#218 Tori Darke
Country pop singer songwriter Tori Darke is a Golden Guitar ‘Female Artist of the Year’ finalist, Sports Model. She has toured her music Australia wide but has also toured as far as the Middle East several times playing for Australian troops. She has a new single "Dodged A Bullet" out and talks about the journey to this point and what the song is about in this podcast episode.
"I wrote this song about the realisation that I had dodged a bullet by getting out of a toxic relationship" says Tori.
Previously featured on The Voice. Her spontaneous duet with Keith Urban of “Stupid Boy” went viral.
Connect with Tori
Transcript
Rae Leigh: Welcome to a songwriter tryst with Tori Darke. How are you?
Tori Darke: I'm very well.
Rae Leigh: Good. We're finally doing this. I'm looking forward to finding out more about you and sharing your story with everyone and your new music. And if they haven't heard it, some of your older music too, cause you've, you've been doing this for a while. Why don't we start with you telling us a little bit about who you are and where you come from?
Tori Darke: I am a country music artist. I began music from a young age of about 10 or so, and I was always surrounded by music or dancing or performing arts of some kind. Singing or some kind of performing arts was always going to be a big part of my life. Part of my life, I think you would say and part of where I the path that I went down for a career my parents were both rock and roll dancers and they had me dancing with my brother.
From, I don't know, the age of four or five or something and as much as I think the old, the older we got, it was like the less we wanted to be near each other. So that faded out pretty quickly. But music and the arts has always been like a huge part of my life. And now to have that as a career is yeah it's this incredible journey that I've been on.
So I, I'm 32 years of age, I've been doing music for over 20 years. And I've done many things in my life. I've got a degree in beauty. I've worked for the electoral commission. I've gone overseas. I've lived overseas. During Covid, I worked in a bottle factory. What else have I done? I was a flight, I was a flight attendant as well.
Like I've done a lot because yeah, like whatever I've been able to do that's helped me with my music career or helped me fund my music career even have just been all different sorts of things that I've. Wanted to do. And as I don't like to call it a fallback career in any sense of the way, but it's always good to have something else to do that when there's, you have those days where you're just like, I just don't have it in me today to put everything into music.
You've got something else to focus on, or you've got another outlet of going, okay, cool. Like I'm going to take off a month of music and know that the bills are still getting paid or things like that. But I guess. I'm at a point now where I do music full time and I don't really have to worry about those extra things, but they were always in the back of my mind that if I need to go back to something, or if I decide that, music isn't for me anymore, or I want a career change, then I've got those
Rae Leigh: I think it's the confidence to know that you're going to be okay, if this doesn't happen like I have a degree in medical science, similar, like beauty, it's different, not music, is it? But I also, a personal trainer and massage therapist, and I've run lots of different jobs.
And it's like the confidence to know that no matter what you do, You're going to be okay. You're going to work hard at it and be successful. If you're not lazy and you work hard and you're always learning. Cause it's a very insecure industry to be in, isn't it? Like you'd never know where your next gig is going to come or if you're going to get that next festival or whatever it is, the next piece of income that you're going to get as an artist.
You need to have some confidence that you're going to be all right.
Tori Darke: that's exactly it. And I think it's just having that little bit of a, of just that, like you said, that feeling of going, I'm going to be okay. Bye. If I decide to pursue music full time, or if I don't pursue it full time, or if I do this or if I do that, I'm going to be okay, and I think I'm finally at a point in my life where I just went, yep music, I am all in and I've done that several times in my life, I've always said I have been I am music full time 100%, but now it is without any other distractions, without any other careers, without any other jobs taking up any of my time.
It's I live and breathe it every day. Whether I'm writing, recording, performing, or I'm in the office, just doing admin, it's a full time job. And the fact that I'm able to support myself enough now with that. It's I don't know. It's this really cool accomplishment, so it's really rewarding to go, Oh, I'm at a point now where I'm really settled and I am able to put my percent I'm able to put 100 percent of myself into my business every day.
Rae Leigh: beautiful.
Tori Darke: Thanks, hon.
Rae Leigh: Tell me how, cause you, I want to go back to the beginning a little bit. Okay. Your parents were rock and roll dancers, and then you got into performing arts and music. What's the connection between rock and roll, dancing, and studying music from 10?
Tori Darke: Listened to the radio or rock and roll songs or whatever it may be like in the car all the time. And I was always a kid that sang along. I knew every song to 2WS and all the old school songs, all the songs we did. Dancing too and stuff. I knew every single word.
