Year 11 Student Embarks on European Tour with the Sweethearts Band

Exciting News! Our very own Year 11 student, Nalani, is about to embark on a remarkable journey with the Sweethearts band, touring Europe for 18 days! 🎶

Q: How do you feel about performing at the Porretta Soul Festival in Italy?

Nalani: “I’m very excited to be performing at the festival. We are doing some other performances outside of the festival as well, so any opportunity to perform is an absolute privilege. The festival is famous for its support of soul musicians, and we even have the opportunity to perform with renowned soul vocalist and pianist Mitch Woods in Porretta. We are all very excited.”

Q: What are you most excited about visiting Milan and Zurich?

Nalani: “I’m most excited about finally seeing something outside of Australia. I’ve been to Indonesia before, but visiting Europe has always been a dream of mine. Milan is the fashion capital of the world, so I’m excited to be enriched in the culture and also jam with some of my band members’ family in Zurich when we go to visit them.”

Q: Can you tell us a bit about your role as a lead singer in the Sweethearts?

Nalani: “My fellow lead singers and I are essentially front women of the band. We have an independent role in our performance and each play to our own vocal strengths. As lead singers, we are the only band members who speak on stage, introducing songs, the band, and anyone who is soloing at the time. It’s also a large responsibility to know all the lyrical parts for the band’s repertoire. It has been a pleasure learning and growing over the past year and a half as a lead singer in the Sweethearts band. I was a singer in the junior program, the Young Hearts, for two years, and being in the Sweethearts has been the greatest experience of my life.”

Q: How have you been preparing for the tour?

Nalani: “To prepare for the tour, our normal two-hour weekly rehearsals have frequently been extended to four hours, including rehearsals on weekends. I have also been performing at every gig possible to ensure that my performance is up to the standard of the places we are performing in Europe. I have been learning every song in the Sweethearts repertoire and making sure my stage presence has developed to suit the standard of the band. It’s been a really fun process.”

Q: What do you hope to learn or experience during this 18-day tour?

Nalani: “I really want to get to know everyone in the band really well. This tour will definitely bring us all closer together, and I’m hoping to gain more knowledge of soul, jazz, and blues music while we are on the tour. I’m really excited to go to the Montreux Jazz Festival, where we are seeing the incredibly talented RAYE and Janelle Monae. It will be the most insane concert experience, in my opinion. I also hope to have fun and gain knowledge about travelling!”

Q: What are your personal goals for this trip, both musically and personally?

Nalani: “My personal goals for this trip are to really have fun and give my best performance overseas. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I could not be more grateful for the chance to experience it. I want to feel comfortable in my own performance and become great friends with the entire band. Hopefully, I will return from the trip excited and ready to continue my musical journey in Australia.”