CLANCY Pye has been performing at festivals, shows and community events since she was eight-years old.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
With mum on guitar and dad on drums, Miss Pye and her siblings played in the family band from when they were old enough to hold a tune themselves.
Now in her 20s, the Oberon born and bred singer-songwriter has been chosen from hundreds of country music hopefuls as one of 10 to progress to the 2020 Toyota Star Maker Grand Final.
If successful, Miss Pye will receive a $100,000 prize package which has been credited as helping launch the careers of Keith Urban, Lee Kernaghan, Travis Collins and James Blundell.
The huge prize includes the recording of a four-track EP, media promotion, guaranteed paid performances at most of Australia's best country music festivals, two music videos and a trip to Nashville for the CMA Festival in June 2020.
"All those things in isolation are just really helpful when it comes to building a career," she said.
"It's a pretty big leg up to be honest."
Miss Pye will follow in the footsteps of her brother Mickey Pye, who won the competition in 2015.
"It was a real game changer for him. He had an opportunity to release an album and they supported that the whole way through," she said.
"He's really given me a lot of direction and guidance as a guitarist."
While the two honed their skills performing every weekend either as a duo, in bands or as soloists, the love of music was passed down from their grandfather Ralph Pye.
After a lifetime of gigs around the family's hometown of Oberon, grandfather Pye left his collection of instruments to the Pye kids.
"We taught ourselves to play everything," Miss Pye said.
The competition finalists, which includes an unprecedented number of women, will each perform two songs at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in January.
Toyota Star Maker Coordinator Cheryl Brown said the females in this year's competition were simply stronger.
"At a time when male artists dominate the country music industry, it is refreshing to see so many young women entering the ranks," she said.
Miss Pye said she's had her eye on this competition for 10 years, but waited until she'd developed her song-writing style - something she's now confident with. Her debut EP is Heaven Can't Wait.
