Coby Grant

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Okey dokey…a little bit about ME!

I am from Perth, Australia but now living in Melbourne, Australia where I have been for four years. Four years that have flashed by :) Four years full of happiness, struggles, highs and lows, travelling, music, music and more music. I might almost be at a tipping point. Maybe. Or maybe I'm just excited because I read that book.

But...nonetheless...the last 18 months have been particularly encouraging. In Feb 2009, I had in my hands my very first professionally recorded EP. I had recently returned from a stint in the USA where I wrote and recorded with some amazing people, which is where the journey started. Peter Malick (who has worked with Norah Jones) and Anthony J Resta (Collective Soul, Elton John, Duran Duran, Shawn Mullins) produced two songs each on that first EP, "Coby Grant Is In Full Colour".
I am really proud of myself and what I have done- I don't think that's being up myself, it's just the simple truth. I then recorded a video clip to the first track, "A Song About Me" with the most amazing and talented Tony Ferrieri, who by chance (and myspace) came into my life and helped me to add a dimension to my music that I hadn't been able to achieve in the past because video clips are too freakin' expensive for independent artists like moi. I thank him with all of my heart for his pro bono work and as with other people who have helped me along the way, I will not forget your kindness! Anyway, now I was (and still am) ready to attack :)

...I spent three and a half months on the road from Feb till May last year gigging relentlessly to promote the new EP. First was my "Full Colour" national tour. This one I organized completely by myself and it was a HUGE learning curve (as in maybe don't try to be the booking agent, manager, logistics director, travel agent, gear hiring person, administration lady AND artist all at the same time), but I did have a HUGE amount of fun. The tour was so successful with sold out shows in Melbourne and Sydney and my hometown of Perth. Thankyou to all who helped me along the way (particularly my publicist Amanda and my family). I then embarked on my second national tour which was completely different. A very interesting concept, there were five singer songwriters from four different states all collaborating and jamming on each other's music, onstage together. I had fun and learnt a lot from that one too! Then at the end of last year, I completed an East Coast tour to promote my brand new videoclip to a track called "Heartbeat". This new clip is on my brand new EP- more on that below!

I am doing it all independently. I have had to work hard...gigging a lot and when I need to save extra money I get a day job (you name it I have been it- cleaner, flyer distributor, hostess at posh events where richies talk nonsense, door lady, poker dealer and my personal favourite, magician's assistant), but I don't lose sight of the bigger picture. I am mostly self-managed in this country of mine, but I do have a "background man" in Alan Griffith, who believes in me and my music and is actively pursuing opportunities within Australia and around the globe. There is my wonderful publicist here in Australia Amanda Harcourt of Scarlet Fever Publicity who has been with me for about three years now. I also have an incredible mastermind behind my creative direction and design in John Calabro, plus my beautiful and talented friend Brenden Revell on my website development. And recently, after the two national tours, I got a surprise and most welcome call from Premier Artists, Australia's largest and most respected booking agency. So instead of having to book all my own original gigs I now had Agent Nick Yates (sounds like he belongs in 007) looking after my bookings which was a huge load off my shoulders and leaves more time for me to be creative! Premier have been amazing and already I have supported Newton Faulkner, Lisa Mitchell, Toni Childs and Bonjah plus I performed at some wonderful festivals over the summer just gone. Unfortunately, Nick is going on to some great opportunities for himself so the Coby Grant team is back onto bookings. This team of mine has been acquired through my hard work and together we are striving for the elusive "next level", which I think one gets to through even more hard work (how hard can one little lady work?), determination and a little but of luck.

It is a hard slog this independent thing- co ordinating my bookings, flights, tour and show logistics, as well as paying the wonderful musicians who play with me, looking after my website, myspace, facebook, twitter (oh god let them stop creating social networks!!), keep being creative and writing new songs and then trying to be a normal person with friends and a social life and a day off every now and then. Let me tell you it's a balancing act that sometimes goes pear shaped. I work hard and will keep working hard to get to the point where I can live solely off my original music, where I can reach a bigger audience.

