A TAMBORINE Mountain musician’s recent involvement in a Hollywood film has coincided with a significant local milestone, as a community sing-along project prepares to expand beyond South East Queensland.
Jamie Lee Wilson, also known by her stage name JVMIE, has returned to Australia after attending the Los Angeles premiere of The Perfect Gamble, a feature film in which she co-wrote and performed several songs, including the end-credit track.
The film stars David Arquette and Daniella Pick Tarantino.
While the international screening marked a career highlight, Ms Wilson said her focus had quickly returned to home, where Hops & Harmony, the inclusive sing-along concept she launched in 2023, is celebrating its third anniversary.
Hops & Harmony began as a small monthly gathering on Tamborine Mountain and has since developed into a regular series of participatory music events across South East Queensland.
The format encourages audience members to sing together regardless of experience, shifting the focus from performance to shared connection.
Ms Wilson said the contrast between the two moments, an international film premiere and a grassroots community celebration, highlighted what continues to drive her work.
“It was surreal to hear my song play in a cinema in Los Angeles,” she said.
“But the most meaningful part of what I do is still creating spaces where people feel comfortable enough to sing together.”
The three-year anniversary will be marked on March 5 at Fortitude Brewing Co, the venue where the project first took shape.
The event will also serve as a launch point for Hops & Harmony’s first regional expansion, with an out-of-town event scheduled in Rockhampton later this year.
Wilson, who has previously toured internationally throughout Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States and Asia, said the next phase of Hops & Harmony would prioritise regional and community-led events.
The anniversary celebration will return to the project’s original format, including a group rendition of Toto’s Africa, the song that helped define the early events, with local guitarist Forbes McKail joining the session.
Ms Wilson said the longevity of the project had reinforced the value of simple, shared experiences.
“There’s something powerful about people arriving as strangers and leaving feeling connected,” she said.
“That’s what has kept this going.”
