LIFE HEAVEN FOR ST JAMES
REALITY television may not be your cup of decaf soy latte, but keep in mind if you don’t like a particular show, you are probably not the demographic at which it is pitched.
Stunningly beautiful Gold Coast singer St James has nothing but good things to say about her stint on Byron Baes.
“I was contacted by the production company to go on the show,” she said.
“Netflix pitched it to me as an opportunity to be seen in 148 countries and open up a bigger audience for my music.
“With the difficulty in getting overseas, it was a perfect fit because it increased my audience dramatically, especially in places like Ireland, Canada, UK, parts of Asia and the USA, while opening other doors around the world.
“It was hard work doing the filming because the days were long and while there were good and bad bits, anyone else given that opportunity would have jumped at the chance.”
To take advantage of her newly acquired fans, she has just released her latest single.
“Aquarius is about a new age after the terrible time we have all been through lately.
“My generation has become quite fearful about the future and what is happening to the world and the song speaks to that.
“When the lockdowns started, it was kind of good for the creative process having the time, but then as it continued I had nowhere to perform.
“There are tours being planned but the main thing for the moment is to get more songs done and then tour on the back of those.
“I love performing and have been surprised at how I missed it. It is an audience that holds the power so you have to produce music that has great content and reaches your audience.”
If looks and talent count for anything, St James is already there.
GREEN SHOOTS WITH MATT DAMON AND JASON BATEMAN
GOOD things come to those who work hard and never give up. Our own budding superstar Jessica Green received her major acting break when she was cast in 2018 as the lead in the fantasy adventure series The Outpost.
Years of heading to LA for pilot season paid off with a four-year run in the show filming in often freezing conditions in Serbia and Utah.
In another major boost to her career, Jess has been cast alongside Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Jason n Bateman in a film m detailing the attempt by Nike to sign then emerging g superstar Michael l Jordan to the brand d in the mid-’80s.
The deal when it t was finally inked d would go on to be the e most significant and lucrative relationship between an athletic brand and an athlete in history.
Jessica (inset) will play Matt Damon’s secretary in the film, which is a behind-the-scenes look at how MJ launched Air Jordan and changed the sneaker and sporting industry forever. Jessica is in pretty rare air herself.
CASEY BARNES STILL LIGHTING IT UP
FOR Gold Coast country music star Casey Barnes, the past two years have been some of the toughest he has endured as a performer.
But through backing himself it also became a catalyst for a huge spike in his popularity.
“Before Covid hit I had recorded a new album and we were all set for a big national tour. Nobody knew what would happen and other artists decided to hold theirs but a good mate told me to release it and push harder because, as he said, everyone else will stop and you’ll be out there. It was great advice because the streaming services promoted it because it was new and it helped get me a new audience.”
Another big change for Casey is signing with the legendary Michael Chugg.
“That relationship has been amazing. Chuggy is so well-regarded, believes in me, has all these contacts and helped to get the tour to America later this year.
“The audience over there is very open to new artists and sounds and on my previous tour before Covid, really embraced us so warmly.
“The other big change is that mainstream radio is playing more country music to mix up their playlist. Country music is more lyric driven so, because of that, there is a new fan base for the music.
“The new album is Light It Up and the tour to promote it started in February and I will be playing the Ekka on August 13, which will be a blast.
“I also have to give a big shout-out to Arts Queensland because they helped to get us out to Western Queensland. Those bush towns and cities were deprived of live entertainment during the lockdowns and they love having great shows back in town.”
Having won multiple awards and toured the world, what was the catalyst for giving music a go? “There are two. One was my high school music teacher, who pushed me to get up and play at an assembly. The other was way back in 2005 when I got my first big break as the support act for Bryan Adams.
“At the end, the promoter came over to tell me that my album was selling like hot cakes at the concession stand, which gave me the self-belief to work hard and keep on going.”
Nothing ever comes easy and Casey is reaping the rewards for staying the course at something he loves.