The musical talents of Alisha McLennan have been gracing Whakatāne’s music scene since she took the stage during an event she was meant to be observing for work.

McLennan performs under the name Alisha Hazeltine, a nod to her mother’s maiden name.

She and her guitar have become a regular on Whakatāne’s various stages, from open mics to her own gigs at Mata Brewery and starring alongside others at events such as last year’s Wild Food Festival and Tait Kora’s Under the Rākau sessions.

On occasion she steals the members of covers band 40 Watts, with their drums, guitars, bass and backup vocals.

McLennan can often be found singing with local musos Cooper Harris and Dave Stewart, and supporting the youngest members of Whakatāne’s music scene.

“I get the privilege to support up and coming talent like Frankie Swain, 7, and Hariata Smith, 11, at the open mics as well.”

She has been performing a mixture of covers and originals regularly throughout the summer at Mata Brewery and the pop-up bar at Ōhope Wharfside, where she has another gig tomorrow afternoon.

The Beacon reporter has been singing for much of her life, from the days of singing along to High School Musical and Sing Star in her lounge to receiving lessons and performing at church.

Then, at about age 18 and having lost her confidence, she stopped.

It was through writing her own music that she found her voice again – and Whakatāne’s stages have been better for it.

McLennan grew up in Warkworth and took the stage for the first time at Mahurangi Hope Centre, formerly Mahurangi Presbyterian, where her father is a pastor.

She said it was the encouragement from people at the church that spurred her to continue performing, but comparing herself to her uber-talented friends led her to an extremely early – and short-lived – retirement.

“I decided I couldn’t sing anymore because I was surrounded by, I swear, some of the best singers in the country.

“I thought compared to them that I sucked, so I stopped singing.”

Just prior to her 19th birthday, McLennan was inspired by her then relationship to put pen to paper.

“I didn’t show him until our six-month anniversary. Then we broke up.”

From then, the songs came thick and fast.

Not all of them were winners, but there are some from the early days that McLennan still sings today.

“There were a few diamonds in the rough, and a lot of rough.”

In fact, her first song Two More Days was the one she performed at a New Zealand-themed open mic night at Whakatāne RSA, which sparked her entrance to the local music scene.

McLennan was attending as part of her job with the Beacon, but when she noticed not many people were volunteering to take the mic, she offered to play some Brooke Fraser.

“They encouraged me to do another one, but I didn’t know any other New Zealand songs, so I played one that I wrote.

“It was videoed and went to Facebook, then everyone knew.”

It was her first time performing her own music.

McLennan uses song writing to process her feelings and draws inspiration from her life experiences.

She said if nothing interesting was happening, or if everything was a little too sad, she would sometimes enter the world of fiction.

“I’ll just create this little dramatic scenario in my mind, or base it on a book or a movie, and write that.

“I write about everything. A lot of the time it’s relationships, or feelings about religion, reflection on childhood things or exploring new experiences.

“Literally everything, including burnt pizza and garlic bread. I don’t know if my songs make sense, but they do to me.”

Songwriting is so cathartic that McLennan has found herself naturally dropping her diary-keeping habit.

“I feel like now I capture memories in my songs.”

She said she had always attached meaning to songs she listened to, but being able to do the same with music she wrote was special.

Her focus is primarily on lyrics and the likes of Taylor Swift and Brooke Fraser have heavily influenced her style.

“I like that [Fraser] took theological concepts – which I have always been fascinated by – and really made them human and relatable. I just think that’s really powerful.”

Musical talent may be in the McLennan genes. Her dad and sister both play guitar and sing, and her aunties are singers too.

Her mum isn’t much of a singer, but is creative in many other ways.

McLennan’s family are scattered around the country, nowhere near Whakatāne, and the local music scene has provided a sense of belonging.

“There are so many people who have come and looked after me, which is nice because I don’t have family around – but I feel like I do.”

You can catch McLennan and her guitar at Mata’s Ōhope Wharfside pop-up bar tomorrow, Saturday, from 5pm.