CREDIT: GENEVIEVE FISHER
Genevieve Fisher will be performing in Forwell Hall in the Student Union Building at Fanshawe College on Friday September 20.

I write about random things a lot. I write a lot about random things. Like so many art forms, music seems to inspire people in occasionally nonlinear ways. Such is the case for London country chanteuse Genevieve Fisher, who took three trips to Nashville to develop her uniquely London voice and couldn't picture herself anywhere else.

No stranger to Fanshawe College, Fisher performed on campus early in 2011 as she celebrated the release of her EP Without Borders. In the time since, she has gone on to release a Top 50 single and become a leading voice in Canadian country radio, as well as release of her debut full-length album Bad Enough this spring.

Fisher returns to Fanshawe this Friday to perform at New Music Night at 9:30 p.m. in Forwell Hall. The show also features local act Black N' Bluegrass. Tickets are $2 for students and $5 for guests, available at the door only.

“I think my songwriting is what started opening doors for me,” Fisher began, reflecting on the journey that led her to perform at the new artist showcase during the Canadian Country Music Awards last year. She was 16 when she decided to pursue country music and first looked into management, kicking off the time that would lead to recording Without Borders in Nashville in 2010.

“That album wasn't as personal to me, just because I was only singing two of my own songs,” Fisher explained. “It was a good step for me, being able to bring albums to shows and have something I could sell to fans. That was a good starting point.”

The real turning point in her career, however, was the beginning of her collaboration with Nashville-based artist Jenn Schott, who made the trip to London in the summer of 2011. The pair wrote four songs together, one of which was “July,” a summer love song that managed to crack the Top 50 national country charts and stay there for close to three months in 2012, as the two met again and wrote the remainder of what would become Bad Enough.

Including recording her albums, she would make three trips to Nashville and end up developing a voice and songwriting style that draws from her home and life here in London.

“Because I grew up here in London, it really has defined me,” Fisher said. “It would be really hard for me to leave — I am a hometown girl, London has helped me become who I am. But it's been difficult to enjoy country music here, if you know what I mean.”

“I recently wrote a new song with Jenn Schott over Skype, because we weren't able to get together this summer,” she began. “She was in Nashville. I asked her, ‘Would it be okay if I threw in the name of a road that's here in London?' I've made a lot of memories with people and I like adding those personal touches to my songs. I don't think I'm overly personal, but making that connection helps me grow as a writer.”

Fisher also performed at Western Fair on September 12, opening the stage for Doc Walker in a show sponsored by Today's Country BX93 in London.

For more on Fisher or her album Bad Enough, visit her online at genevievefisher.ca or follow along on Twitter @genevieve_f. Don't miss her on September 20 in Forwell Hall.

And for more of the latest music news, views and album streams, consider following this column on Twitter @fsu_bobbyisms. Stay tuned to fsu.ca for the latest events on campus, I'm out of words.