By Nicolletta De Gennaro
A young Perth jazz singer is proving that you don’t need to go overseas to be a musical success.
20 year old Francesca Quinlivan, who goes by the stage name Frankie, discovered her love for music at a young age when she started playing the cello, bass guitar and piano.
Frankie performing at The Ellington Jazz Club. Photo by Nicolletta De Gennaro.
Not long after she found her true passion for jazz singing.
“I want to continuously grow and develop as a singer.
“Music is such an important part of my life that I want to share with others and I love that I am able to do that here in Perth,” says Frankie.
After graduating from high school, the multi-instrumentalist singer started performing at local venues and playing gigs all around Perth with a number of other talented musicians.
“The notion of fame that has been attached to music doesn’t interest me, yes it is lovely if people can recognise my work and be happy with what I do… but my focus is on singing and doing what I love,” she says.
Frankie believes the stigma attached to the music industry leads many people to believe that in order to make it as a successful musician you have to move interstate, or even overseas.
But many people, even some musicians, don’t realise the magnitude of Perth’s music scene and the opportunities that are out there for local musicians who want to pursue music as a career.
Jordan Fritz, owner and operator of JRF recording studio, believes that Perth’s music scene is definitely hitting a hot streak with new venues popping up all over the city.
“In the past Melbourne and Sydney used to be the hub for musicians, but with Sydney’s horrible lockout laws and Triple J constantly teetering on the edge of relevance, Perth’s music scene is on its way up,” says Fritz.
The Ellington Jazz Club on Beaufort Street as well as Clancy’s Fish Pub in Fremantle are two of the many venues Frankie has performed at around Perth, alongside other local musicians.
The range of local venues that showcase musical talent every night around Perth have opened up an opportunity for local musicians to pursue music professionally at a local level.