The queen of country
Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette and Shania Twain are names we’ve all heard of but in the future keep an ear on Elizabeth Maindonald.
The promising singer from Eltham, has already won a number of competitions in New Zealand and now country music legend Gray Bartlett has sung her praises – and she’s still only 7-years-old.
‘‘For one so young she has shown here the ability and confidence to go far,’’ Bartlett said, after watching a video of her.
Bartlett, a guitarist, producer and composer who has sold two million albums in three decades in the music industry, was impressed with what he heard.
‘‘It’s always really difficult with such a youngster to judge the real potential at this tender age.
‘‘But in my long experience, the indicators for her are great.’’
Elizabeth, who has been performing with her parents Lindsay and Anita since she was 18-months-old, said Bartlett’s feedback was ‘‘pretty cool’’.
Lindsay said they were happy to get such positive feedback from a country legend.
‘‘She has never sung nursery rhymes, she’s only ever sung country songs,’’ he said.
Elizabeth’s favourite artists are Abby Christodoulou, from New Zealand country duo Mae Valley, and 14-year-old Molly G Paige.
Elizabeth’s first award came in 2013 when she was 3-years-old, winning the Hutt Valley Country Music Club’s youngest competitor prize, and she’s been winning awards up and down the country ever since. For her most recent performance at the Muddy River competition she won the junior traditional title and was second in the junior gospel section.