would you tell your thirteen or fourteen year old self.

Speaker 3 (25:36):
Well, it's a really big question.

Speaker 2 (25:37):
Ah.

Speaker 5 (25:39):
I feel like you don't have to have it all
figure it out, and you're allowed to make mistakes, you're
allowed to fail, you're allowed to try different things and pivot.
But I think whatever you try, you should go at
it one hundred percent and commit. And I think you
can actually make anything happen for yourself if you're willing
to put the work in and don't listen to anybody
that tells you otherwise. I think you can do anything
in life now, but you've just got to be willing

(26:01):
to work harder than everyone around you. I really think
that's basically the key to success is just hard work
and not listening to anybody and believing in yourself. And
I think you can make anything happen for yourself.

Speaker 4 (26:14):
So Dwayne Johnson, I always bang on about Dayne Johnson
to theater because he's like one of my heroes. He's
always like, be the hardest working person in the room.
That's why I'm always alone in the room because he's like,
that's his motto. Yeah, And I'm like, that's that's a
cool motto to have.

Speaker 5 (26:28):
It it is because it's like, yeah, no matter what
it is, it's like, just work harder than everyone and
you'll make something happen.

Speaker 3 (26:34):
But yeah, don't.

Speaker 5 (26:35):
I just really do also think, like I think there's
a lot of pressure to leave school and have it
all figured out, and and there's actually not, Like I
think the amount of times you'll pivot in your life,
you'll probably surprise yourself. You know, you can have career changes,
you can move countries. If you're not happy, do something
about it. You know you don't have to suffer. Yeah,
I just think there's there's a lot to be said

(26:56):
for just following you know, what feels good for you
and working hard at it and making something of it.

Speaker 3 (27:01):
Thank you so much for talking to us.

Speaker 2 (27:03):
Thank you.

Speaker 3 (27:03):
I look forward to seeing you go on Crush the World.

Speaker 2 (27:07):
How great was Kaylie Valt?

Speaker 1 (27:09):
She was awesome?

Speaker 4 (27:09):
So much great advice I found in that chat, and
you can apply that.

Speaker 1 (27:12):
To anything you want to do when you're living your dream.
Hard work.

Speaker 4 (27:15):
God, I'd be prepared to do it and maybe move countries.

Speaker 1 (27:19):
So that's settles. You know you want to be like Katie, right.

Speaker 2 (27:21):
Well, I do, But there are so many other people
that can inspire me and inspire young people too, that
we can.

Speaker 3 (27:27):
Still talk to.

Speaker 1 (27:28):
All Right, well, I guess we're back next week.

Speaker 4 (27:30):
Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss an episode.

Speaker 1 (27:32):
Of someone's story.

Speaker 4 (27:33):
I'm off and now to buy what you're in cowboy
boots or a cowboy hat.

Speaker 2 (27:36):
I'll throw them both out.

Speaker 3 (27:37):
You do not suit either
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