General News
30 October, 2025
Sandra ready to belt out a ripper country music concert
IT isn’t an ordinary gig lined up at the Horsham RSL on Saturday, November 8, for South Australian country music artist, Sandra Humphries, with it being part of an mostly extended hiatus coming to an end.
Sandra said she was thrilled to be playing again, with her passion for music having been recently reignited.
“I've been sort of in hibernation for the last five years from music – I just needed to take a really, really good break,” she said.
“So for me, it's about fun and friendship – I've got my band (and) it's finding enjoyment in music again. It's about just having a really good time and playing music to hopefully, a really high standard.
“And I'm just getting that buzz back that you have when you perform live.
“I've done the Lake Charlegrark festival a couple of times, and I've done a couple of little things, but this will be my first big band show in five years, a full three-hour Sandra Humphries show.”
Two decades of Tamworth trips, overseas tours, several female vocal awards and six albums – including two recorded in Nashville, Tennessee – created and maintained a healthy audience for her unique mix of covers and originals, but it also took a toll.
“After 20-odd years of touring, I was just done, just tired, and my heart wasn't really in it,” she said.
“I’ve actually surprised myself how excited I am.
“I cover a lot of music, a lot of artists, and (with) all the songs – I'm not one that will pick a song because it's popular as such, I'm more of a ‘if I can't make it mean something then I don't want to sing it’ (person).
“I'll sing the stuff that means something. So whether it's joy, happiness, sadness, whatever it is, I'll do it.
“If it moves me, then I'll sing it.”
Asked by The Wimmera Mail-Times what has developed and matured over the journey, she said “definitely her voice” and equally as importantly, her attitude towards the songs she performs.
“I guess as you grow older, you start living life,” Sandra said.
“And you go through all the heartbreaks and the breakups and the births, deaths and marriages, if you like.
"So you've lived all those emotions, and I think you just connect, and the older you get, the deeper your connection is with the music that you're singing.
“Sometimes when you're young, you sing a song (but) I don't think you really even comprehend what it is that you're singing about until you've lived it.”
She said the deeper authenticity helped her performance go to another level.
“Audiences aren't dumb, they know when they're being sang at, or when they're being sang to,” Sandra said.
“So I feel like they can pick up when you're real or when you're not real, and I've just been lucky enough that I can generally connect with most people in some way, shape or form through a song.”
Her family are part of the picture too, with her Starmaker-finalist son joining the band on the night.
“He's a gun guitar player, good-looking kid, and sings like a bird,” Sandra said.
“So he'll probably throw in a couple of songs, and so it should be really good fun.”
Sandra said she’s enjoying rehearsing with her five band members – “we're pretty fussy when it comes to delivering a high standard of music” – and will be covering songs from Hank Williams, John Denver, Leanne Womack, Linda Ronstadt and more, along with many of her own songs.
With a dinner served before the show and a dancefloor to kick up your heels on, Horsham RSL is set to host a great night out – to book, call 03 5382 5222 or visit the RSL on McLachlan St during opening hours.