As part of her journey toward the Telstra Road to Tamworth final in Tamworth in January, Makaylie will move on to the next stage of the competition, which includes the performance at the V8 supercar event in December.

Boot camp is a music development workshop where contestants gain valuable experience and advice from leading music industry professionals, as well as the opportunity to rehearse with a full band.

Makaylie qualified for boot camp after impressing the judges with her country music style at Cardiff Panthers on Saturday night.

Makaylie is a singer/songwriter and multi instrumentalist who plays guitar, mandolin and dulcimer. She has also been juggling the demands of her Higher School Certificate.

Makaylie grew up in Coonamble, west of Tamworth, where her mother enrolled her in elocution lessons at an early age. This gave Makaylie an appreciation for the power of her voice and introduced her to poetry, which was the beginning of her foray into songwriting.

Describing her style as country with a pop cross over, Makaylie had a large support group of family and friends cheering her on at the Cardiff event, as she faced a very strong line up of talent all vying for the Heat title.

She performed Your Choice, an original song she wrote last year, and Love Story by Taylor Swift, one of her country music idols.

Makaylie won an acoustic guitar, and if successful at boot camp, will receive $1000 and progress to the Telstra Road to Tamworth finals with seven other performers.

As part of their prize package, the winning performer in Tamworth will receive the opportunity to record their material during a return paid trip to the global home of country music, Nashville, USA.