And my mom was always like, oh my God, like, how does she know every word? And it was just something that I picked up on. And I think mom was always like, oh, she's got like a cute voice, but she's just a kid. And we had a few friends that had like family friends that their kids were in performing arts or they were singers or dancers or things.
And I remember one of my mom's best friends was in the car with us one day, who is the mother of Tamara Jaber. And Tamara is. Known for singing and she was married to Kyle Sander and things like that. So coming from Tamara's mom, she was like, no, tour's got like a really good voice. You should put her into singing lessons.
And she's nah. She's just a kid. And and then I think mom was just do you wanna do music? Do you wanna sing? And I was like, yeah. Okay. And I was a super shy kid. I wouldn't talk to people. I would sing till my heart was contempt. But if someone asked me to sing, I was like, my mom used to have to bribe me.
She was like, I'll give you five bucks. They're like, Oh, okay. But I can't look at you. Like I have to face the back wall and just sing to a wall and you can
Rae Leigh: can relate to that.
Tori Darke: But yeah. Yeah I was a really shy kid and a really quiet kid and I look at myself now and I'm like, man, you can't shut me up half the time and I am singing through Woolies when I'm doing my shopping while my partner's always honey do you know where we are?
I'm like, okay, sorry. But yeah, so my parents put me into singing lessons at 10 and I'm like, okay. I remember I had my first singing teacher, her name was Nadia and she was Russian and she was like, Oh, you have beautiful voice and she just was really encouraging and got me away from, I still had some epic stage fright, but really pulled me out of my shell and got me more confident on stage and just, I grew and grew.
And then I guess I got into the country side of things when I was about, 15, 16. I was like, yep, I'm a country singer. It was, I drew that line in the sand and I was like, I'm a country singer. And before that I was doing all your different Estetford's and musicals and things that, like I was in the dance groups, but I was always the singer in the song or the performance or all that sort of stuff.
And I, whenever I did Estetford's and things and I did the country section, I always won. She never knew why. And then. Once I really went, yes, I want to be a country singer. I looked back at half of the songs that I was singing and the stuff that I was doing really well with. And what I was doing well with was all the country stuff.
And I was listening to Shania Twain and Lillian Rhymes and Faith Hill. And they were the songs that I was singing at these events and what I was always doing well in. So I. Went, Oh, I think I've been like a closet country singer for a long time and I didn't really know it. So yeah, so the influence was always there and it's a, it's really cool to now look back and go, I was always destined to be a country singer, but I just hadn't found that market yet or that avenue yet that I was supposed to go down.
Rae Leigh: I love that. I had no country music influence in my life. But you just, you never know where it's gonna come from. And I think it's beautiful that, You were doing that. That's cool. I can relate to the whole being told not to sing as well. I got told not to sing all the time. I'd be singing in math class.
And I even read some old primary school reports. And like my math teacher was like, she sings too much or always singing in class in my English notes. And it's was a nuisance. Yeah. Like always causing problems and distracting other students. Cause she won't stop singing and like completely inappropriate.
Subjects. Anyway.
Tori Darke: Oh my God. That's so cool. Yeah, that, that was me too. And it's just, I think when you're meant to do something, if you just, it just happens without you even realizing even I remember my fiance said to me the other day, something, we were somewhere and something could be on the radio and I just had it stuck in my head and I just would not stop singing.
He was like, honey, I love your voice, but can we have some quiet time? And I was like, Oh, okay. And it's funny. Yeah, coming from like a musician, you just go, ah, okay like what you don't like this. And he's no, stop taking offense. I love listening to you sing, but let's just relax.
And I was like, I just, I don't realize I do it. And then I'm like, okay, yeah, I'm annoying. I don't
Rae Leigh: it's a really, I don't know. I realized that I, it helps relax me. And having three children, like I see them doing things that I can see people would find annoying, especially if you're trying to focus, but I also realize for them, it's a calming technique. And so it's like finding the balance anyway, that's, we all have our quirks.
Tori Darke: It's like therapy for a musician. I think it's those moments where you go, Oh, I just need to sit down with my guitar and write a song, or I just need to sit here and just hum a little bit and you just, it's it just calms everything in you.
Rae Leigh: So is there something that happened that I guess made you realize this is what you want to do? Was there a point, cause you've been doing your whole life. So I understand that there's been a massive influence, but was there a point where you're like, this is who I am and what I'm going to do and who I'm going to be?
Or does that make sense?
