With the Drop Festival only weeks away, up and coming singer and songwriter Chitra Ridwan, 21, has been selected as the triple j Unearthed competition winner for Torquay.<\/p>\n
Arriving to Torquay Common on April 20 and supported by triple j and the World Surf League (WSL), The Drop takes place on the first weekend of each coinciding surfing event of the World Surf League tour across five locations.<\/p>\n
Hitting the shores of Coolangatta, Busselton WA, Newcastle, Manly and Torquay, Ridwan said she was excited to receive a call letting her know she\u2019d been selected.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got a phone call and got offered the spot for the Torquay leg. I\u2019ve heard about the festival before through friends and saw it on the triple j page so it\u2019s very exciting I\u2019m going to be able to do that.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is definitely the biggest festival I\u2019ve done. I\u2019ve been releasing songs and I upload them to Unearthed and hope someone from triple j picks them up and has a listen. They did and then they thought of me for The Drop which is really lovely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Torquay\u2019s sold-out festival features a huge line-up including Angus and Julia Stone, Client Liaison, Hockey Dad and The Jungle Giants, with Ridwan returning home to the Surf Coast to perform.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m originally from Ocean Grove and moved to Melbourne three years ago to further my studies and pursue a career in music,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really excited to play and to be back on the coast. I find performing daunting, it\u2019s super scary but as soon as you start playing and connect with what you\u2019re singing about it fades away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ridwan\u2019s unique sound is reflective of a childhood spent immersed in folk music and soul greats like Ray Charles and Esther James.<\/p>\n
\u201cI listened to all the classics, there\u2019s also a lot of local bands I enjoy listening to now. Adrianne Lenker from Big Thief (an American indie rock band with folk roots) is an incredible story teller,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI play guitar and I sing, I started off singing covers when I was in my teens and from there, I started writing songs. I realised music and song writing was the only thing I\u2019m really passionate about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having recently evolved from a solo performer to singing with a band, Ridwan said she was looking forward to further exploring her sound.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy sound is still developing the song writing is really important to me and there\u2019s a lot more elements to my sound having a band now. Living in Melbourne and being able to watch a lot of other bands has been great,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been performing together for the past couple of weeks and they\u2019ll be with me at The Drop Festival. It\u2019s a bigger
\nsound and a better experience for the audience as well I think.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whether or not she rises to the top of the industry, remaining true to herself is what matters most for Ridwan.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just want to write songs that people like. Write about what feels honest and things people can relate to. At the end of the day I think about why I do music and remember it\u2019s something that makes me happy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not about being competitive, that feels icky to me, it\u2019s about being true to yourself and doing what you love.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information go to thedropfestival.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With the Drop Festival only weeks away, up and coming singer and songwriter Chitra Ridwan, 21, has been selected as the triple j Unearthed competition winner for Torquay. Arriving to Torquay Common on April 20 and supported by triple j and the World Surf League (WSL), The Drop takes place on the first weekend of […]<\/p>\n