Be Brave and Chase your Dreams

At Boyup Brook on Saturday, 11th June the inaugural Country Music Awards were held. On this night Codee-Lee Down took away four awards. She won the EP of the year, the single of the year, she was awarded the song writer of the year and the people’s choice of the year.

A truly successful year for a musician who has worked hard to be where she is, so where did it all begin?

At the age of eight and whilst living in Dongara, Codee-Lee was encouraged by her mother to have music lessons, the music teacher warned, “I will give her a trial, two music lessons, and we will see how she goes.”

Codee-Lee instantly discovered a passion for music, so when she was asked to practice the guitar for at least thirty minutes a week, she would do around three hours, endeavoring to improve quickly, and so the lessons continued.

In 2008 her family moved to Bunbury, here Codee-Lee and her family would go and see any and every live music concert they were able too.

One concert they attended had a huge influence on Codee-Lee’s future. That concert was the Harvey Dickson Music Show in Boyup Brook. What was being performed on stage that night was the ‘Telstra Road to Tamworth heat’ competition. After watching the show, a very confident Codee-Lee declared to her mother, “One day it will be me up on that stage.”

Codee-Lee entered that competition the next year and at the age of thirteen won the ‘Junior Talent Award’, which then lead to her travelling to Tamworth to compete.

Tamworth is the Home of Country Music in Australia, and being there was a truly awe-inspiring place for Codee-Lee to be. In the competition she made it through to the semi-finals in that year, after which she attended the Country Music Academy in Tamworth which refined her talents.

Over the next fourteen years she worked very hard, travelling around, honing her craft and making music her full-time job.

While living and working in South Dakota in America she met and married her husband Devin, bringing him back to Bunbury to where they now live.

It hasn’t been all plain sailing, around three years ago Codee-Lee suffered a crisis in confidence, after gaining weight and being more concerned with what other people thought of her, those who might be judging the way she appeared and the way she dressed, together with the huge load of others people’s expectations all led to a very anxious time for Codee-Lee.

“Be Brave and Chase your Dreams; because that was what Devin told me to do,” is the philosophy she now tells to her eight and half month-old son during those special comforting moments, it was also the saying she gathered so much courage from.

The EP of the year, the single of the year and the song writing award were for the song ‘Who I Am’.

The song is a reflection of her life through the troubled times she has lived over the last three years. It was a time when she thought she was playing a life role of someone else, chasing the dollars and letting the weight of others expectations weigh her down.

Codee-Lee talks about her journey, “As a song writer I bare my soul to tell my stories. ‘Who I Am’ tells a story of me coming to terms with the way I was living my life and then me reorganizing to the way I live my life today, which is a way better life.

“Whilst recording the song I became aware I was pregnant with my first child, giving even more meaning to the words in the song ‘I smile a little bit brighter’.

“A ‘fun little tip’ I would like to pass on to all new mums, you should record yourself singing a song, on CD or on the phone, I’ve found the sound of my voice singing is the best way of stopping my son crying, my lullabies on repeat work every time.

“I have found I can be a mum; a musician and I can chase my dreams. Of course, a lot of this is down to my husband and my family who are my biggest fans and cheerleaders, my sister is the best guitar carrier roadie that’s ever been in the business and of course to my family of loyal fans around the world.”

It has been said; The best Country music is created with three music cords and the truth.