The sweet stylings of Margaret River singer-songwriter Valentine have long captivated the region’s audiences, and now her music is reaching even further afield.
The South West talent has debuted on the ARIA charts as an artist and co-writer for her collaboration with electronic dance act, Fly Flamingo.
The track, Say Nothing, which features vocals from Valentine, dropped in to the dance charts at number 32.
Valentine described it as a massive moment.
“It is just so surreal, not even just as an artist, but as a writer,” she said.
“To be writing something from my living room in Margaret River that charts against the likes of Ed Sheeran and all these well-established acts gives you some confidence in an industry which doesn’t always give you a lot of confidence. It is a really nice boost.”
It isn’t the first time Valentine has teamed with an electronic dance act to create musical magic. She had already worked with American producer Jinco on the track Hitch, which pulled more than 800,000 streams.
Valentine said dabbling in a different genre and working with other artists enhanced her songwriting capabilities.
“I grew up listening to the likes of Joni Mitchell, I’m a very stripped back performer and I hadn’t really listened to much dance,” she said.
“When I first got sent dance tracks, I thought there is not that much time to write in but I discovered you can give soul to that kind of music if you apply the songwriter rules.
“The cool thing about collaborating is it is music I wouldn't write myself, you get into habits of what chords to use so it is cool to exercise that muscle.”
Valentine stays true to her aesthetic by creating stripped-back versions of the dance singles for her followers.
Her soulful vocals have earned her a steady group of supporters as well as industry praise, including five WAM Award nominations and being named as a Vanda and Young International Song Competition finalist.
Heavy-weight producer Joel Quartermain was so struck by Valentine’s talent, the pair teamed up for five weeks of writing and recording. The result will be released later this year in the form of Valentine’s first EP.
She will soon venture to Fremantle to work on a friend’s album, put together a band for live shows and put the final touches on her release.
Before she leaves, she will join San Cisco, Blue Child Collective, Luke Fox, New Towns, Ricky Dean and Farraday's Cage for Cabin Fever and The River Hotel’s The Lock In.
The Lock In will be held on July 14. Tickets are available from Eventbrite.
