WHEN the Grand View Hotel throws the biggest party in its 175-year history this August, there’s only one way to celebrate, with one of Australia’s most powerful voices leading the soundtrack.
Vanessa Amorosi will headline GV Fest on August 29 as the iconic Cleveland hotel marks its milestone anniversary bringing more than 25 years of chart-topping hits, unforgettable anthems and world-class live performances to the stage.
From bursting onto the scene as a teenager with Absolutely Everybody, to performing at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, NRL Grand Finals and on stages across the globe, Amorosi has become one of Australia’s most enduring performers.
Yet despite selling millions of records and carving out an extraordinary place in the Australian songbook, she says the greatest achievement isn’t the accolades – it’s simply making a career out of creating music.
“It’s a blessing that I’ve been able to survive off art,” she said.
“It’s a tough world, and I grew up in it, so I know what that struggle is.
“I’m really blessed to be able to say this is my living and this is what I get to do.”
That perspective has underpinned a career built not on chasing fleeting success, but on embracing longevity, reinvention and the thrill of stepping onto a stage that, even after decades in the business, still feels like home.
“I started working at 12 doing Top 40 gigs, so by the time I started getting momentum, I felt like I’d been waiting forever,” she laughed.
“I got my vocal chops, I got that experience and I was well dialled in before I hit the big stage.”
Amorosi said that although technology had changed almost every aspect of the industry, she believes audiences are craving authenticity.
“When it comes to live performances, I think people are gravitating back towards something more organic,” she said.
“That’s the beauty of live music. You can’t cheat it.”
Perhaps that’s why performing still brings her the same excitement.
Despite gracing some of the world’s biggest stages and becoming part of some of Australia’s iconic moments, Amorosi said the venue itself had never mattered.
“A stage feels like home,” she said.
“It’s like walking into your parents’ house and heading straight to the fridge.
“That’s what stepping onto a stage feels like for me.”
With eight studio albums released across a near three decades in music, Amorosi revealed there was plenty more waiting in the wings.
“I’ve got drives full of songs,” she said.
“It’s just about figuring out what that next mission is.”
For those heading to GV Fest, Amorosi promises a performance that celebrates not only her extensive catalogue but also the energy of the crowd itself.
“A huge party,” she said.
“The crazier the crowd goes, the crazier we go on stage.”