Tori Darke: Yeah, I think around the age of probably 18, 19 was probably that realization of being like, this is what I want to do, like all of my friends were leaving school and getting careers or getting jobs or going to uni. And I was like, that's not for me. Like it's not for me. It's not for me. I love to perform.
I love to be on stage. I was doing talent quests and I was doing, the odd gig or I was playing at the local pub for a couple of hours and getting paid for it. And I was like, this is what I love. This is, I, Straight out of, I didn't finish year 12. I finished up at the end of year 11 in New South Wales and I went straight into a job.
I was working three days a week, but my job was still based around the fact that I had Friday and Monday off. So that if I went away to sing for the weekend at festivals or shows or whatever it may be that I had that opportunity to do that. I think after a year of working and then doing music on the weekends, I just went. No, I'm going to do music full time and I'm going to be a musician and this is what I'm meant to do. So I gave up that three day a week job that, I was still living at home. So I didn't have a lot of overheads or anything. So I was able to then have the support of my parents to just go. No you make enough, doing gigs and stuff like you can, of course, I still live at home and things, but it gave me that confidence to just follow it as a dream and really push it for that first couple of years of my career and get myself out there and give me Like the backbone and that sort of stability behind me to just do it and take that leap and start a career in
Rae Leigh: That's incredible. And how so your parents completely supported you in that they weren't worried about you not finishing year 12 or, having other qualifications.
Tori Darke: No, not at all. My parents were very supportive. Their rule always was if I decided to leave school that I had to go into a job, which I did, and I did that for a year. And then it was like, okay, cool. We've you've proved to us that, and by then I was 18 as well. So they're like you've proved to us that.
You, you can have a job and you can keep a job down and everything else. And it wasn't just my job at KC that I had when I was 14. But yeah, it just, I think it gave my parents a lot of pride to know that. I. Was following my dream and I was pursuing something that I wanted to and my parents had supported my music from day dot they were so supportive My mom came everywhere with me.
My dad went everywhere with my brother He played soccer and so between the two of us We were so busy over weekend like my poor parents had no life and no life Come Friday, Saturday, Sunday, but they were super supportive. So if there was any way that they could be supportive in terms of furthering my career or furthering my love for the music, they were there 100%.
So they came away with me a lot, or they came to Tamworth with me every year. And if I played festivals or anything like that, they were always there. And when I just went, Oh, I think it's time that like, I'm not, I'm trying, I'm struggling to juggle the two, like being young, it's really hard to focus on.
One thing and push it 100 percent and make a name for yourself and everything, as well as then being like, Oh, I've got to go to work today. And then the older you get, the more. You become used to having to juggle things and having to be an adult and having to do more than one thing at a time and all that sort of stuff.
So I think that definitely changed a lot. But yeah, when it comes to having that support behind me, like my parents were incredible.
Rae Leigh: Tell me what your dream was when your parents wanted to support your dream. Did you have a clear idea of what you wanted that to look like?
Tori Darke: Oh gosh, I had no idea. All I knew is that I wanted to sing and I wanted to sing songs that I'd written or sing songs that I'd recorded and I wanted people to hear them and I wanted to play them for people. I wanted to say people seeing the words back to me. That was that's something that's definitely happened and it's really cool.
Rae Leigh: And Do you feel like that's changed? Or do you think it's the same? What's the, what are you doing at the moment that you feel is this is what I'm doing it for and where I'm going?
Tori Darke: Yeah, I think I have probably just grown up a lot is more so I think the dream and the goal has always been the same for me. I don't play music for money. I don't play music to be a big superstar. I play music because I love playing music and I love writing songs and recording songs and I love sharing my story with other people or my lyrics with other people.
And I find that through song you can. influence someone or not even influence, but you can change someone's life really just by writing a song that people can relate to. And then you go and perform that and you have people say, Oh my gosh, you brought me to tears or, Oh my gosh, I felt that, or I felt like that song was written about me.
And just people that you can connect with. Like I love that part of music and how it can change someone. And I've had moments like that. In my own life where I've listened to a song and just went, Oh, wow. And you just feel it. And I love that I'm able to do that on a daily basis with my music.
And I, like I said, it's never been about the fame or the money or big stardom for me. It's just as long as, Whether I'm making two cents or two million bucks a year, like I love doing this and it's it's something that I don't ever think I would give up and no matter what stature I'm at with my career, I'll always play music.
