Ahead of her first headline performance at Volta, Ali Barter says Ballarat holds a special place in her heart.
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The Melbourne artist is returning to Ballarat after recently playing at the City of Ballarat's Summer Sunday's event, this time for an intimate solo performance on Friday evening.
Having started her career playing as a support act at the Karova Lounge, Barter feels very special to be one of the first acts to don the stage at Volta.
"I feel so special... I remember the first shows outside of Melbourne I got booked on were at Karova," she said.
"I've played so many support shows there and really cut my teeth in Ballarat, so it feels really special to come back to play a solo show in that venue."
WATCH ALI BARTER HERE:
As well as performing early in her career in the region, it was time spent traveling to Ballarat when she was living in Daylesford that helped rejuvenate her career after surgery on her voice.
"My mum lived in Daylesford for a time... my husband and I lived with her and were recording a lot of music.
"I had just had surgery on my voice and was having singing lessons and speech pathology in Ballarat... I basically re-learnt how to sing in Ballarat during that time. I have got really strong memories of Ballarat."
Having spent a significant amount touring through region areas, Barter stressed the importance of all artists connecting with their more rural audiences.
"As a performer, the response you get from a regional audience is so much warmer and you can just feel the gratitude because they don't get all the big acts like the metro areas do," she said.
"Everyone always comes up to you and says thanks which means so much... in Melbourne and Sydney it can feel like there's something on every night of the week so it doesn't maybe mean as much.
"I think it's really important for performers, I did a tour with The Preatures a couple of years ago and that was 40 dates of only regional shows. It was just so awesome and different... The vibes were so good everywhere we went."
Joining Barter at Volta will be Hayley Mary, former front-woman of The Jezabels, who is debuting her own new self titles solo project.
WATCH TO HAYLEY MARY HERE:
Barter spoke about how strange it was to have Mary opening for her, especially after Barter has opened for The Jezabels in the past.
"I'm a huge fan of The Jezabels... I was with them for one of my first support tours so it's pretty surreal having Hayley Mary support me," she said.
"I just love her music and the music she's been putting out on her own has been awesome."
The duo will both be performing solo sets, meaning they will each be up on stage without a band behind them.
Barter said while this experience can be more daunting, it creates unforgettable moments on stage.
"I find it way more intimate... I love a chat and to connect with the audience," she said.
"Going on stage and playing solo can initially be really scary, especially if you play with a band most of the time. As scary as it can be it can also be magical because it creates these moments that you can't re-create."
You can catch Ali Barter and Hayley Mary from 8.30pm at Volta on Friday evening with tickets available here.
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