Welcome to Paradise: My Journey

My early efforts at finger picking.

PITCH PERFECT

Swimming and music were my whole world. If I wasn’t in the pool training, I was sitting on my bed practising the guitar and writing songs. Swimming was serious for me, whereas music was more fun, with less pressure. I enjoyed swimming because it was competitive, while music was more of a passion. I was doing it because I liked it.

My parents signed me up for private guitar lessons at a nearby guitar shop. During one of my first lessons, the teacher had me turn around while he played and asked me if I could pick out the notes by ear. He would play a single note – a G, say, or a B or a C – and I was able to pick it out accurately. He was pretty shocked. After the lesson, he took my parents aside for a private chat, and he told them that it was quite rare for someone my age to be able to identify notes like that. That’s when they first realised that I had a natural feel for the guitar and an ear for music. Meanwhile, I was sitting outside the lesson room thinking, ‘What did I do wrong?!’

I started taking lessons on and off over the next few years, sometimes stopping for a while because of swimming commitments. When I wasn’t in lessons, I was still playing non-stop. Even if I didn’t know the chords or what I was doing, I just kept at it. My dad would take out his guitar and we’d sit together plucking out notes to a song until I could play along with him. Alli sings a bit but doesn’t play any instruments, and Tom appears to be interested in music now, but he’s still young, so we’ll see what he gets into. Right now, he is just having fun travelling and being a kid.

When I took lessons, I went weekly, but I still didn’t practise regularly. It was more of a fun hobby and my focus was on swimming. I would teach myself a lot by ear, and I went online to look up chords and fingerings and figured it out from there. My lessons started out focused a lot on music theory, genres, and composers, and notation, but I didn’t always like it. I wanted to play my favourite songs by Keith Urban and Johnny Cash, and I didn’t always care about the theories and correct techniques. So my parents spoke to the guitar teacher, and he agreed to let me bring in my favourite songs and structure the lessons around them. This way of learning kept me interested in playing and made it much more fun.

I wrote my first song when I was eight years old, and it was called ‘Further Away From Me’. Well, actually, I wrote my first song when I was six, and it was about putting diapers on a chicken, but I would prefer not to be remembered for that one. ‘Further Away From Me’ was a bit better than that. It was about the feeling of drifting away from a girl, and not being able to keep the relationship going. It was a mature song for my age! I played it for my parents when it was finished and they thought it was good, but a little too mature. They wondered about where I was getting my inspiration. But the truth is, I have been into girls for as long as I can remember!

When I start doing something and see that I’m good at it, I want to keep going. I started writing more songs and playing them for my family, who encouraged me. That’s when I started to develop the confidence to play in front of different people, including our family and friends when we all got together.

The process of writing a song developed naturally as I was learning the guitar. I spent a lot of time teaching myself when I was in between lessons. Making up melodies and adding words felt like a natural next step. I would start with some chords that I learned in lessons, and from there I would go online and look up how to play other chords and notes. Once I had the chords I thought I needed, I would just start singing tunes to it. Writing the lyrics was always the last thing I did. I still use pretty much the same process. I really enjoy just playing guitar and humming a great melody. Now, once I have that down, I record it on my phone, and then start working on the lyrics.

Songwriting has become an important way for me to express myself. As I’ve got older, and experienced some exciting and confusing situations with girls, I’ve found it a powerful outlet for me to work through my feelings. When I think I have a good story, I’ll write a song to it. And sometimes the opposite happens – I’m just playing on the guitar, and I’m coming up with a cool chord progression, and then the song develops from there.

My songs can be very personal and, being a bit shy, I only played my original songs for my family and grandparents. I didn’t even play them for friends. My family encouraged me 100 per cent and as time went on I started getting the confidence to play in front of different people. Eventually I worked up the courage to play some of my own songs when we were all gathered outside at one of our barbecues.

It felt good to be a part of that creative, musical circle of adults. A good family friend, Brett Penwarn, is a terrific guitarist and singer. He was also our family doctor. Alli and I are close to his kids, too – Jasmin and Brayden. He always came over for jam sessions, and I looked up to him quite a bit. I always thought he was an amazing musician and, when I was really young, I would sit next to him with my little guitar and watch him play. I stared at his fingers and tried to learn from him. I would call Brett one of my mentors in life.