Rae Leigh: it'd be nice to make enough money to live on like any, anyone who works, even if you're doing what you love, you still need to live. Like I think someone told, explained money really well to me the other day, they said money's like air. You only worry about it when you haven't got any, it's as long as you've got enough to
Tori Darke: That's exactly it. And no, and I think that's a huge thing is that when you really look at things in perspective and go, okay, am I surviving? Yeah. Am I happy? Yeah. Then that's all I need. Like me if your job makes you 10 cents or 10 mil, like if you're happy that's a huge thing. And I say that to a lot of people, I'm like, yeah, like music, maybe not all the time.
It gives me the finances that I need or not every gig is like we all went through COVID and we know what that was like. And, That was hard. And it was a point where I think a lot of people just went, Oh my gosh do we keep doing this? And what are we going to do post COVID or how we, how are we going to survive?
And I think it either made people stronger or it made people reevaluate things and just go, all right, let's, either keep pushing this or let's call it a day. And for me, it was like, all right, I'm all in. Bye. This is the hardest point in my career I will ever experience. And if I can get through this, I can get through
Rae Leigh: I think that's awesome. Tell us about your latest single that you've released. Did you write that by yourself or is it co write or?
Tori Darke: It is a co write. So I wrote it with two brothers, Josh and Ben Benton in Sydney. So they called, they actually have their own duet called the Benton brothers. They're incredible to write with. And yeah, so we wrote this. Early last year, I think.
Rae Leigh: And how's it going to, what's the
Tori Darke: And yeah, so this song basically stemmed from an idea that I had and I took it to the boys.
Long story short, I was in a toxic relationship that I was in for many years there and I had this idea, I don't know what it was. I think I was in a car with my partner. And I just was like, Hey, what do you think of these lyrics? And the idea was you broke us, but I broke us up. And I took this to the guys and just said, Hey I want to write this. And I want to write a song that is all about taking back control and taking back my life and the relief and gratitude, like having that strength and empowerment that you need when you're coming out of something that is so out of your control. And I I went into the boys and they're like, all right, cool.
Yep. Let's write a chick anthem and let's write. A breakup anthem about not dwelling on the fact that you were in this bad situation, but chanting that yeah, you broke us, but I broke us up. I'm the one that put my foot down. I'm the one that walked away. I'm the one that is taking back my life and taking back that control.
So that's where this is super special to me because I was at a point in my life where I was in this relationship that I didn't see a way out and I didn't realize how bad it was until literally he broke us. There was things that he did and there was parts of me that just completely crumbled with that.
And I went, all right, so you actually, you broke this relationship and now I'm just the one that's strong enough to break it completely and walk away.
Rae Leigh: Wow, that's intense. And the feeling of trapped, I think a lot of people can feel that because it can be hard to stay in something that you know, but it can also be scary to face a world that you don't know when you're moving into being single, for example, or, yeah, you can, it can be a really trapping feeling when you have to make a decision and you don't really know which one's going to be the best one.
Tori Darke: No and that's exactly it. I was at a point in my life where I didn't know how to leave, and I didn't know how to stay either. But then, I Put my big girl pants on and I went, all right, I've got this. And I took back that control and it's been, onwards and upwards. And I dodged that bullet. I look back now and I'm like, wow I'm incredibly lucky to be living the life that I do now and be in a situation that I'm in now.
So I
Rae Leigh: You're engaged.
Tori Darke: like my,
Rae Leigh: Completely different.
Tori Darke: I am, yes, completely different. And that's exactly it. I look at my life now and I can't. I count my lucky stars every day. I feel very lucky and very fortunate that I've had experiences that I was able to dodge and I was able to then create the life that I have now.
Rae Leigh: Talk to me about this co writing stuff. Cause you've co written a few songs. I think I saw that you were a co writer on the new Brooke Chevelle song that just came out as well. What's your co writing experience like? What's been your best co writing lessons?
Tori Darke: Oh, my best co writing lessons is just no idea is a stupid idea. Whenever you go into a songwrite, Just be open and honest about everything or every idea and I am I love co writing Like I still do a lot of writing on my own, but I wouldn't say I finish those songs on my own I always I'm an ideas girl and I love writing so much and I I like to go into a write with lots of ideas or lots of melodies or lots of voice memos and I find the best inspiration for songwriting is working with other people and working off their ideas as well.
And you can go into a write like I did with this one and went, this is my idea. What can we do with this? And the guys go, Oh, cool. What about this beat or what about this melody or what about this rhythm? And I did a co write the other week and I wrote the, like from start to finish, the lyrics complete.
Bye.
