He may not have won reality shows Australian Idol or Australia's Got Talent but *Ravenswood *-raised singer- songwriter *Jonny Taylor * has persevered with his musical talents to become a finalist in the *Tamworth Country Music Festival *'s annual singing contest.

The *WA * musician beat out hundreds of hopefuls to become one of 15 finalists in the Star Maker competition, which is run as part of the festival and has been renowned as a launching pad for budding country artists.

Now in its 34th year, the competition has been known to produce international talent including *Keith Urban *, *Samantha McClymont *and *Lee Kernaghan *, all of whom have gone on to find global success since winning the Star Maker title.

Joining Taylor to represent WA in the finals are local country singers *Danni Stefanetti *and *Courtney Conway *.

At just 22 years old, *Sorrento *-born Stefanetti has built up an impressive start to her music career having won numerous awards for songs she has penned herself, including WA Performer of the Year and a WAMi Award.

Victorian-raised, *Mandurah *-based Conway is also a star in the making, having already recorded a debut album which features a compilation of songs from *Adam Brand *, *Aleyce Simmonds *, *Sam Hawksley *and *Mike Carr * as well as self-written tracks.

The festival kicked off yesterday and runs until January 27, with the four grand finalists vying for the Star Maker title next Friday.