By KATHRYN BERMINGHAM
WHEN the Morrow family lost their home and business in the 2009 bushfires, then 7-year-old Lily turned to singing to deal with the trauma.
Now, the Marysville resident has made it to the final 10 contestants of a Korean reality TV show ‘KPop Star!’, and is well on her way to becoming Korea’s next KPop sensation.
Some 400 Australians initially auditioned for the competition with only four selected to fly to Korea. Her dad, Bruce Morrow, says Lily has thrived since the start of the elimination-style competition.
“After her first performance in Korea one of the judges expressed interest in signing her,” he said.
“She has always been a personality and never afraid of attention. She’s a real performer.”
Making Lily’s story particularly remarkable is her rise from the devastation of the Black Saturday bushfires. Bruce says his daughter was traumatised and he feared she would not return to her vibrant self.
“It affected her really badly, to the point where she didn’t want to go outside,” he said.
“If there was any wind she would scream, and I would explain that the trees have been there for hundreds of years, and she would just scream.”
Though she’s overcome adversity in her rise to the top, Lily and her parents still count themselves lucky.
“When she left for Korea she said to me, ‘my dream is coming true’,” Bruce said.
“We have had to explain to her that what’s happening is quite unbelievable. A lot of really good singers might not tick all the boxes.
“Lily has arrived at the right time, they think she’s beautiful and she isn’t afraid of singing in front of millions of people – she just does it and has fun.”
Lily will now compete in the finals, which are scheduled for the middle of April. Leaving Australia in October of last year, she has now been gone for over seven months.
Though it keeps her very busy, KPop Star! isn’t Lily’s only artistic project at the moment. She’s also the star of an upcoming feature film, the Weatherman’s umbrella.
Set in Marysville, the film tells the story of a young girl (played by Lily) who becomes involved in a quest to find the weatherman’s umbrella. When the weatherman puts up his umbrella it starts to rain, leaving the town is at risk of never seeing rain again if the umbrella isn’t found.
The film is set in many renowned locations around Marysville, and shooting is set to conclude upon Lily’s return to Australia.
Life is hectic for Lily Morrow, but it’s exciting.
Also during this busy year, the girl who has her own driver and lives in a Korean Hotel will start school at Alexandra Secondary College.
Bruce credits Marysville for Lily’s strong start in music and positive attitude about her success.
“Garry Sullivan is Lily’s music teacher in Marysville and he is just wonderful,” he said.
“One of the things we have always ingrained into her is to always stay grounded. That’s really important.”
Anyone wishing to follow the progress of Lily can visit her website, www.teamlilym.wix.com/lily-m-fighting
