After taking out the primary section of the Peak Hill regional finals in September, Parkes girl Hannah Dun was announced a runner up in her age group at the grand final of the Australian National Busking Championships in Cooma on November 4.
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Hannah (12) has had a love of music and singing since she was very young.
“I was always exposed to music,” she said.
Her mother, Nancy Cayo, said Hannah was repeating songs she heard on the radio when she was just a baby.
“That doesn’t mean she was singing well though,” she laughed.
“Her first proper song was when she was two years old, she sang a spanish nursery rhyme.”
Hannah is bilingual - fluent in both english and Nancy’s native tongue, Spanish.
“She just loves singing,” Nancy said.
“She is singing as soon as she wakes up in the morning, she sings in the shower.
“Last week she had a sore throat and I think it is the first time I said to her ‘don’t sing!’.
“She had to rest her voice because she was performing at Southern Cross Open Day on Saturday and busking at the Eugowra Country Fair on Sunday.”
The Year 6 Parkes Christian School student started having private singing lessons just this year and only started busking in August – Peak Hill was her first competition.
Hannah won the primary category with her rendition of the song Valerie.
She also teamed up with her neighbour, Loic Monfret, to perform a couple of duets which resulted in them being judged runner up in the open section.
Calling themselves ‘Latino’, the pair sang La Bamba and The Girl from Ipanema.
Loic also did well in Cooma, placing third in the adults open category.
With the prize money Hannah won at Peak Hill she bought a speaker and a microphone and stand.
“In Peak Hill I competed with the piano and my voice, no microphone,” she said.
“I learnt how to use the microphone busking in Cooma.”
Hannah said she makes a little bit of money from busking.
“In Cooma I made $50 in an hour and a half,” she said.
“My plan is to save up and buy more equipment.”
Hannah admires and draws her inspiration from a lot of artists.
“But Frank Sinatra is my favourite, I like his music,” she said.
Hannah would like to use her talents in the community and sing in nursing homes, hospitals, at birthday parties and other functions.
You can contact Hannah via her facebook page Hannah Dun Music
