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 BROOKFIELD -
While some 18-year olds are planning parties and getaways this
summer, 18-year-old signer-songwriter Nora Collins has an agenda
full of performances slated for venues within the state.
The 2012
graduate of Brookfield East was named the 2013 Rising Star award
winner at the 33rd annual WAMI Awards, making this Collins’
second consecutive win in that category.
“This means
a lot to me because the awards are voted on by my peers in the
Wisconsin music industry,” she said.
Members of the
Wisconsin Area Music Industry, an organization that promotes
Wisconsin music, vote the WAMI Awards. The awards ceremony took
place Sunday night at Turner Hall; Collins was also nominated for
Female Vocalist of the Year.
“I was very
surprised and honored to be nominated in this category and it felt
amazing to be nominated for both Female Vocalist of the Year and
Rising Star in the same year,” she said.
Collins said
her music career began the summer of 2009 when she was just 14
while she was bored and subsequently wrote and recorded 10 songs
at her uncle’s house.
Mike Gleason,
vice president of the Wisconsin Country Music Association said he
believes Collins is a young star in the making with her unique
delivery of music.
“She has
just a little something different than everybody else,” he said.
“She can hit the high notes that some of the biggest stars can
do and her pitch is always perfect.”
Collins said
her musical influences include country superstars Miranda Lambert
and Carrie Underwood.
“People who
haven’t seen me play can expect to hear the simplicity of an
acoustic guitar and voice,” she said. “Songwriting is very
important to me and this way the audience gets the chance to
appreciate the lyrics of the songs.”
Mike Collins,
Nora Collins’ father, said she started singing at age 3 and
noted as a parent it has been very rewarding to see his daughter
grow and obtain such recognition from her music.
“All
parents, of course, think their child is doing a good job, but to
have other people recognize that makes me very proud,” he said.
“She works very hard at what she does and maintains a busy
schedule. Her motto has always been ‘making the impossible
possible,’ and it’s been so rewarding to actually see her
living those words.”
Nora Collins
said she knows it’s very difficult to make it in the music
industry but she is trying to live her motto and move forward.
“I’m doing
this by playing out as much as I can to build a following and make
connections with people,” she said. “I also continue to write
songs. I love writing and performing; that is what keeps me
focused.”
Collins’
busy summer schedule includes opening for Country music star, Josh
Turner at the Washington County Fair, Summerfest, the Lakefront
Festival of Arts, Bastille Days, the Waukesha County Fair and the
Wisconsin State Fair.
“Being a
young singer, I’ve found that some people don’t see how
serious I am about making music my career,” she said. “Also
being new I’m also learning a lot as I go.”
Gleason said
the fact that Collins has achieved the WAMI Award twice is a true
testament to her talent and how her peers feel about her in the
music industry.
“Not only is
she talented but she is very humble, which says a lot considering
how much she’s achieved so far in her life,” he said.
Collins’
music video “Don’t Slow Down” finished in the Sweet Sixteen,
out of 600 videos, in Country Music Television’s Music City
Madness competition in 2009.
“I received
a lot of positive feedback from being in this contest. I started
performing locally and people responded positively to my songs,”
she said. “That’s when I knew singing and songwriting was
something I wanted to pursue.”
Collins is
receiving national airtime on The Country Network cable channel
for her music video “Dimples Filled With Lies.” Her most
recent work includes the single “I’ll Pray For You” that she
is also making available to her fans as a free download.
For a complete
schedule of Collins’ performances and instructions on how to
download a free song, visit www.NoraCollins.com.
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