By DYLAN DE JONG 

A ukulele, relatable lyrics and a camera phone. 

This was all former Horsham resident Chelsie King needed to produce yet another heartfelt song in her self-isolation. 

The 20-year-old singer-songwriter, now living in Swan Hill, is staying committed to ‘sharing the love’ through COVID-19, adding to her repertoire with her new song, ‘Soldier’. 

Three weeks ago, Ms King became a hit on social media across the Wimmera and Mallee after releasing her song ‘Today’, about staying positive in self-isolation.  

She said her latest release was a personal reflection of her emotions, coming from a raw place. 

She said at first, she was hesitant to share the song. However, after showing her close friends and family, she felt inspired and bravely uploaded a video recording of her singing the song onto  YouTube. 

She said she hoped her song would connect with others who were struggling with mental health, especially during the pandemic.  

“Soldier is a song I wrote back in October. I never intended to share it publicly,” she said. 

“The song is a personal reminder to myself that some days will be difficult, but the great thing is, it is just a day and tomorrow might be better, and we can only hope it’s going to keep getting better.

“It was more for myself – but with everything going on, I know there’s a lot of people out there who might be feeling similarly.”  

Ms King encouraged anyone who was struggling with their mental health to contact social support services such as Beyond Blue.  

“With everything going on, and as someone who does struggle with mental health, isolation is pretty challenging for me,” she said.

“But luckily there are lots of programs still open, Beyond Blue for example, they are always a great tool to use. For anybody who’s feeling upset or despair relating to my song, I would definitely recommend ringing into some of those support helplines, because there are wonderful people on there.” 

Ms King has been an active member in the Wimmera’s music and arts community since she was in primary school. 

She appeared in Horsham Arts Council’s production of Mamma Mia! last year and helped to direct a musical in 2017 at her then school, Warracknabeal Secondary College. 

“I was very fortunate to be part of the ensemble cast for Mamma Mia! in October last year – it was definitely my favourite show I’ve ever done,” Ms King said. 

“For my first time in a Horsham Arts Council show I felt nothing but welcome.

“Everyone was happy to have new people onboard. It was overwhelming on opening night, I didn’t realise how many people could fit into Horsham Town Hall – it’s the biggest stage I’ve ever performed on.” 

Ms King said performing gave her a great sense of fulfilment. 

“It’s a hard feeling to describe – there’s so much adrenaline running through you when you are posed at the end and everyone starts cheering,” she said. 

“And music lets you express how you’re feeling in a way that words just can’t. Even though music is made of words, there’s a feeling that goes behind those words, whether that’s happiness, sadness, anger, excitement or frustration, there’s always something behind it.” 

The entire May 6, 2020 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!