This story is part of the June 30 edition of Sunday Life. See all 14 stories . Elly-May Barnes is a musician, best known for signing backup for her dad, Jimmy Barnes.
Here, the 35-year-old talks about wanting to be just like her famous father, meeting her celebrity childhood crush and having a song written for her by Neil Finn. “I am a single mum. My dad takes the time to show up for his grandson, which is amazing.
” Credit: Robert Hambling My maternal [step] grandfather John Mahoney was a career diplomat and an incredible man. He married my grandmother after she divorced, and brought her and my mum [Jane] to Australia at a time when you didn’t see many Asian families come to this country. It was a big move on his part, and he embraced a big family wholeheartedly.
My dad [Jimmy Barnes] and I have a special unspoken connection – we have a similar sense of humour and I love a dad joke! We have both been through a bit of trauma in our lives, but he doesn’t let it define him. He is kind, funny and my favourite person in the world. When I was little , I wrote books of poetry and always looked to Dad with stars in my eyes as I really wanted to be like him.
I nearly died when I was born, and at age three, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. I am the youngest of four children and everyone says I got away with so much more than my siblings. My parents never made me feel any different.
My first crush was singer Daniel Johns from Silverchair when I was five. I loved the album Fr.