Soon after I started lessons, I was able to come in and pick up some of the same songs and riffs that Brett was playing. It felt amazing to really be a part of those moments! Of course, everyone around me was so impressed that I could pick it up so fast, so naturally that felt pretty great. And now, when I go home for a visit, we still have those jam sessions and sometimes I take the lead. Of all my musical experiences, playing really well around the barbecue can still be among the most fulfilling.

By the age of eight, I had outgrown my first guitar and needed a bigger and more professional one. I went to this guitar shop in town with my dad, and we were just browsing. I picked up a guitar I liked and started strumming on it to get a feel. Dad encouraged me to really play it and sing something with it. I had the Johnny Cash song ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ in my head, so I started playing and singing. The employees and guitar teachers from the store – and some other shoppers – stopped and started to listen, eventually gathering closer. I just kept playing as they grouped around me, and when I finished, everyone applauded.

That was really my first performance in front of an audience that wasn’t my family. And it felt pretty great! One of the guitar teachers there specialised in country music, and he approached me afterwards and asked if I wanted to have lessons with him. So I did.

His name was Cash Backman, and he used to be a country artist in Australia. He’d even had a number one song. I worked with him for a while and it was really cool to learn from someone who had reached that level. He was teaching me a lot of country songs, which my dad liked a lot.

During that time I also began to listen to more mainstream pop music, like Justin Timberlake and Chris Brown. I always wanted to learn how to play songs by these guys on the guitar, but I was cautious about telling Cash that I wanted to change my style musically – for good reason, as it turned out, because when I eventually did, he wasn’t that supportive.

One Sunday he took me along to one of his performances at a hotel about an hour and a half away in Lowood. He was going to invite me onstage with him, and I prepared four country songs to play that night: Johnny Cash’s ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ and ‘Jackson’, John Denver’s ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane’, and Hank Williams’s ‘Hey Good Lookin’’. I was nervous in the days leading up to the concert, but I channelled that energy into practising, again and again.

My parents drove us out to the concert, and my whole family was excited for me. I was quiet in the car, just getting myself psyched and ready. It was pretty crazy that I was out there doing that! There were about a hundred people in the audience, and I couldn’t wait to get started so I could put an end to the feeling of anticipation. But my nerves all melted away once I walked up onstage. As soon as I got up there and felt the energy from the crowd, I just relaxed and played my heart out. The crowd seemed to go for it, and it was a lot of fun! It didn’t change my desire to learn other kinds of music, though, and I kept pushing the boundaries. Cash still only wanted me doing country. So, eventually, we went our separate ways.

My next teacher, Ram Sefer, is a really well-known instructor who specialises more in rock and pop music. He was much more open to ideas. Right away he asked me to bring in a song that I wanted to learn. I used to choose one from some of my new favourite artists like Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, and Justin Timberlake, and he would help me work through it. Then I would bring in some songs I was writing and we would collaborate on those. He definitely helped spark my interest in writing songs and he gave me a lot of confidence. It really encouraged my music to the next level. I will always be grateful to Ram for his support.

Recording my single ‘Pretty Brown Eyes’.

Launching into Justin Bieber’s Believe tour.

Soundcheck and rehearsals on the Paradise tour.

COMPETING AT THE NATIONALS

At nine years old, after I’d been training and competing with my local swimming team, my mum thought her old coach Denis Cotterell might be able to help me get to that next level. He’s one of the leading coaches in Australia, having coached many former Olympians. It was really an honour to get to meet him. I was invited to swim at his prestigious club, the Miami Swim Club. It’s an amazing facility, with two Olympic-size outdoor pools and a team of respected coaches. Swimming is a big sport in Australia, naturally, since it’s part of the culture, and one that we tend to do well in at the Olympics.

Denis saw the potential in me. I worked with other coaches there, but he took me under his wing, coaching me and looking out for me over the years. He’d pull me to the side during practice to give me extra pointers. It’s crazy to think about how far I could have gone with swimming. Denis really believed in me and thought I could qualify for the 2016 Olympics if I found the time to train.

I loved swimming as an outlet for my competitive nature. Even in training, I was always pushing myself to outwork the kids around me, especially the kids that were older and bigger than me. I was still smaller and skinnier than the other swimmers I was competing against. I knew I would have to work that much harder than a bigger guy to achieve my goals. And so I did. I still carry that underdog mentality with me today.

