A HEREFORD woman is on a mission to bring country music back to the UK after taking the USA by storm.

After completing her A-levels at Hereford Sixth Form College, 20-year-old singer-songwriter Sasha McVeigh asked her parents to support her dream of becoming a singer, and they took a gamble, selling “everything but the house” in order to make that happen – and fortunately it was one of the best decisions they have ever made.

“The deal was that, as long as I did well in my exams, they would help any way they could,”

explained Sasha. “So when I got the grades, I said that singing was what I wanted to do.

“We went to Nashville that summer with a plan to do a few shows – it’s the home of country music and the place to go so me and my manager discussed it and decided that the best thing to do would be to go and get a feel for the place.

The trip resulted in two weeks of solid bookings at venues such as Tootsie’s World Famous Orchid Lounge, The Rutledge, The Bluebird and various others up and down Broadway.

She was asked to come back for two months from October to November 2012, and from February to April the following year: “The experience I gained from being in Nashville for such an extended period, and from performing regularly, is priceless,” says Sasha. “My stage presence, guitar skills, voice - even how I interact with people is on a different level. I’m very thankful to have had that opportunity.”

“We had been there on vacation a few years before that but I’d never done any shows. My parents sold everything – except the house – to pay for it. I’m eternally grateful for everything they have done. It’s incredible that they had that much belief in me.”

Sasha, who has been singing her whole life, also recorded her first EP while in Nashville and in April this year she was invited to open the Academy of Country Music Awards kick-off party.

“It was the most bizarre thing,” she said. “The fact they chose me to open it was incredible. It’s great to meet so many different people and go to amazing places – that’s one of my favourite things.”

But while country music in America remains very popular, it is less so in the UK.

“I do think that, because of the country music festival at the O2, it’s starting to re-emerge. I think the fans are here but the problem is that they’re dispersed across the country,” said Sasha.“I desperately want to bring country music back in the UK.”

The former Fairfield High School student is currently completing a UK tour, having opened Rock the Farm Festival at Chase Distillery in Herefordshire last month, and in November she’ll be heading back to Nashville to record a full album, funded through Kickstarter.

“That’s the only thing that’s sad – it’s very money-driven and people who have money tend to get where they are going faster that people who don’t,” she added.

“But it’s genuinely the music that makes me happy. If you are enjoying yourself then you never have to work.”

Find out more about Sasha at sashamcveighmusic.com