Bega's Felicity Dowd strikes the right chord with national award win

Musician Felicity Dowd knew what she wanted to pursue as a career from a young age.

“I was originally pinned to be a bit more of an athlete, and my parents had me in every sport as a kid,” she said.

But when she was around six years old, that all went out the window.

“I saw this kid playing piano, and pretty much from that moment onwards, I realised what I wanted to do.”

She started learning how to play the piano and the guitar and took singing lessons from the age of 11.

Now, the singer-songwriter is pursuing folk and country music as a full-time career and has several awards to her name.

The latest was being named Youth Folk Artist of the Year at the 2023 Australian Folk Music Awards in late October.

Achieving that milestone was a shock.

“You have these goals that you set for yourself – say, in 2025, I’m going to be Youth Artist of the Year,” Ms Dowd said.

“But when it happens sooner than you expect, you feel so lucky and proud – not just of yourself, but of your entire team for their help and support.

“I feel like it’s a win for me, but it’s also a win for everyone that has worked with me and supported me through the years.”

Now living in Wollongong, Ms Dowd lives in a caravan and spends her time making music and playing gigs throughout Australia.

“I feel like it was a big risk moving into a van full-time, especially as a young female, and leaving those attachments to the home behind,” she said.

“But it has worked – and for the next 12 months, I’m continuing to live in the van for as long as I can and just soak up these opportunities while I’ve got the chance.”

In early November, she was also named a top 10 finalist in the prestigious Toyota Star Maker competition, with the winner of the country music talent search to be announced in January 2024.

Nearing the end of her first 12 months of living in her caravan, Ms Dowd said she wanted to refocus on new career goals.

“I’d love to release an album at some stage,” she said.

“But at the moment, I’ve achieved the goals that I had set for myself, so it’s time to create new goals.”

There won’t be a long wait for those wanting to hear Ms Dowd’s music live.

“In terms of festivals and performances, I’m in the process of booking another tour for next year and have some performances planned,” she said.

“In the next 12 months, I’m going to be soaking up every opportunity that I can, playing as many different festivals as possible and trying to share my music with as many people that will listen.

“I definitely have a few songs in the works – there’s no release dates yet, but they’re bubbling and brewing,” she said.

Follow Ms Dowd’s Facebook or Instagram pages to see her upcoming performance and tour dates.