Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Toni Childs is bringing Tamworth audiences an evening of music, storytelling and inspiration tomorrow night, Saturday, March 7, during her show at the Capitol Theatre.
The American-born artist, who has called Australia home since 2012, said the two-hour performance, Toni Childs in Concert: A Retrospective, would blend music, storytelling and new material, all with the aim of leaving people feeling better than when they walked in.
“I want them to feel like, ‘Oh my God, did I need that? That just kind of erased any low-lying vibrational frequency that’s not really who I am. Now I don’t have to carry that’,” Toni said.
The show revisits the songs that made Toni Childs an international star, including Don’t Walk Away, Stop Your Fussin’, and Many Rivers To Cross, while introducing audiences to new music from projects yet to be released, It’s All a Beautiful Noise and Citizens of the Planet.
“The first-half is a retrospective with the stories about how those songs came to life,” Toni said.
“The second-half gives people a taste of the new productions and the new music that’s coming.”
The singer-songwriter said the new material was all about good vibes.
“The music is positive. It’s got a vibe. It’s love with swagger,” she said.
“It’s so great to see people’s lights go on inside them when they hear the new songs.”
More than three decades after her debut album Union brought her to the attention of international music lovers, Toni believes the reason her music continues to connect is its honesty.
“In my effort to make sense of the world and steer my spirit in a direction when life throws challenging things at you, I’m kind of singing my way through,” she said.
“I’m grieving in song with the intention of finding my way through and not being a victim.
“When I meet people before the shows they’ll say, ‘When I’m going through something I’ve got to put on your music. So, it’s soothing in some way.”
Music is only one part of Toni’s life these days, as she is also a passionate environmentalist and works with women on retreats and is serious about her own wellbeing.
This began after the singer-songwriter was diagnosed with Graves’ disease in the late 1990s and later discovered mercury contamination in her drinking water, which made her look more closely at the impact chemicals and consumer habits were having on her body and, more broadly, on the planet.
“It opened my eyes to the fact that we’re buying things without really understanding the impact they have on our bodies and the environment,” Toni said.
“I want to celebrate us. I want to celebrate love. I want to celebrate our ancestors who came before us.
“We’re all pollinators. What we buy, we grow.”
Now an Australian citizen, Toni said she especially enjoys touring into regional communities such as Tamworth.
“I grew up in small desert farm towns, so I love touring into regional areas,” she said.
“I feel like artists need to make that investment and let people know they care about them and that they matter.”
And while the Tamworth show will feature familiar songs, Toni said the real aim of the night was to spread the love.
“In a world where there’s so much division, what I would love is for people to leave feeling uplifted,” she said.
Toni Childs is at Tamworth’s Capitol Theatre tomorrow night, Saturday, March 7, from 7.30pm.
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