We’re always looking for new ways to help promote YOUR music. So today we’re beginning our new SongCast Spotlight feature. Every Thursday we’ll highlight the career and the music of a SongCast artist. Check out this week’s Spotlight interview with Roseanna Gallo.

As part of our new weekly featured artist interview, we recently spoke with Roseanna Gallo, who lives in Australia and works full-time as a performing musician, about her career and influences. She was kind enough to elaborate on some very personal topics that influence her music and along the way shared a few insights about the emotional power of music.

What’s your first musical memory?

I remember from a very young age probably when I started kindergarten, I went to a catholic school and loved singing the hymns at church. Also in class we were given music books and used to listen to the ABC radio at 2pm, where they had an educational program and the class used to learn a song a week. They were songs like  “blowing in the wind”  “Morning town ride” and “yellow submarine”. I used to love this!

What artist inspires you?

I loved many artists, like Olivia Newtown John, Helen Reddy, Bette Midler, Carly Simons. I just loved most of the artists from the 60’s and 70’s. Songs back then had

the catchy chord progression and great lyrics, which you could understand what the story behind it was all about.

What’s your latest track or album?

My latest album which I launched last year was a religious spiritual compilation named All of Thee Above.

What song or album do you HATE?

I don’t really hate any album or song, I do dislike the song “I will walk 500 miles” (this one drives me crazy)

Tell us more about your local scene.

I do lots of singing at nursing homes, seniors groups, local festivals, Italian festivals, club work, funeral services, wedding services and weekly Mass services at various catholic churches.

What’s a song or album everyone should be listening to right now?

This is a hard question, as we all have different tastes in music, it’s not about what people should be listening, but what their hearts and minds are drawn to. I do believe that people should not be listening to songs which have obscene language!

What profession would you choose if you couldn’t choose music?

I would probably be doing radio work or television work. I love communicating with people, be it through media, music…

What aspect drew you to the particular genre of music that you now perform/write?

I suppose going through so many life experiences and knowing that there are people going through the same thing and this gives them some healing through song. Especially the spiritually based songs. People have come back to me saying they have received so much enjoyment and peace and healing through my compositions.

As a performer, what would be your ‘perfect’ live experience?

I would have to say the best perfect live experience was what I did last year when I put on a concert for my second album All of Thee Above.  I put on a spiritual concert on inside our catholic church and I presented my album to over 400 people, singing my songs from the album and recounting my spiritual moments in between. It was like giving people wonderful inspiring messages and also singing this through song. There was also our church choir supporting me and other musicians. The atmosphere was with dim lighting and candles, it was beautiful.

Lastly, what’s one personal event in your life that greatly influenced a song or album that you have created during your musical career?

Both my albums On The Right Track from 2008 and All of Thee Above from 2011 were the result of my major car accident in 2001. I basically had a miraculous recovery from an accident which I should have died or with my serious injuries made a complete recovery within 3 years. It was during this time that I had written a lot of my material and also had the time to reflect on my life’s journey and go into a musical path a path which I so wanted to do as a young girl, but never had the opportunity because my parents didn’t encourage my musical side, plus finances were not there. It just was a different time back then. I don’t regret my life’s path, probably my car accident was the best thing that ever happened to me, as my life took a different direction for the better

A big thanks to Roseanna for speaking with us this week!

If you’d like to be featured in an upcoming interview, shoot us an email with your name and SongCast user ID and we’ll get in touch.