My Countrytown: Claudia Tripp – Perth

Regional towns are in our blood here at CountryTown! From Tamworth to Toowoomba, Ballarat to Noojee, we love the pubs, the people and the places that make Australia tick. But most of all, we love the amazing country musicians our regional centres produce, like Claudia Tripp.

The country-pop artist wrote her first song at the age of seven in her hometown, Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. She began gigging around Perth aged 12, both acoustically and with bands, after teaching herself to play guitar. Two years later, she was nominated for a ‘WAM Song of the Year’ award with an original acoustic demo.

Since the release of her 2017 debut EP, Fugitive, she has gone on to release five more singles, with Too Far Gone being the most recent. Written on her bedroom floor, Too Far Gone is an empowering break up song that speaks to standing up for yourself.

To get to know Claudia a little better, we’ve asked what she loves about Perth.

1. Opportunity

I was born in a small country town, but moving to Perth when I was 12 was really where opportunities opened up and I began my journey. I taught myself how to play the guitar to accompany my songwriting, and then started gigging at markets, joined a band and got into the studio around aged 14. People were always eager to support young upcoming artists, and I was made to feel very accepted and motivated to keep going.

2. Music community

Perth has a passionate, close knit music community where everyone is keen to go to a show and support their friends if they have the night off. Musicians here are excited to see each other succeed, it's like everyone’s just as excited about each other’s releases as they are their own. It's a community that fosters growth, collaboration and friendship.

3. City and beach

In Perth, you can visit the city nightlife and still only be 20 minutes away from the beach. The coastal drive is an absolute highlight of living in Perth – it's no wonder there are so many inspired and creative people around with the sun setting over the ocean every night. It’s not uncommon to see someone with a guitar down at the beach watching the sunset, and that’s something really treasure about living here! 

4. Coffee

This city has so many hidden coffee shops with amazing coffee, and those spots are the perfect place to sit with a book, writing ideas, catching up on work, or just a catch-up with friends. Places like that have a sense of calm away from the hustle and bustle of the inner city, and are a perfect creative space! 

5. Support

The amount of support I receive at my shows here in Perth always boggles my mind and reminds me just how supportive the community is. I'm not sure where I'd be without so many encouraging and loving people supporting my gigs, merch and music releases. There are so many people who just genuinely love going out and seeing live music, experiencing new bands, and supporting the artists starting out, and it’s something I’ll never take for granted. 

To keep up to date with Claudia, follow her on Facebook here.

For more of our My CountryTown series, check out here.

Image: Supplied