Mondays are never easy, but that first Monday after holidays is particularly trying. This time last week my husband and I were living it up on the Pacific Aria. We love so much about cruising, from lazy days on the deck to the seemingly never-ending supply of food, but what we love most is discovering great live music. Cruise performers have a reputation for being a bit loungy, but over our last four cruises we’ve been entertained by an artist who breaks the mould: Hunter deBlanc.
Hunter hails from New Orleans, but after 18 months on Australian cruise ships he considers himself right at home here in Oz. At night he covers everything from Billy Joel to Blink-182 in the piano bar, but by day he works on his original music. Those original songs have been so well received Hunter will soon leave the ships behind and announce his own Australian shows. With that Aussie tour in the works, there’s no better time to become familiar with this exciting independent artist.
While cruising around Australia and the South Pacific playing to packed-out rooms each night might seem glamorous, the life of a cruise ship entertainer isn’t always easy. Hunter touches on the isolation and tedium of those cruise contracts, and the way a visit from someone special can brighten the dark times, with his latest single “Sydney.” It’s got a great pop-punk feel, which makes me nostalgic for the late ‘90s, although I can hear the influence of our own INXS creeping in. Fittingly the lyric video for Sydney shows the New South Wales capital at its brightest during the annual Vivid festival.
If you’ve never cruised before, don’t be surprised if the lyric video for “Tides” tempts you to take the plunge. Its ocean imagery is just stunning, the perfect support for this banging tune. Released in late May, this dynamic synth-driven track tells of the way Hunter’s first cruise contract reignited his love of music and gave him the drive to pursue his dreams.
“It challenged me in so many ways, and made me grow as a person, a performer, a musician, and a songwriter. It gave me the confidence and reassurance I needed to come back from that first contract and hit the ground running,” he explained. “The lyrics of the song say ‘Right when I was about to sink, I started flying. I came alive, started to live like I was dying,’ because that’s exactly how I felt— almost as if I had caught a second wind. I felt revitalized, rejuvenated, and ready to complete my unfinished album (Daydreaming) and get back out there writing new material, and use every day to continue to further my music career.
“Sydney” and “Tides” are both available now on all your favourite digital platforms including Spotify, iTunes, and Google Play. Look out for Hunter deBlanc’s shows around the country later this year.
Photo credit: Nicole Bell Photography