Artists will often find inspiration for their music from a variety of sources.

For budding Royal Bay secondary student-musician Jaimey Hamilton, inspiration comes from a series of traumatic experiences she endured in her childhood.

Hamilton, 17, was diagnosed with leukemia at ages five, nine and 12, making her a three-time cancer survivor before reaching adulthood.

For most, the kind of perseverance needed to overcome those hurdles would be hard to comprehend. But for Hamilton, it was her passion for music that helped her through many difficult days.

B次元官网网址淢usic was the one thing that kept me going B次元官网网址� it helped me deal with the rough times,B次元官网网址� she said.

She got her first guitar at seven and took lessons for a few years, but then realized she was able to fine tune her skills by herself using online resources such as YouTube.

She counts country as her primary genre and plays a mix of her original compositions and cover songs, but she also enjoys playing popular classic tunes, such as B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檙e Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You GoB次元官网网址� by Bob Dylan.

Naturally, her medical history plays into her songwriting, providing inspiration for a lot of her lyrics. B次元官网网址淚 have a lot of songs that are based on my journey through all of that,B次元官网网址� she said, adding that overcoming cancer has helped her appreciate the little things and taught her to be B次元官网网址渁 better person.B次元官网网址�

Hamilton performed for the first time at the age of 12 at an event called Jam for the Kids, a fundraiser for the oncology clinic where she received treatment.

B次元官网网址淚 was definitely nervous my first time B次元官网网址� But once I started singing I was very comfortable. I was in front of friends and family, so that made it easier,B次元官网网址� she recalled.

Friends and family were among the many in attendance earlier this summer for HamiltonB次元官网网址檚 biggest gig to date, Sunfest in Cowichan Valley, where the young artist got a chance to share the lineup card with names such as Carrie Underwood and Dierks Bentley.

Hamilton applied for a spot in the festival months ago and wasnB次元官网网址檛 necessarily expecting to hear back. B次元官网网址淚 sent in videos and an audio recording and they got back to me a few months later B次元官网网址� I definitely was [surprised] just because thereB次元官网网址檚 so many applications being sent in,B次元官网网址� she said.

Now entering Grade 12 B次元官网网址� a year thatB次元官网网址檚 typically full of decisions for young adults B次元官网网址� Hamilton isnB次元官网网址檛 entirely sure what the future holds for her and music, but she hopes to turn her passion into a career.

B次元官网网址淚 hope I can go pretty far with it and make a career out of it. That would be my goal.B次元官网网址�

Judging by both her early success and perseverance, it would be foolish to count her out.

joel.tansey@goldstreamgazette.com