Moree might be a long way from the bushfires currently devastating much of the south coast and Victoria, but one local teenager was so moved by the crisis that she decided to write a song about it.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Sixteen-year-old Ashlee Moore was watching the devastating bushfire crisis unfold at home with her family after New Year's and was so heartbroken by what was happening, she went to her bedroom and by the end of that night had written and recorded a touching tribute.
"I like writing songs in general but one afternoon me and my family were in the lounge room watching the news on the fires and seeing all the homes that have been destroyed, I thought it was really terrible," she explained.
"I watched a few more news clips and decided to write a song.
"I personally think people can connect more with music and take it in in a different way than just hearing about it on the news.
"[The bushfires] still has an impact on us. Even though we're not personally affected, it's still impacting us because it's our country."
READ ALSO:
The song, Burning, describes the hopelessness many people feel in having to sit back and watch while homes and lives are being destroyed, and questions how the country will "deal with the pain".
It was written on January 2 and on January 4, Ashlee uploaded a video of her singing it to her Instagram account amoore.music
"I would really love for people to share this on there [sic] stories to raise awareness for the fire services," she said in the post.
The year 12 Moree Secondary College student, who is studying music by distance education, regularly performs at school and often posts videos of herself performing cover songs, but this was the first time she'd ever publicly shared one of her original songs.
"When I posted it I thought I might delete it later," Ashlee admitted.
"I was scared people weren't going to like it, but everyone has been really nice and supportive."
A couple of her friends shared the video on their Facebook pages, and it has since been viewed by much of Moree. One of the posts had been viewed more than 2700 times, while another was up to 2200 views.
"The comments from everyone have been really nice," she said of the reaction to her song.
"I was very overwhelmed."
Ashlee has been writing songs for the past two years now, and after such a positive reaction to her song Burning, she said she's now brave enough to start sharing more publicly.
She plays the keyboard, which she picked up when she was in the Moree Christian School band, and taught herself to play the ukulele.
Ashlee said she loves music and hopes to take it further one day.
"In year 7 I actually realised I do have a talent and that's when I started to take it seriously and use my talent to entertain others and tell stories through music," she said.
"For me, it's an escape from the world. It's something I enjoy doing; I don't worry about anything else when I'm in that moment.
"Something I always hope is, I don't think I'll be famous, but that I'll become well-known, not just because of my singing but something I stand for is being kind to others. I want my heart to shine through in my music."
Burning lyrics:
Hearts breaking
Lives changing
The whole Australia raging.
People crying
Animals dying
The whole Australia trying.
What do I do now? Sit around and watch it fade.
Homes are being burnt down. How do we deal with the pain?
Sirens ringing
Birds are singing
Australia we are clinging.
People praying
Grief is weighing
What is this all saying?
What do I do now? Sit around and watch it fade.
Homes are being burnt down. How do we deal with the pain?
