This fortnight on Hometoen Hits we welcome singer-songwriter Leila to the Hit 104.7 airwaves – our second feature for the month of July with her release of Heart and Soul.  From an eight-year-old Wiggles fan getting her first guitar, to performing alongside original Wiggle Murray Cook himself; Leila explained her pathway pioneering Canberra’s country pop voice which led to her gigging with a childhood idol.

Heart and Soul by Leila, July 2026 feature

 “When I was really little, I was super-duper interested in The Wiggles like every other kid.  That’s why I learnt guitar.”

 We’ve all heard the saying ‘never meet your idol’, because when you touch them, they lose a little bit of their shine and our expectation of someone in the limelight often sets us up for disappointment. But working in any sort of creative industry means that sometimes you might just find yourself a couple of steps behind when following along the path of those you aspire to be.

As a young girl, Leila would spend hours glued to the TV watching The Wiggles.  “I was hyper fixated – absolutely obsessed.  When I say obsessed… not even healthy obsession.  I learnt guitar because of Murray Cook.”  When Leila turned 8, she got her first guitar and was stoked to start her musical journey.  She expanded her musical palette beyond just The Wiggles and began listening to female powerhouses like P!nk and Adele.  And as she started putting pen to paper writing her own songs, she discovered a love for the country-pop sound and started to find her unique voice.  “I didn’t really fall in love with the country tones; I fell in love with the story telling side of it.  Then I think my voice somehow got this twang.”

Canberra has quite a diverse, collaborative and supportive community where many musicians and bands that write in similar genres support each other through collaborative gigs and a shared fanbase.  Leila however is a bit of a pioneer for country music in the ACT.  She hasn’t necessarily had the mentor-like guidance or peer collaboration that many other CBR artists are afforded.

Artistic careers are riddled with uncertainty and rife with inconsistency.  Knowing that someone has carved a path before you is often the only solace you have when you begin a journey in the music industry.  When no one in your shoes has come before you, finding the right path to tread is a far greater hurdle.

Although in some ways, this has been a perk for Leila; she is the go-to girl for that country sound, which has landed her a number of exciting opportunities.  Earlier this year, Leila was booked to perform at Lights, Canberra, Action (LCA); Canberra’s short film festival which takes place as part of the Enlighten program.  Leading up to her set, she saw on socials that Murray Cook was actually performing on the main stage shortly after her slot finished at LCA.  “It was meant to be.  My friends who are artists as well were also playing after him.”

After Murray’s performance, Leila had the opportunity to meet him and share his influence on her music journey.  She got a photo with him and left.  Later that night, she tagged Murray in the pic and dropped the story about what it meant to meet her childhood hero.  Then Murray started following her music account.  A couple of weeks later, Leila had a gig booked for The Palomino Lounge in Enmore, Sydney.  Murray saw the post and happened to be in the area so he turned up.  “He walks through the door with his glass of rum and coke, sat with my friends, my sister and my mum and just had a good ol’ chat.”

After the gig, she came over to thank him for turning up.  He asked if she was free on the 27^th of March to open for him here in Canberra at Smith’s Alternative Bookstore.  Leila had a jam-packed March coming up and yet without hesitation she replied, “that’s the only day in March I don’t have anything on.”  A truly star-aligning moment.  Fast forward to the Smith’s gig, both Murray and Leila were up on stage singing, ‘toot-toot, chugga-chugga big red car’ with an audience singing along and recording the joy.

If you had asked Leila 12-months ago, never could she have imagined being on stage performing alongside the person who set her on the path of music – because she had to captain her own ship.

It’s hard to navigate rough waters with the stars as your only guidance.  Far off specks of light – too far to reach, shrouded in mystery and often times blocked out by gloomy rain fall.  It’s not an easy journey.  Yet occasionally, a star may fall and land aboard.  It may rock your ship so violently that you are thrust into more dangerous waters than your ship was ready for.  It may, however, be Murray Cook, the original Red Wiggle, who acts simply as a guiding light, leading you safely to shore.

“I’m gonna listen to my heart and soul, ‘Casue I don’t wanna take this toll no more.”

Leila’s latest track Heart and Soul talks about finally putting yourself first, letting go of the expectations of others and living the way you want to.  I’ve never met an artist so driven to make this whole music thing work.  Behind the scenes here at Hometown Hits, Leila has been a standout when it comes to taking opportunities seriously.  Similarly, through her willingness to go with the flow and work collaboratively with those around her, Leila has been able to tick a goal off her bucket list.  To be honest I think we should all put ‘perform with the Red Wiggle’ on our own.

Check out her Instagram, @leilamusicc to see the behind the scenes for yourself. Plus, be sure to go find a gig near you – it’s by far the best way to support local artists directly.

Have a listen to the live recording of Heart and Soul performed at Hit 104.7 HQ here:

Heart and Soul is out now on all good streaming platforms!

If you missed our previous feature artist Sophie Edwards, you can find the scoop here