After a long break back home, Melanie Dyer is about to return to the stage.
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The singer will return to performing with acoustic shows in Cronulla on Thursday, Quenbeyan on Friday before another Sydney gig on Saturday.
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced venues to restrict numbers, it saw live entertainment come to a halt.
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With her live gigs cancelled, Melanie returned home to the family farm at Mount Russell, where she spent much of her time songwriting.
"I've written more songs in the last six months than I probably have the last couple of years because I've just had so much time," Melanie told the Times while in Inverell.
"I've been doing zoom songwriting sessions with my friends in Nashville and other other artists. So I've been writing a couple of days a week. I'm not bored yet."
Melanie managed to get to Brisbane before the border between NSW and Queensland was closed, and recorded a new single 20s, which was released last month.
"I was thinking, 'oh man, I'm gonna be stuck at the border for hours trying to get through'," she said.
"I had my border pass but it's scary and I was like, oh, what are they gonna ask me? You know, I (was) cooped up on the farm for so long so I'm no threat but I was like, this isn't going to work.
"Up until the moment I was actually in the studio in Brisbane, I was so nervous that it wouldn't come together."
But with the single released, and live gigs now getting closer, things are looking brighter.
During the difficult times earlier in the year, Melanie said she purposely tried to not get dwell on the situation, especially when writing new songs.
"I was writing a lot of happy songs, to be honest, it's quite opposite to how I was feeling," she said.
"But I think that's kind of a bit of therapy in itself, kind of channeling all the positivity that I can, trying to write really upbeat, happy songs.
"I know that we're going to come into summer, and hopefully things will be better.
"And I just have a whole bunch of songs to suit that feeling of when we've all come out the other side of this.
"I can't wait to get into and record and just, you know, keep releasing music and keep music alive during this time," she said.
While some live gigs are returning, Melanie said she was devastated the Tamworth Country Music Festival had been cancelled for 2021.
"I've been going for 15 years," she said.