​Hi, I'm Holly

A little about me...

I grew up in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast, Australia.

I started playing the flute as a kid, I loved learning classical music.

I started teaching myself to play the piano and singing after I heard Vanessa Carltons ‘A Thousand Miles’.

Learning classical music is so structured. 
Learning how to play an instrument well comes with a lot of scales, exercises and repetition. I never hated those things though, they’re what give you expression and freedom once you’re performing a piece.
​
Writing songs and singing is a different process, it's instant expression, but to this day I’m still glad to have learned these ‘classical music tools’ as a popular music artist.

---

I graduated from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music in 2011 with both a Bachelor of Popular Music and Bachelor of Music.

After a few twists and turns, I graduated feeling deflated and void of confidence.

I had a waitressing job at the time, and one night I wrote on the back of my docket book:

‘MY GOALS - LIVE OVERSEAS. EARN A FULL TIME LIVING FROM MUSIC’.
​
I’d already released an EP of my original music, and I was playing local shows in Brisbane and my home town of the Gold Coast, but in hindsight, I felt stuck and unsure of where to go next - even though I wrote those goals down, I couldn’t feel them.

This is all sounding very serious at this point. But don’t worry, it gets happy.

My docket book goal became a reality! I got a contract in Japan playing piano and singing at a luxury hotel. I was living in Hakone, about 3 hours from Tokyo.
On my time off, I’d sip yuzu tea at a cafe and dip my feet in hot spring water.
While I was there, I even got to perform my original music at a livehouse in Tokyo and do a media interview! I met other musicians in Tokyo and collaborated on music.