Wangaratta singer and vocal trainer Claire O'Connell will launch Love in Lockdown

Raised in the King Valley, she was a natural-born performer who was always drawn to singing and later song-writing.

Now living at Wangaratta, the musician and vocal trainer has just completed her first album of 10 original tracks, Love in Lockdown.

O'Connell wrote all of the songs in three weeks during the second lockdown in Victoria owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

"I wrote them and then I just put them away for a while," she said.

"All of the songs were about COVID and the bushfires but they are also very relatable in many other ways.

"It's a very emotional album."

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O'Connell gained a $2000 Quick Response Grant through Regional Arts Victoria, which allowed her to produce the album.

She worked with international artists including a Nashville-based band, who provided backing to her vocals set to a beat.

Her voice was matched to instruments including a Brazilian piano player.

"Everything can be done online now; there's always a way to do it," O'Connell said.

As a teenager, O'Connell nurtured her love of music at Wangaratta High School before working in Melbourne as a soloist and with bands for six years.

She moved to the United Kingdom in 2011 to pursue her career before shifting back to the North East two years later.

O'Connell will launch her album at a private function at Rutherglen on May 1. It will be livestreamed via Facebook and Instagram from 6pm.

Her songs will be available on Spotify.

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