The songwriting project, which began in 2007, teams members of the gay and lesbian community with South Australian singer-songwriters (most of whom are also gay) so they can collaborate to create a song about their life.

The seven individuals whose lives inspired the music performed last night at Higher Ground were as diverse as the gay community itself, yet similarities also emerged: several grew up in very religious families and later found solace in a different type of spirituality, and most had turned to music as a way to express themselves.

Sing Out! founder and musician Heather Frahn conducted interviews with the performers and their muses on stage so each could share their experiences before the live performances.

First up was Riverland singer-songwriter Kelly Menhennett, whose muse, 32-year-old Rachel Rivers, struggled to express her sexuality while growing up in a Jehovah’s Witness family in the mining town of Broken Hill. Although Rachel eventually found a female partner, more recently she has chosen to become single and celibate, with the aim of joining a Buddhist nunnery in Perth.

Aspects of her story would resonate with many gay people growing up in small country towns, and it was beautifully conveyed through Menhennett’s song, “Small Town Syndrome”.

Displaying an impressive vocal range and a powerful voice, Ziggie Zertophf’s “Pomo Paintings” portrayed the life story of bisexual artist Aaron Simonson, while Luke Ashby, best known as the frontman in Adelaide band The Damn Burdens, performed a catchy song called “Narrow Straits” which he wrote several years ago.

Recordings of two poems written and read by Katharine Annear, who works with people with autism and Asperger’s, were played against background music by Frahn, before singer Tracey Guest and performer Aurora Murphy provided a change of pace with “Take a Chance”.