I'd been looking forward to this day for many years, hoping, praying, this childhood dream would come true. Today, it did!
Belinda Caristle is simply one of the greatest female performing artists off all time, and she's now right here in Sydney.
We're here at Coogee Beach, having waited with high anticipation for hours. No waiting for trains, as there's none to be found, but waiting and traveling on the road in search of rock gods and goddesses - Yes.
It's days and moments like this when its all worth it.
For the uninitiated Belinda Jo Carlisle was born on the 17th August. She's one sexy and multi talented Leo.
It's only fitting that the Grammy Award-nominated American singer has come down under to Australia in Summer, but given the heatwave conditions that Sydneysiders have been through recently, if she brought some rain with her it would surely be warmly invited.
A bit of history... Bel (if I may call you that affectionately) first made a massive splash on the music scene as the lead vocalist of The Go-Go's, who made history way back when as the first all-female music group to write their own songs and play their own instruments to top the Billboard charts. That feat was considered nothing short of a miracle by the music industry at the time.
The Go-Go's are largely considered by some to be the most successful all-female band of all time.
As a key part of the Go-Go's, Carlisle sold more than 7 million albums, and later went solo that gave birth to such greats as "Mad About You," "I Get Weak," "Leave a Light On", "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" and my all time favorite, "Summer Rain".
A lesser known fact about this artistic genius is that her autobiography, 'Lips Unsealed', released in June of 2010, reached No. 27 on the prestigious New York Times Bestseller List and received numerous favorable reviews. The book covers the massive ups and downs of her life, and one gets the feeling she may be lucky to be alive.
Carlisle will be receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this August, largely for her contribution to the music and larger entertainment industry. I for one have a strong feeling 'Bel' will be receiving a boat full of accolades in Australia, both from fans and critics.
Having now met and photographed one of the most iconic female performing artists of all time, I feel further inspired knowing that us ladies can give the blokes a good run for their money, even in arguably the toughest industry in the world - arts and entertainment.
Caristle performs at Sydney's Selina's nightclub, part of Coogee Bay Hotel this Saturday.
From my heart, Bel, thank you, and also to the great team at Lionel Midford Publicity for helping make this happen. Rock on.
