Charlotte Viney
2017 Collegian
Hurricane blows the competition away
Just one year after picking up a guitar for the for the first time and toying with the idea of writing music, Charlotte Viney has become a force in song writing.
She blew away the critics at the West Australian Music Awards with her song, Hurricane. Charlotte said that she couldn’t believe she had actually taken out the Schools 14 and Under category when the winner was announced.
“At first I wasn’t sure if I had heard them but then mum started hitting me,” Charlotte said.
Despite having two songs in the final five, Charlotte did not have a speech prepared.
Charlotte’s relationship with music started with learning the piano, clarinet and the koto, or Japanese harp. She says she picked up the guitar because she “really liked it and I just wanted to try writing stuff of my own.”
Charlotte credits her MLC music tutor, Craig Pinkney, for helping her find her sound.
“Mr Pinkney’s really good. He helps me with getting the right sound and recording. He also helps me broaden my technique, gives me a wider influence and introduces me to different artists,” she said.
“He showed me a bit of country but it’s not my deal.”
Despite her early success at the WAM Awards, Charlotte is maintaining her focus on her studies.
“I want to do something in medicine because my uncles are both doctors and my mum’s a nurse,” she said.
“I feel like it’s the right way to go. The whole idea of helping people appeals to me.”