BECOMING a solo artist "wasn't a choice" for Tracey Barnett, it was something that developed on its own.
"I went through a phase where there wasn't anyone to jam with and I developed my sound to try to fill as many aspects of a band as I could," she said.
"I have found it enjoyable in the sense that the crowd quite often feels closer to me - there's just me sitting up there baring my soul and I think people find it easier to connect and relate."
The blues/roots/country musician is not just another girl with a guitar.
She is unpredictable with a disregard for genres, believing that to focus on a certain style would be to limit her songwriting and box herself in.
Looking forward to performing at Settlers Tavern, Margaret River on Sunday, Barnett tried to pick her favourite song.
"That's like trying to choose your favourite child," she said, finally settling on Little Things.
"It wasn't a planned thing, it just came up in a jam session and the best thing was that, at the end, I remembered what I had played.
"It's about slowing down, questioning if you have allowed yourself enough time to soak up your surroundings and enjoy the little things in life that make it so much richer," she said of the song, which first appeared on her 2010 EP The First of Many.
It was recently rewritten.
Barnett has enjoyed many moments since pursuing her music career in 2009, such as being awarded runner-up in The Next Big Thing competition, seeing two of her songs nominated for the 2011 West Australian Music Industry Awards, and recently supporting Donavon Frankenreiter at Caves House.
"It was such a surreal moment to be supporting an artist I had thought I would never get to see live," she said.
With plans to record her next EP and tour this year, Tracey finds herself in exciting times.
See her at the Settlers verandah on Sunday afternoon, between three and six o'clock.