So at the end of 2009 (inbetween all those tours) I took off to the US again to record my second EP. After a year on the road I had a bunch of new songs!! I was back in Boston doing a four track EP with Anthony J Resta and Karyadi Sutedja at Studio Bopnique Musique. These two guys are extremely talented and what they did with "A Song About Me" and my first EP knocked my socks off so I simply had to find a way back to their studio! Two weeks living on the studio leather couch (and lots of corn chips and dip later) we finished the new EP, "Fanfare For Love". I was on the national tour (Feb to April 2010) to promote these new songs and had a wonderful response with sold out shows across the country again and the highlight for me was definitely Apollo Bay Music Festival where the warmth and love from the audience was amazing! I capped this tour off with a sold out show in Melbourne where I recorded my live CD/DVD "Live At The Toff" which was released at the end of last year.

Some fantastic news for me recently is the fact that one of my songs from the first EP "Coby Grant Is In Full Colour" was chosen to feature in a Scandinavian TV Commercial for Bon Aqua (bottled water), which is a Coca Cola Company brand. The song "A Song About Me" was translated into Finnish, Norwegian, Danish and Swedish as well as Iceland keeping the English version. Thankyou a million times over to Grant from Gaga Publishing here in Melbourne for putting me forward. This unexpected but amazing opportunity meant that last year in September I headed overseas for my very first (and I use this term only because it makes me feel good haha) "World Tour!!". I visited Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, UK and USA for lots of gigs and some incredible adventures. The tour went so incredibly well that I am off again this year for much longer (possibly forever if it goes well). From that tour, I added to my incredible team with my new publicity company base din New York, Two Sheps That Pass, and my intelligent and inspirational lawyer, Patti Jones. So I think it is safe to say I know have "people" hahaha I'm a dag. But seriously, my publicists really got the ball rolling and there is a lot of interest from the industry over there and I am now a brand ambassador for Pangea Organics (skincare), Prana (yogawear) and supported by Roxy/Quiksillver. We are hoping to build on the interest and momentum we have going- so off I go once again with my guitar in one hand and my heart on my sleeve.

I have a quote from the Dalai Lama above my computer that says "judge your success by what you had to give up in order to achieve it". I have given up a lot...in my personal life. But in the same breath I am doing something I love- how many people can say that? I love it so much that I might burst if I think too hard. I guess I am lucky to have the support of my family, friends and of course, you reading this blurb. It is worth it.

My name is Coby Grant and I am a musician.singer.songwriter.human being. But those aren't the only things that define me. I am more than that...a good daughter, friend, sister. I am independent, strong minded, not afraid to speak up for what I believe in and when i think something is wrong...or right. I'm affectionate...a definite hugger and kisser. I have never lost anyone close to me and I am blessed for that. I have started to pray a lot...when I was in Adelaide playing some gigs I was walking down a street and carrying my suitcase, guitar, laptop, cd's, la la la and I was feeling a little sorry for myself. Then this middle aged woman went by on one of those motor wheelchairs and I stopped for a moment and said to myself "thankyou for this heavy load that I am able to carry". Am I getting too heavy in this bio (pun not intended)? Ok how about this...I love cheese. Very very much. And reading too...all kinds of books but mostly fiction- getting lost in another adventure for a minute. My favourite colour is blue...blue clothes, blue eyes, blue skies. I am slightly obsessive compulsive (I like to refer to it as "organized in an orderly fashion") and have a real problem delegating tasks to people. I'm working on these things :). My face shows exactly what I am thinking- never a good thing really. I love being alone...I'm not bad company you know hahaha. No but honestly, I like to learn new things about myself and to know that I am ok by myself. I think laughter is the best medicine- the last thing that made me laugh out loud was nothing much...just a silly moment with some friends that made my belly ache. To me, someone's smile is the most attractive thing. I've been in love...twice...and I hope that it will work out the way it should. I believe in what I am doing...you have to right? What I know for sure is that nothing in the world makes me happier than singing my songs and knowing that maybe I am helping, maybe I am getting through, maybe I am brightening one more person's day.

I want to thank the music and musicians that brighten my day...there are so many of you out there. But right now it's Ben Abrahams and The Eagles. There's so much I could say...so much I could go on about...apparently I'm a bit of a talker :) I don't know if I've said enough or not...feedback is welcome!! Actually I'm sure I've said too much hahaha. But...thankyou for taking the time to read this and get to know me a little better. I wish you every happiness and I mean it.

Love
Coby xxxx

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