Katrina Burgoyne has taken a few months off from the music circuit to “recharge and refresh” and catch up with friends and family in Australia.

The musician left her hometown in January 2016 to pursue a long-held dream of making her way in the songwriting capital of the world.

Katrina touched down in Australia last week and hit the ground running, visiting four local schools before the term ended on Wednesday.

Gunnedah Public School, St Xavier’s Primary School, Gunnedah High School and St Mary’s College hosted Katrina who shared her story and encouraged the students to try out for her upcoming concert in February 2019.

The singer-songwriter hopes to have local youth join her on stage when she plays a two-hour show at the Gunnedah Town Hall on February 9. 

“I grew up singing in the school choir,” Katrina said.

“My background started at school in the choir and I thought I might incorporate that and give kids the opportunity.”

Katrina said she wanted to encourage Gunnedah’s youth to explore the possibilities.

“When I went to Gunnedah Public School, Mrs Croft and Mrs Amos were incredible music teachers and they really nurtured me from a young age and that's why I think it’s so important for kids to have every opportunity they can at this age,” she said.

“Coming from Gunnedah, the amount of times I had people roll their eyes at me when I told them what I wanted to do... It took a long time for me to even see a path.

“I could be some sort of lighthouse for people with a similar dream but can’t see a path to make it happen.”

Katrina said fellow singer Anthony Snape was an inspiration to her when she was first starting out in music.

“The person who was my lighthouse was Anthony Snape,” she said.

“Anthony really led the way.”

Katrina said she’s “really going back to my roots” and is set to perform with musicians from her original band Trevor Stacey and Steve McCauley who are members of local act Streamline.

“I want to make the community involved,” she said.

“I’ve loved being part of the community the past few days. 

“Gunnedah is a really great community. I feel blessed to be a part of it.”

Katrina is also looking forward to Christmas where she will catch up with family members who haven’t laid eyes on her since 2016.

“I’m so excited,” she said.

“Christmas last year sucked [in Nashville]. It was freezing.

“I felt Christmas in summer time last year.”

The 30-year-old said she was looking forward to “taking some time out” after a “really tough year” battling sinus infections.

In July, she was so unwell that she couldn’t work for seven weeks and watched her bank account dwindle. She has since undergone two sinus operations but is still trying to get on top of the ongoing problem.

“I think this year has been particularly hard because I’ve been so sick,” she said.

“It’s really affected everything. I couldn’t sing. I didn’t have the energy to get up.”

Despite the time she experiences hardship and crippling self-doubt, Katrina said she discovers she has no choice but to push on.

“When I stop and think, ‘I can’t do it any more’, it haunts me,” she said.

“It’s my passion; I can’t not do it.

“I don’t want to be face-to-face with someone who didn’t reach their full potential.”

Katrina originally set out to secure a publishing contract but said she had since changed her perspective on big ticket items like record deals and would instead focus on building her fan base.

“I have the ability to find people that like my music and connect with them,” she said.

“I might never be a household name, but I could have a really great fan base.

“I think it’s just a matter of time. It’s like pulling out your ticket out and and waiting to get to the door.”

The musician will wade through the myriad of songs she has written in the last two years and give fans a chance to select their favourites for the new album she plans to release in 2019.

“I think I’m kind of coming to being an independent artist,” she said.

“I’m just going to grab it and make it happen.”

School-aged children in the Gunnedah shire who are interested in performing in Katrina Burgoyne’s upcoming show can submit their interest by visiting www.katrinaburgoyne.com/gunnedah

To get tickets for the show, click here.