INTERVIEW INTERVIEW RACHAEL LEAHCAR WHENYOU’RELEGALLYBLINDYOUFOCUSONWHATYOUCANDORATHERTHANWHATYOUCAN’T. “Allow your passion to become your purpose, and it will one day become your profession.”- Gabrielle Bernstein. Rachael Leahcar has used hearing as the dominant sense as a result of her vision impairment. She was naturally drawn to her passion for music at an early age. With her magical voice and great performance, she became an overnight sensation on the first season of The Voice Australia (2012). The show smashed Australian television records when 4.1 million people tuned in to watch her Blind Audition. After finishing in third place on The Voice Australia and she attracted a huge fan following and signed a record deal with Universal Music Australia. She has recorded six albums including her latest album, Shadows. Her debut album Shooting Star climbed all the way to Number 5 on the ARIA Albums chart. Set to embark on her first national tour The Shadows Tour, Inspiration Matters caught up with Rachael to find out more about her love of music and her inspirational journey so far. Check out the interview below. Can you tell us about your journey as a singer? What was the first song you sang in a live performance? I've always loved singing as far as I can remember. Because of my vision impairment, I have used my hearing as the dominant sense so was drawn to music at an early age. I took every opportunity I was given to sing, whether it was in choir in school or in front of family and friends. My first performance on a stage in front of an audience was when I was 7 years and sang Over the Rainbow with the school choir. It's still one of my favourite songs to sing today. From then, I performed in competitions and charity events, then started performing professionally at 15 after returning from a trip to Italy to sing on television over there. I started singing for weddings, Italian festivals and other functions.Then after The Voice Australia in 2012, I decided to make it a full time career so that's what I've been doing for the last five years. How many music albums have you done so far? Which album is closest to your heart and why? With the release of my latest album, Shadows, it brings the total albums to six. Each album is special to me in its own way because they each show a part of my musical development journey. I would have to say Shadows is the closest to my heart personally because I wrote the majority of the songs and produced half of them completely on my own, something I've never done before. Can you tell us about your experience during the first season of The Voice Australia? What was the best compliment you got so far? It was an absolute rollercoaster! But I loved every minute. The whole time I was learning; about music and about myself. I also met some incredible people and musicians that continue to inspire me today. Plus, I got to perform every week to millions of people - something money just can't buy. I think the best compliment I received was that I was like a "shooting star" on stage. I was so flattered, I wrote a song about it and seeing my coach as the shooting star instead! What are the different types of genres that you sing? Which one is your favourite and why? I have never liked to put myself under a category because I always believe a good song is a good song, regardless of the genre. I am drawn more to classic styles and my song writing reflects pop, rock and country. It depends what mood I'm in though! Who is your favourite singer? Did you ever sing his/her song in your performance? My favourite singer of all time is Eva Cassidy. She has the most beautiful voice I've ever heard and the emotion is palpable. Unfortunately, she passed away before she was known worldwide but she still has a huge impact today. She sang mostly covers and altered them to suit her style. I once mixed her LEARN MORE 28