NEWCASTLE country royalty Catherine Britt admits going independent is "scary" but she's driven to create a lasting legacy for her sons.
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The 35-year-old mother-of-two is in the midst of a Pozible campaign to raise $35,000 to record and produce her seventh studio album and first as an independent artist.
Throughout Britt's two-decade career she's enjoyed the support of a record label. It's helped build a global audience, led to a collaboration with Sir Elton John and delivered five Golden Guitar awards.
However, the success didn't bring financial stability. Each album merely paid off the debt from the record prior and Britt has never owned the rights to her own music.
So the Boneshaker star made the decision to take command of her career by financing her own record, and then distributing it through a label.
"I'll still go out through my record label, but I'll own the album and my kids will own the album," Britt said. "That was really important to me. I'm taking a huge leap of faith that people are gonna catch me when I jump out."
Britt estimates it'll cost $70,000 to record the album and its promotion. She'll finance half and has asked her fan base to cover 50 per cent by essentially pre-purchasing the album.
With two weeks remaining, the Pozible campaign has attracted $15,000. If the target isn't reached by March 21 Britt will forgo all of the money.
Four tracks from the album have already been recorded and are being overdubbed in Nashville. The remaining songs will be laid down in June with the finished product expected by the year's end.
"There's a freedom in that and I've never been so inspired to write," she said. "I feel really good about my career right now as I'm so in charge and in control of it.
"This independence feels amazing and I feel lucky to be in this position. I've worked so hard for so long to get to this point and I feel this relief.
"Even though it's scary as hell, it still feels like the right thing to do."
