Audiences at the 2014 Tamworth Country Music Festival are in for a special treat as songstress Melinda Schneider launches her intensely personal new stage show – BE YOURSELF – at the festival. This will be the first time the show has been performed in Australia and depicts the story of Melinda’s life through her own songs and those from other songwriters who have influenced her. Post-festival, Melinda will be taking the show on the road to theatres around the country, but when it came to selecting a place for the national launch of BE YOURSELF, Tamworth was the obvious choice for this multi-award winning country artist.

“Tamworth and the country music industry have always been very good to me,” she says. “It made perfect sense to premiere the show during the festival for the real die-hard country fans who will be there. I also think people who come back year after year really enjoy seeing something different. Country fans are so loyal, it feels good to be able to give them a whole new show.”

Penning a show about her life – both in the industry and on a personal level – has been something Melinda has always wanted to do. Inspired by the style of her theatre show paying homage to Doris Day – DORIS – So More Than The Girl Next Door – Melinda sought collaboration from friend and script writer David Mitchell, with whom she penned the Doris show.

“We got a rough song list together and started telling my story and writing the script from there,” she says. “Every song I have ever written has a story behind it and most of my songs have been inspired by happy or challenging times in my life. We all have them, I just tend to write about mine! It probably took about six weeks to write the show, then go over it and edit bits and pieces. There is also quite a strong visual element to the show, using some old footage from when I was a kid appearing on the Mike Walsh show and some other surprise bits and pieces. It takes such a long time to cut all of that together and get it looking the way you want it. It’s a mammoth task, especially with my little boy, 16-month-old Sullivan running around and keeping me up nights!”

Melinda is one of country music’s sweethearts. With nine albums under her belt, numerous awards including six Golden Guitars and a swag of sold out tours, she’s easily one of the most well respected performers in the industry today. Her songs have been recorded by artists as diverse as John Farnham, Olivia Newton-John, Ricky Skaggs and Paul Kelly. She made her stage debut at the age of three appearing with her mother, the legendary Mary Schneider, and she hasn’t stopped since. Her most recent achievement though hasn’t been musical, but personal, welcoming the birth of her first child. Her new show is an incredible legacy for him.

“Becoming a mum is the best thing that has ever happened to me,” she says. “The moment I saw Sullivan’s little face, a wave of emotion rushed over my entire body. I bonded with him straight away. I haven’t had a night away from him in 16-months and though motherhood is the hardest job I’ve ever done, I know it’s the most important thing I’ll ever do. I really want to be a good mum for him. Now I know what life is really about and what unconditional love is. Everything I do is for him.”

Sharing her life with audiences through this intimate show is nothing strange for Melinda. “I’ve always told personal stories on stage because they related to my songs and country music is all about the truth. I’m the type of person who wears my heart on my sleeve I guess, and Lord knows I love a chat, so really the show feels natural to me. I also think I decided to do this now, because I am in a great place in my life and by the time you reach the age of 40, you don’t worry as much about what others may think, you can really just be yourself.”

Melinda will be performing songs such as The Story of My Life, Sgt Bean, Courageous and of course, Be Yourself. There will also be some tracks from earlier in her career and songs from other artists who have influenced her. The show is an insight into Melinda as a person and what has made her the woman she is today. This is a show for anyone who is a fan of her music, or just a fan of great songwriting in general, and her only Tamworth performance. Don’t miss the chance to catch Melinda Schneider’s brand new stage show BE YOURSELF as it launches at Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2014. Tickets are on sale now.