Travis Collins finds himself in Tamworth
Travis Collins stands proud within country - both musically and physically.
The boy from Sydney's south west looks comfortable standing in the bush in Tamworth talking about his love for music, but he didn't always feel that way.
In 2004, the singer/songwriter was the recipient of the Toyota Starmaker award. Earmarked from then as a rising star in the country music scene, he was at the receiving end of a lot of attention, which the then 19-year-old didn't know how to deal with.
"I grew up in Campbelltown, and I spent the first seven years in this music industry sort of walking around afraid that I never fit in and people would expose where I came from, a very poor family," he told AAP in Tamworth during the 2015 Country Music Festival.
"Suddenly I'm hanging out at these green rooms and VIP events always feeling like I snuck in the back door and didn't deserve to be there. It's a lot to process for a young guy."
After a management deal went sour (according to Collins it happened because he was being young and cocky) he was forced to re-evaluate what he did for a living.
He made his last album completely independently and travelled around the country selling it out of the back of his car. And, in doing so, rediscovered his love for the music.
"I sort of put myself on the sideline for a while and re-evaluated what I love about country music," he said.
In the grand tradition of country music, it was camaraderie with a fellow artist that got him back in the game. He toured with Adam Brand who championed Collins to any one who would listen. The pair now share the same manager and Collins has a deal with ABC Music.
"If there was something Adam knew that might help you he would be the first person to put it on a platter for you and say 'hey mate you should meet this person'" Collins said.
"The friendships we form in this business ... I've got friends in other genres and I just don't see the love. It's a real brother and sisterhood. We're travelling huge distances, isolated a lot and getting out to extreme rural and regional areas ... we're all fighting the same causes, we're trying to get country music across the line," he said.
With his new album, Wired, Collins feels like he's finally found himself.
*Wired is out on February 13.
