Fremantle singer-songwriter Rochelle O’Reilly hits Capes with two shows

WA Music award winner Rochelle O’Reilly is headlining two gigs this weekend in Yallingup and Margaret River.

The singer, described as a multi-genre performer, said her sound was best described as a cross between jazz-reggae and soul hip-hop.

Backed by her eight-piece band, O’Reilly will perform at Lentedal Vineyard Estate in Marybrook from 4pm on August 17 before finishing the night with a headline show at Settlers Tavern in Margaret River.

Among the highlights will be her signature tune The Water, which scored the WAM win in the global music category of this year’s awards.

The song was recorded in February with a local band in Denpasar, Indonesia.

“This visionary song inspires us to lift ourselves up and turn our water pail into a crown, symbolising the weight of our trials in life,” O’Reilly said.

While looking forward to her stint down south, O’Reilly said being on the road was a regular fixture for her as a working musician.

“It took me quite a few years to figure out who I was as an artist and what message I wanted to share with my listeners,” she told the Times.

“It has been in the writing, dreaming and working with other people — of all different backgrounds and beliefs — that the same rule has applied to both my work and personal life: kindness, positivity and community are the true keys to success.

“I believe that music can help to change our point of view and definitely our mood, and I know that our community is searching for positive and inspiring messages more than ever.”

The singer-songwriter travelled for shows as well as to record music videos for her hits.

She said the locations ranged from the backwoods of Gosnells to the edge of cliffs in Mauritius.

But she also balanced her music career with full-time work as an intensive care nurse and mother to four children.

She said her journey started from relatively humble beginnings busking on the streets of Fremantle to selling out shows at the Perth Ellington Jazz Club and enticing audiences at the Blues at Bridgetown festival.