I competed in my first Australian School Nationals when I was ten years old. It was held in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, on the southern coast. I flew out there with my team, and we had a great time goofing off and sharing in the excitement on our way to the meet. This was the next level for me. It was a five-day event, where I swam several different races each day. It was a big deal for me, and of course I was nervous, but I usually try to turn nerves into adrenalin, to fuel me to stay sharp in an event and swim my hardest.

The Nationals competition is held annually for all schools in Australia, across all sports. It’s the culmination of a whole year of racing and events. Before being able to compete in them, I first had to place in my events at the local meets, and then at the State competition to make the cut. From my results at the State competition, I was ranked first or second in a lot of events.

My whole family came with me to the Nationals competition, which helped me feel comfortable. A couple of friends from my local club also made the Nationals squad, so it was great to go with them. I was the youngest on the team. As always, I felt like I had a lot to prove to keep up with my team-mates. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Before a race, we would be lined up in a holding room, waiting for our turn to walk out to the pool deck and take our positions. I would bring music and lose myself in some of my favourite songs. To race, we would all wear the Fastskin suits, which are knee-length swimming trunks that glide through the water better than normal swimming togs. While waiting, we would have on the big, warm team coats that look a bit like what boxers wear. And sometimes we would wear Ugg boots to stay warmed up for the race.

When we’d finally move from the holding room out onto the pool deck and get down to our suits, the adrenalin would really hit me. I’d climb onto the starting block and adjust my suit, then my goggles. I’d go over the race in my head, visualising every stroke and turn. I can still hear the judge telling us to take our marks and feel my muscles tighten as I bend over and grab the block. The whistle would sound, and I’d hit the water. And the rest would just happen. I knew what I was doing, and what I needed to do to win.

I’d push myself to the limit as I’d race towards the final metres. And when I’d slam into the touch pad at the end, I’d immediately look up to see my time and my place. One of the best feelings in the world is looking up to see that I’ve won. At the Nationals competition, I had the fastest time in the 50-metre butterfly and 50-metre freestyle for a ten-year-old. I won all the races – gold medals in all of my events, in every stroke!

The Australian Nationals have a medal ceremony like the Olympics. It was a truly amazing feeling when they called my name and I stepped up onto the podium, onto the middle, tallest level. It’s so gratifying to work really, really hard at something and have it pay off or to be recognised for your efforts.

On the flip side, when I came second, I would feel so disappointed. To be honest, I was never totally happy unless I won! I know that sounds harsh, but it’s a standard I set for myself. I don’t like to stand on the second tier – especially when I know I could have done better. I don’t like to leave anything out there.

I competed in the same competition the following year, in which I ended up with the same incredible results. When I was 12, I went to the Pan Pacific School Games, which is an even more intense and prestigious competition because it’s not just Australia. More than 30 countries compete, including New Zealand, Canada, Guam and others. There I won three gold medals, two silvers and a bronze.

Swimming had all of my focus and energy. I was working really hard to reach my goals, pushing myself each and every day. I loved it. When I really thought about my future and what I wanted for myself, I hoped I could reach the Olympics. I knew that anything is possible if you work hard enough for it, and I felt like I was so close to living my dream.

A champion!

Checking the results at the end of my race at the Queensland Championships.

Racing my favourite stroke, butterfly.

SECRET STAR

Even while I was swimming competitively, music remained very much a fun hobby and creative outlet for me. So, when I posted my first video on YouTube, it happened by chance. I was 11 years old and there was a talent show portion of an end-of-year assembly at my school. A family friend and great friend of my sister named Nusi McCarthy had entered the talent show to sing Jason Mraz’s song ‘I’m Yours’ a cappella. I wasn’t planning to perform that night, but I offered to play guitar with her and we made it into a duet. It was fun to play for my friends at school for the first time. But it was nerve-wracking, too. I was grateful that I wasn’t alone and had Nusi up there with me. The whole thing was very casual and small, though, so that made me feel more comfortable about performing. Her mum filmed the performance, and when I saw the video, I thought it was pretty cool. So I made a YouTube account and posted it online. It got a couple of hundred views and I was thrilled!

I asked my parents if I could post more videos on YouTube, and they were reluctant at first because of safety concerns. I was never allowed to have a MySpace page or even an email account. But after a few months of me bugging her, my mum started to come around. She let me sign up for MySpace and continue using my YouTube account as long as she was in control of them and could check any messages. Once she was satisfied that it was secure and safe for me to use, she even started to help me with filming and would get excited when people liked the videos.