Emerging into the national public consciousness in 2012 with her haunting performance on The Voice Australia, Rachael Leahcar has been a beloved Adelaide figure before and since her breakout.
Now that Rachael has joined the ranks of artists who have produced a Christmas album, we spoke to her about the release of Together For Christmas.
With a heap of notable collaborations, Rachael says that it’s hard to choose who was a highlight to work with.
“They’re just really amazing people. One of my highlights was Ave Maria… We sung and worked it out together and it ended up having a huge keychain difference, all these different harmonies, and it all came together,” she says.
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Rachael, who suffers from a degenerative eye condition is legally blind, and has dedicated this album to her guide dog, Ella. The eight year old Golden Retriever who also features in the superb illustrated front cover artwork by artist Rosanna Lam.
In terms of Ella’s influence on Rachael’s music, she says “I know if she likes something, she’ll come in and go to sleep.”
And when we ask if Ella ever gets cheeky, Rachael laughs.
“All the time, yesterday we were out on a walk and she had rolled in some grass and after I spent 10 minutes pulling our all these prickles, she walked off and rolled right back into the dirt. She knows exactly what she’s doing.”
Rachael has come a long way since her The Voice Australia audition, but she still remembers it perfectly.
“It was such a big day, lots of meetings and lots of interviews,” she says.
“I had really sore feet because I had these new high heeled shoes that I was breaking in, but as soon as I was on stage, the pain went away because of the adrenaline.
“All I could feel was my heart thumping and all I could see was two bright lights. I couldn’t see the crowd or the coaches so I just focused on those lights, starting singing and thought ‘okay this is it’.”
Finishing in the Top 3 of the first season of The Voice Australia, she captivated the public with her gorgeous vocals, where approximately four-million people watched her television audition.
You can find Together For Christmas on iTunes and Spotify, CD’s also on sale.
More info at https://www.rachaelleahcar.com.au/.
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