Touring is Child’s play for Toni

Steve Kendall | Bendigo Weekly | 27-Jul-2012

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Toni Childs
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TONI CHILDS is a citizen of the planet.

That’s the name of her album, and her outlook.

The 54-year-old Californian-born singer songwriter now calls Myocum, New South Wales home, but along the way lived in London and Hawaii after running away from home aged 15 to follow her love of music.

Her musical growth through her 20s includes bandwork and singing unil she released her debut album Union in 1988.

She is on an Australian tour at the moment, including the Capital in Bendigo on August 5.

Toni’s had a lifetime in music, and has branched out into managing the business side too.

“Not only do I write the music I’ve been learning how to take care of myself by becoming an independent artist... I’m shooting off my arrows and seeing where and how they land,” she said.

This interesting analogy suggests openness for new direction, and the willingness to go there.

“At the moment, I’m living just outside Byron Bay, and it’s beautiful. I’m just growing. I’m wanting to do work that is meaningful to me, but is also meaningful to other people,” she said.

Toni moved on from Hawaii to make things for the album project more accessible.

“I’ve been touring and recording since 2008, and only been in Hawaii for a couple of months. It made sense to relocate. For the next five to 15 years it will be pretty full on.

“I love Hawaii, I have a connection, my spirit is there, I absolutely love it there. But we have to move to do what we want to do.

“It’s impossible to do it from Hawaii, unless you have endless amounts of money, which we just

don’t have.”

The team putting the album together had be brought together, and Australia worked out the best place to be. That and a love interest for Toni.

“I married a beautiful Australian man,” Toni said.

“That became part of the equation too. Head over heels.”

Citizen of the Planet is the new album, and was recorded over five and a half months in Vancouver Island, Canada.

“I am so excited about it for many reasons,” Toni said.

“I feel I made a huge breakthrough in defining a new sound. It’s what I wanted to do. That feels fresh for me.

“It’s filled with a lot of discovery. I want it to be relevant lyrically, and it probably has more lyrics than any of my albums.”

The album was a collaboration of Toni and people who love her music, and virtually funded by pre-purchases.

“It’s a wonderful process that makes it even sweeter,” Toni said.

As far as the tour goes, the team is being assembled from all over the world and the Citizen of the Planet Tour is ready to go.

“There are a lot of really talented people in Australia,” Toni said.


Toni Childs plays the Capital, Bendigo on August 5.

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