A star is born and she’s Aussie

When Shea Fisher was a little girl she put a mark on the wall each day so she could see if she had grown taller. Like many other young girls she dreamt of being a catwalk model. But with a barrel racing champion mum and bull riding champion father, fate lead her on to an entirely different path. The 20-year-old has been riding and competing for as long as she can remember. “Basically I’ve been on the road travelling with my parents since I was born,” she says in her husky alto voice.

She purses her pouty lips, drops her chin, lifts her eyes confidently and says “I was never a shy child and from a young age I knew I would be a performer of some sort. I’ve always wanted to be at the centre of attention.” But her confidence doesn’t make her seem conceited. The truth is this country girl has worked hard for her success.

Riding and competing since she was three, Shea says horse riding runs in her genes. “I wouldn’t be competing in rodeo if it wasn’t for my family. They have taught me everything from steer riding to barrel racing.” Shea has had many breathtaking moments during her career but admits winning the Australian Rodeo Association Junior Barrel Racing Title at only nine years of age is by far one of her happiest memories. “I had the most exciting time receiving that first award. I got this big trophy buckle and mum and dad sat in the audience watching proud as punch,” she says. Even though her main focus has been been barrel racing, this tough rodeo competitor was the first girl in Australia to make it to the national finals in steer riding. “I used to love hanging out with the boys. But they were really tough competitors though,” she laughs.

By now, Shea has been riding for nearly 20 years and she has many awards and titles under her belt. So it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that she was one out of 15 barrel racers who qualified for the Australian National Finals Rodeo this year. Even though she didn’t win, Shea admits she had a blast.”I rode my mum’s mayor Gemma, she’s really easy to ride plus so much fun.” The gorgeous country girl also enjoyed huge support from her family during the finals. “My dad was judging and mum was there to cheer,” she says. Before entering the arena during competitions her mum usually tells her to go out and have fun. Shea says she loves the thrill of competing. “The adrenalin rush you get right before you’re about to start is the best part. It’s like you get the rush, the heart starts pounding and when you’re out there you don’t hear the loudspeakers or what everyone is saying. You’re just totally zoned in and immersed in the moment. It’s wonderful,” she confesses.

It’s clear Shea feels at home in the arena but riding isn’t her one and only focus anymore. At the age of nine she moved to the US with her mum Joanne and father Eddie Fisher. They lived on a ranch in New Mexico not far from Roswell. Not only did the gutsy young girl learn to drive a truck but she was also mustering and branding cattle every week. When she wasn’t living a true cowgirl life on the ranch, she was travelling around competing at rodeos with her family. The diverse Aussie girl admits she got totally hooked on country music whilst living in the US. When the Fisher family moved back to Australia Shea started performing in school plays. Singing since she was ten, Shea says she was born to perform. “I used to sing in front of mirrors,” she laughs.

Today, she has a record deal with ABC Universal and a debut album titled ‘Everyday Girl’ to show for. She describes her music as being positive and uplifting. “I want to be a good role model and I think that’s part of the reason why I never sing about being down.” The starlet likes to think of herself as being a girl version of Keith Urban. “He’s a bit crossover and I believe my market is very young and vibrant,” she says. Next year Shea plans to move to the US to develop her singing career further. And it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that she has landed a record deal over there as well. Her next album will be released in the US mid next year.

Even though this hard working girl is willing to put her heart and soul into her careers, she still enjoys being a normal teenager. “I think it’s great to get home and do normal stuff like go to the gym, train horses and hang out with friends.” But she admits juggling two careers can be quite a challenge. “If I’m not singing I’m competing, I try to put them hand in hand.”

When asked about her plans for the future, Shea prickles a bit, saying, “I’ll try to achieve everything I want in life. If it doesn’t work it doesn’t work but at least when I’m old I can say that I gave it a go.” And no doubt she’ll use every weapon in her arsenal – confidence, determination and laser beam focus to succeed.

 

~ by lindahausken on April 1, 2009.