Spot Tamika Tyler on most days you'll see a picture of normalness: an attractive mom driving her young son to preschool, a hammer-swinging homemaker shoring up the fence in front of her family's ranch house, a genuine Coloradoan out for a horse ride with her husband.
      But catch up with her on a special a Saturday night and the picture changes. Here's Tamika at a packed night spot in Denver, tuning up a big white guitar in front of a hot band. As she steps to the microphone and says hello, her Down Under accent makes it clear that "she ain't from around here." And when she launches into her set, she lets fly with a voice that grabs the crowd and never lets them go.
      Recently, millions of people got a chance to see Tamika in a yet another light when she appeared on the Nashville Star cable television series. On stage and on camera, she radiates star power, wowing the crowd and the celebrity judges (including country star Phil Vassar) with her vocal prowess and electrifying stage presence.
      Colorado homemaker...working musician...Nashville Star finalist...how does a pretty lady from Australia find her self on a road that seems headed for country music success in the good ol' USA? And where to next for Tamika Tyler, the artist?

The Girl From Coffs Harbour
      Back when in Australia, people got their first look at Tamika's performing talents in her hometown of Coffs Harbour, a laid back beach resort and surfer hangout that was home to a festive, open-air market. Ten-year old Tamika would sing at the market each weekend, collecting tips on the street to help pay for her new guitar.
      "That was deal with my mom," she remembers. "We didn't have a lot of money, so I had to help out with the guitar payments. I probably would have done a little better if I'd known more than ten songs at the time. But I had fun... and I got to keep my guitar."
      Tyler's repertoire eventually grew to include her own songs. Her audience grew enough to make her a respected independent recording artist and a successful touring act.
      "Country music is popular in Australia, but it's a very different game," Tyler says. "The scale of the industry much smaller there than it is in America. My independent CDs sold pretty well by Australian standards, but those sales wouldn't even make a blip in the market here. Still, I loved making the records and doing shows with my band. It was my whole life at the time."
      Her life took an unexpected turn at one of those Australian shows when she met her future husband, Eddie, a handsome rocket scientist (yes, it's true) on vacation from Colorado. The two struck up a relationship - "I can tell you from personal experience that love at first sight does happen," Tyler says - and tied the knot a couple of years later.

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