OPPORTUNITIES to get ahead in music are up for grabs at Tamworth's country music festival, aspiring artists just have to be lucky and talented enough to snatch them.
Newcastle's Max Jackson knows first-hand what winning a talent quest at the festival can do. Since she took out the title of Star Maker in 2022, she has travelled to Nashville, and recorded an EP.
She attended the biggest country music festival in the world for eight days, performed three times and wrote four songs.
Previous Star Maker winner Keith Urban performed live while she was in the audience, as well as artists like Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs and Blake Shelton.
The whirlwind year has been immortalised in the song Runnin' - her motto, and Stratosphere, which details the highs she's experienced.
"This year has been very fast paced, and I've been taking every single opportunity," she said.
The 2022 festival following the win was a "blur", with a 6am media call the next day, opening for Lee Kernaghan, and announcing an award at the Golden Guitars.
Touching back down in Tamworth for the 2023 festival, she feels like a different person.
"I just have so much gratitude for all of the opportunities that I think have really helped to shape me," she said.
"I feel really grateful for that, and really proud of where I'm at now.
"I've had a fair few nights of only a couple of hours sleep."
Another big winner from the 2022 festival was 16-year-old Mackenzie Lee, who brought home the Golden Gig crown.
"It was very nerve-wracking, but I did it," she said.
Mackenzie is from the Hunter Valley, but said the country music capital is her favourite place to be.
"I know everyone comes here for the country music, when I gig back home, not everyone loves it as much as I do," she said.
Her mother, who grew up in Tamworth, acts as her manager, and entered her in the competition, with Mackenzie finding out about it only a few days later.
When she was told she was a finalist, she had to come up with two new songs to sing, because she didn't expect the result.
To win the whole thing, she was "overjoyed".
Her prize included going to a song camp, which was unfortunately cancelled due to COVID, so she's headed to the CMAA Academy of Country Music next year, where she hopes to gain more confidence.
"I get a bit nervous around people, talking to everyone. So I think it'd be good to make some new friends in the industry," she said.
Her dream is to go to Nashville, but she's focusing on starting to tour and getting her songs out there. She has a debut EP and one that was released in 2022.
Once she turns 18, she will be able to follow in Jackson's footsteps and compete for the title of Star Maker.
Her advice to others entering talent quests during the festival is to be who they are.
"I had a stage where I went and tried dresses, tried to be who everyone else was trying to be, and it didn't really work out," she said.
"It works better if you stay true to yourself."
Max Jackson is nominated for New Artist of The Year at the 2023 Golden Guitars. Her EP Out Here is available online.
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