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Instantly recognisable thanks to her distinctive twang, candid lyrics and bright, string-based musical backdrops, Australian singer Sherrié Austin put her name on the map from an early age. Born Sherrie Krenn on August 28th, 1970 in Sydney, she went on to support Johnny Cash on tour when she was just fourteen, showcasing her talent in front of vast audiences. However, it would be another five years before she started to share some studio recordings. Serving as one half of the newly minted pop duo Colourhaus alongside songwriter and producer Phil Radford, she released a sole album, 1992’s Water to the Soul, under the pair’s short-lived alias. Picked up by Interscope/Atlantic Records, the project was a moderate success, with its lead single “Innocent Child” reaching #50 in the US and marking their Hot 100 debut. Optimistic about pursuing her lifelong dream of becoming a country star, Austin moved to the genre’s heartland of Nashville soon thereafter, signing to Arista for the release of her 1997 debut album Words. Making a modest impact on the Billboard country charts, it led the label to renew her contract for a second album, Love in the Real World, which landed in 1999 and yielded the charting single “Never Been Kissed”. Finding herself independent again after RCA bought Arista, Austin courted various labels in the following years. Her 2003 song “Streets of Heaven”, the lead single from an album of the same name, proved to be her most successful solo hit, reaching #18 on the US country chart and number 13 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100. Taking a break from her solo career in 2005 in favour of a two-year stint on Broadway, Austin reemerged principally as a songwriter for other singers, penning lyrics for Danielle Peck, George Strait and Tim McGraw. She later made a full-fledged return in 2011 with Circus Girl, a thirteen-track LP brimming with messages of female empowerment.
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