Mandy Magro
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Bestselling Australian Author
'Mandy writes great stories…sexy and uniquely Australian!'
ADAM BRAND - AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY MUSIC ARTIST
My Blog
Blog
Connie Kis Andersen, Country Music Artist.
| Posted on 8 May, 2013 at 22:40 |
G'day :) Today I'm chatting to the very lovely Connie Kis, about her life as a very talented country music artist.  Welcome, Connie, let's get to it…. What inspired you to become a country music artist? No ‘inspiration’ really ... just no choice. Once you get a taste for creating music, it
becomes quite infectious and if there were a more positive analogy, I would use
it, but right now I can’t think of one and so all I can say, it’s like a virus,
once you’ve been infected, you will always carry the bug. My first instrument was a banjo -mandolin. My first gig of renown as a child was on the
stage with Slim Dusty. I guess my
initiation into country music couldn’t come better than that! Can you tell us a bit about your most recently released album,
or song? My current
album is a self-titled album called; CONNIE KIS. Except for
one song which is in public domain, I wrote or co-wrote all of the tracks. Even on this cover song, my producer, Doug
Wayne and I had a lot of creative input and gave it a complete new arrangement. I feel it is
my best release to date and I am thrilled with the way it came out. The album was awarded the 2011 WA Best
Independent Country Music Album and no less than four self-penned songs from it were awarded song-writing awards
from festivals across Australia with three of the singles released to
Australian Country Radio charting in the Australian Country Music Charts – two
of them (A
Man In Boots and Steamy Dreams) being Top
5 hits.
What are you working on now? I am
currently working on a concept called; ‘Showcase Australia’ which will showcase
Australia and all things Australian through the magic of music. Over the last
18 months I have laid the ground work through my weekly radio program by that
same name - promoting the music of
Australia’s Country Music artists to the world. The program
is broadcast weekly through Nashville Broadcasting Radio Network FM and
it’s world-wide affiliates, through Neon Productions Radio (USA),
through Country Music Radio Nashville where it is repeated 4 times per
week and through the Music Radio Network in Australia and includes 14
terrestrial stations throughout Australia from Qld to Victoria.
My next step
is to expand on the concept of showcasing Australia through the magic of music
... so stay tuned.
Have you got a favourite song that you sing? If yes, what is it? Actually ... I have TWO favourite songs that I sing and wish I had
written.The first is a song written by Hugh Prestwood for Trisha Yearwood
called; ‘The Song Remembers When’. As a songwriter, we live and breathe the song, and know how much a
song can take you to a place long forgotten when heard on the radio. My goal is to write such a song – one that will express my thoughts
and feelings in a way that will resonate with the listener and bring to them,
their own unique experience –a recollection.
And if that experience is long past
... my song will be the trigger that brings that memory to the fore ... The other
song that means so much to me and one that I love is ANYWAY; the song by
Martina McBride. She and
songwriters Brett Warren and his brother, Brad Warren wrote the very poignant
lyrics and music for ANYWAY. I think the
inspiration came from a quote from Mother Therese ... the lyrics go like this
... You can spend
your whole life building Something
from nothin' One storm can
come and blow it all away Build it
anyway You can chase
a dream, That seems so
out of reach And you know
it might not ever come your way Dream it
anyway God is great,
but sometimes life ain't good When I pray
it doesn't always turn out like I think it should But I do it
anyway I do it
anyway This world's
gone crazy And it's hard
to believe That tomorrow
will be better than today Believe it
anyway You can love
someone with all your heart For all the
right reasons In a moment
they can choose to walk away Love 'em
anyway God is great, but
sometimes life ain't good When I pray it
doesn't always turn out like I think it should But I do it anyway Yeah, I do it
anyway You can pour your
soul out singing A song you believe
in That tomorrow
they'll forget you ever sang Sing it anyway Yeah, sing it
anyway I sing I dream I love Anyway. When I was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer in Jly 2011 - shortly after the release of my
new album; Connie Kis, I truly was heartbroken,
given the amount of blood sweat, tears and money I had invested in my
project. Instead of being able to tour and work my album, found myself
undergoing 9 months of treatment including several surgeries – one very major
one where I spent 5 ½ hours on the table ... followed by fortnightly
chemotherapy for 6 months and then further surgery after that ,... the
following 9 months (up until just recently) were almost just as challenging
given the adjustments I had to make to get used to my new inner workings. But the song ANYWAY inspired me and I too did it anyway ... I worked
my music hard online and kept my ordeal private and out of the public eye for
as long as and as much as I could ... I think I had to ‘fess up’ to the public
when I couldn’t get to Tamworth in 2012.  Swag or room
service for a romantic date? Room service PLEASE! Holden,
Ford...or something else? Anything that is reliable, fuel efficient, fast, and big enough to
carry a PA as well as my suitcases/clothes ... and it MUST have a good stereo. Favourite Food? My favourite food depends really on how hungry I am and what time of
day it is ... I must admit though, I am a sucker for a fruit smoothie that is
choc full of berries, yoghurt, cranberry juice and bananas! Cheese is another favourite snack food. Favourite Movie? Hmmm ... hard one.
Especially since I forget movies very easily and cannot recall them at
all. But the first one that has popped
into my head was ‘The Notebook’. I think
it might be a bit of a ‘chick flick’ but it’s a classic and no matter how many
times I see it, I still manage to shed a tear. Favourite Aussie
saying? “Onya mate …” If you could have a kangaroo, koala, wombat, crocodile, galah or
python as a pet which one would you choose, and why? A Kangaroo ... I had a female Joey as a kid (“Joanne”). She was the sweetest little thing. Would sleep in a bag on the door knob in my
bedroom at night and talk to me. I loved
her nature. I know kangaroos are
sensitive, intelligent creatures.
Besides, I already have Galahs … :) Who would you like to trade places with for a day, alive or
dead, and why?I have never thought of trading places with anyone ... I am quite
content in my own shoes. Thinking about
it though, maybe Patsy Cline ... just to get a feel of what it was REALLY like
in the old country music days ... as
opposed to now. If I looked in your fridge right now what would I find? Cranberry Juice, soft drinks, cheese, wine, cashew nuts, bananas,
mincemeat and salad vegies and wholemeal crumpets. .. oh ... did I say wine .. ? Craziest thing you’ve ever done? Riding across Australia on my 750 cc motorcycle. If you were going on holiday tomorrow, where would it be? Phuket Four words that describe you… Sensitive, self-assured, honest and reliable Thanks for popping by for a chat, Connie. It's been wonderful mate! And, you truly are an inspiration. Good luck with everything! If you'd like to find out more about Connie please visit her website at… Only 2 more weeks and my third novel, Flame Tree HIll, will be hitting the shelves…exciting times! Until next time, keep smiling and dreaming, Mandy xoxo |
Categories: Country Music