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Tori Darke: But the other person I was writing with did all the guitars and all that made it a track, made it a song. Yeah. Like we worked on it together in to a point where we're like, yeah, let's, where do we want to go from here? Where do we want to go from there? What do we want it to say? And yeah, I'm a co writer on the newest Brooks Chabelle song.
I've had, I've got a few more co writes on some songs coming out this year too, which is super exciting because I like to go into a write just as a songwriter. Whether we're writing for me, whether we're writing for you, whether we're writing for Bob down the street, it's, a song is a song and you want to get a good song and I don't think it matters. A lot of people go, Oh, no, we're writing a song for me. And it's no, we're just going in as co writers. And whoever this song ends up being for us, whoever it's for. And I, yeah, I just really love collaborating and getting those ideas and having those moments where you can write with people and really spark off other people's ideas or opinions or just Yeah in general, like people can bring in a life experience.
Like I've got some really cool songs that I've written over the last sort of six months, 12 months. that I'll be releasing this year as well. And some of them, I went in with a story of my own or some, other people came in and then I was like, Oh yeah, I've been there too. And you can join in on the same situation and write a song about it and know that you've both been there.
Rae Leigh: I love that. I did it on the weekend actually. And we were both talking about things that happened when we were kids. And we were both like, oh you did that too! And then we got to use that in a song. And it's beautiful, the magic that happens when you co write with someone. And it's always different.
Tori Darke: Yeah, it is. And every co write is different. Every story, every song, and it's just a great way to collaborate and write with your peers or write with songwriters. I've done a lot of songwriting trips to Nashville, and the last time I did a big songwriting trip, I Trip, I lived there for three months and just lived the Nashville life, did the songwriter thing.
And it was amazing. And you just, it was work for me. Every day, like Monday to Friday, I went into a songwriting session and went into a room, people I maybe had known or maybe never met before. And you're just like, all right, what are we writing about today? What are we doing? What's the feel?
What's the vibe. And it's really cool. To be able to go, how do I do this for a job? Like it's the coolest thing to do for a job.
Rae Leigh: I'm going to be there in, I don't know, less than three weeks. I can't wait. I know I haven't been back since pre COVID and it's I've just been itching to get back. So just got to wait for the right time. Don't you? But yeah,
Tori Darke: Yeah it's very different to how it used to be, but it's it's a really, it's a real, I was there last year and it's still just such an incredible, inspiring
Rae Leigh: And just to be around other people who are also, on a similar wavelength, not always the same, but people who love music and you have something in common with is just a beautiful place to be in. And that's one of the reasons I do this 'cause I just get so much from talking to people like you who are just so passionate about what they do with music and.
It's nice to not feel alone. And I think in this creative industry, it can feel very isolating. And in your everyday community if there's not a lot of other people like you around, it can feel, make you feel a bit weird. I don't know if you ever feel that.
Tori Darke: Oh, absolutely. No, I totally get that because we are as artists, My partner always says it because he's not in the music industry himself, but he's you are definitely like different creatures. Like you are different you're just like wired differently. And I was like, yeah, I was like, cause we think with our creative brain and we think differently to just your average person that's in a nine to five job because a nine to five job is not.
What we do what we do is 24 hour job, or sometimes, we might be starting work at 10 PM at night and not finishing until two o'clock in the morning or, thank God I don't do many of those anymore. You just it's a different kind of career and it's great to be surrounded by like minded people and people that like you say, on the same wavelength,
Rae Leigh: Talking to people who are creatives out there who might be feeling a little bit isolated or alone and haven't connected in, haven't maybe started creating, and they're just making that decision. Maybe they feel trapped. Maybe they're trying to make that decision of, do I step into my creative side or not?
What advice would you give to someone just starting out something that you've learned that you wish you had have known earlier?
Tori Darke: I think the biggest advice I could give is just try to collaborate with as many people as possible. Try to surround yourself with people that are just as passionate about what you do as as as they are. And also to just ask questions, no question is a silly question. Ask for help. If people help you.
Amazing. If they don't find someone that will like. There are so many ins and outs in this industry and there's so many things that are hard to understand that if you've got someone that just goes, Hey, like, how can I help? Or Hey, how can I do this? So I, Hey, like this or that, like it's yeah, I think it's just like this industry is big enough for everybody.
And I have always said to anyone I've ever met, I'm like, I'll always help just ask me a question. If I don't know the answer, I'll try to find out for you. And I think anyone starting out, that's just, find your people, find the people that encourage you, inspire you, and find the people that you love to surround yourself with and work with.
