It was a steaming hot July in the stunning Swiss town of Montreux and I was on my way to the Petit Palais stage at the Montreux Jazz Festival to sing for the man, the legend, the genius that is Mr Quincy Delight Jones Jr.

When I was studying music in LA, our teacher sat us down around an old tape cassette player and told us that it was a rite of passage for every young singer to lend their talents to a demo track. He played us his first demo. Now I'm playing you mine.

If you're an artist or performer, here are some of the top lessons to learn about self-preservation from the iconic Australian classic, Strictly Ballroom.

Be careful what you wish for is a warning I’ve always found difficult to heed. Being Little Miss Optimism, not to mention a joyous Gen Y, I grew up being uncompromisingly positive about what I could achieve in life.

For those looking for some inspiration for summer reads, I have put together a list of my favourite books from Australian authors — some new, some classics — to devour this summer!

If you haven’t quite made it through the three hour long classic (shame on you!), here are a few life lessons you may have missed….