Manning native, songwriter Katie Hardyman joined forces with Australian music icon, John Waters to produce a song that has won the award for Best Commercial/Promotional Video for the June competition of the Top Shorts Film Festival.
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"I'm thrilled to have won in this category and its always so nice to have a little of Taree involved as well," Katie said.
Katie moved from Taree to Sydney a few years ago, but maintains local ties. She had the song, Streets of Morocco, produced by Pete Stevenson of Turn Around Music in Taree. Katie's cousins, Louise Stack and Fiona Webster (Maurie Stacks' daughters) sung backing vocals, and percussionist Tony Azzopardi from Nabiac also played on the track.
The song was inspired by a trip to Morocco Katie took three years ago with boutique travel company, Souk and Co.
After coming home and looking through her photos of the trip, Katie felt the urge to write a song about Morocco.
"It wasnt really working so i asked John Waters to help out," Katie said.
He immediately said yes, and came on board as cowriter, vocalist and director of the project.
"To work with John was just amazing and my most favourite songwriting experience to date."
Katie had met John when he was performing for the Australian Children's Music Foundation in Taree, and they have stayed in touch ever since.
After workshopping the song together, John worked with Katie's cousins perfecting the harmonies over eight weeks.
After the song was produced, Katie wanted to make a video to pitch to Travel Morocco.
We were always wanting to go back to Morocco to do a film clip, but of course COVID kicked in," Katie said.
Instead, she made a video with a compilation of the photographs from her first trip to Morocco to marry with the song.
The image that Top Shorts Film Festival created for her win used the photo that inspired the whole song.
I took a series of eight of that little girl. We were down in this tunnel and this little kid came out of nowhere. One of the choruses is about that child."
Streets of Morocco was also nominated for a Hollywood Music in Media award and was awarded the silver medal for outstanding song in the Global Music awards.
On top of these wins, Katie more recently received news of more.
"I just had a big win in the Indie International Songwriting Contest . First in Country Americana with my new song Perhaps - feat Kim Sheehy and Instrumental .Before you close your eyes," Katie said.
Streets of Morocco is out now on iTunes and all the usual platforms.
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Julia Driscoll
Julia Driscoll has worked as a journalist for the Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Times for seven years. She values the deep connection with community that being a rural and regional journalist brings. Career highlights have involved environmental stories - bringing the plight of the little known endangered Manning River helmeted turtle to the attention of the public, resulting in wide-spread knowledge in the community and conservation action; and breaking the news of the Manning River ceasing to run for the first time in recorded history.
Julia Driscoll has worked as a journalist for the Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Times for seven years. She values the deep connection with community that being a rural and regional journalist brings. Career highlights have involved environmental stories - bringing the plight of the little known endangered Manning River helmeted turtle to the attention of the public, resulting in wide-spread knowledge in the community and conservation action; and breaking the news of the Manning River ceasing to run for the first time in recorded history.