Rae Leigh: take time, but that's okay. There's no rush with this stuff, is there?
Tori Darke: There is absolutely no rush. Anyone that tells you there's a time limit, there is not. If you love what you do and if you just keep pushing forward there is absolutely no time limit
Rae Leigh: I love that. I'm going to write that down. It could be your quote, no time limit because it's so true in this industry. You just, if you're alive, you can do it. If you could collaborate with anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Tori Darke: Oh, that's a tough one. That's a really tough one because I feel like I've already collaborated with my all time fave. I I was on The Voice a couple of years ago when I got to sing with Keith Urban. So that, to me, was this just dream come true moment. And I don't know if anything could top that.
I have some absolutely, I have some absolutely incredible people that inspire me. But at the same time, too, I'm in such awe of them that I don't know that I'd ever, I would feel so probably inferior to collaborate with them that I would just, I love what they do. And I'm like, no, I don't want to necessarily collaborate with that.
I just want to admire that. I love Carrie Underwood, but she is in this whole like world of her own that collaborating with her would be like absolutely a dream come true. Just. Just she's I've seen her perform live and she's brought me to tears and she's so like admirable that I'm like, I didn't know that I'd want to jump into that sort of collaboration mode with that as well. Yeah, like a little bit.
Rae Leigh: Maybe, after a little bit of success or something, you feel like you're at a similar level and maybe that could happen, I don't know if anyone could ever be in the same level as Carrie Underwood. Yeah.
Tori Darke: No, I don't think so.
Rae Leigh: But she is very inspirational and she's such an amazing woman. I love her too, yeah, I'm down with that. Cool. I they're all my official questions. Do you have anything else that you would like to say? I'm going to put your website, your socials, or your music up on the blog on the website, songwritertrace. com. And I'll also have it on the description of this podcast and all the streaming services where it goes.
So people are going to be able to find you, follow you, listen to your music, no excuses, people, you must listen to it. She's amazing. Yeah. Is there anything else you would like to share with, while you've got the podcast in the audience?
Tori Darke: Just the, music is what we do and it is our career and is that job like we, we cannot continue to do it as a job without the listeners. So the most important thing I think just for everyone to hear is that like the support that we are given by our listeners and by our supporters and by our fans and the people that, put bums on seats and come to shows like that is the most incredible part of what we do because without them.
We're probably just a girl locked in a bedroom singing to a guitar, like it's the audience that we get to play to and the people that listen to us. So I feel like if everyone can just support their favorite artists or support artists in general, that's the biggest thing I can take from anything is advice or things.
I just want to say because yeah, people that listen to our music, stream our music, come to a show. That's what keeps us going and that's what puts a smile on our face and makes us sing. It's, helps us get out of bed
Rae Leigh: I love that. And that arts is such a big part of the community and community's welfare and prosperity. And I don't know if you do any research, I don't know if you've looked into it, but like in the 1800s or, back in old school times, it was the wealthy people who were affluent, who had money, their job to be the patrons of the arts.
And they would, get arts commissioned, or they would, support. touring musicians or artists or whatever it is to do what they do. And most of the time, the artist lived a pretty humble life on the charity of these wealthy people. But the art was accessible to everyone within the community and that's the way it worked.
And now we live in a different culture where a lot of people are more affluent as individuals. There aren't, you're extreme rich and you're extreme Lows that there still are, but not as much as it was back in the day. And so there are other people that when they support artists, that's what you're doing you're actually investing into your community and your culture and your country as welfare and mental health and everything that the arts.
And I think it's beautiful, investing in the arts. Obviously we do it on a full time basis with our lives, but other people get to be a part of that, even in a small way by donating and and helping us do what we do. So we just got to get the awareness out there of it's a. It's a team effort.
Tori Darke: It absolutely is. And as much as we, we ourselves are the artists it's as a whole, it takes a tribe to to make it all happen and to make shows happen. And it's not just the musicians themselves, it's the people behind the scenes, the people in the audience, it's the listeners, it's the the fans it's what we do and it's what helps us make
Rae Leigh: I love that. That's beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing and offering up all your wisdom and advice that you've learned over your 20 years in the industry. And you're so young. It just, it sounds weird saying that, but at the same time. you had incredible parents supporting you, which I respect totally and love your parents for giving you that opportunity so that you did have the ability to get out there and do what you're doing.
So thank you very much. And I look forward to sharing this.
Tori Darke: No, thank you. Thank you so much for having me and I'll talk to you again soon.
Rae Leigh: There we go.
