When Talia Whittmann belted out tunes into a foam microphone around the coffee table as a seven-year-old, she never dreamt she would be walking in the same dusty tracks as some of Australia's biggest country-music legends.
Talia's appetite for music was whet at a young age with her parents feeding her Elvis Presley, Lynn Anderson, Tammy Wynette and Neil Diamond tunes as she grew up.
Now, the Adelaide Hills songwriter has won the biggest ticket in country music – the same ticket that has taken music stars Lee Kernaghan, James Blundell, Keith Urban and Gina Jeffreys to the big-time.
As a Toyota Star Maker, Talia has scored a record deal with Compass Bros Records and wowed producer Graham Thompson with her "gutsy", "rootsy" voice.
"I cannot believe it is happening and making an album with six original tracks of my own is the best thing I have ever done," Talia said.
* Extract from a full story to appear in Stock Journal, SA, September 25 edition.
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