This week, we caught up with Ricki-Lee Coulter to find out how she’s helping others this Chrissie! A singer and a sweetie – Ricki-Lee is all kinds of awesome!!! Read on to find out where Ricki-Lee and other music stars are performing next week…

On Monday you’ll be taking part in the Optus Celebrity Carols for charity. What will you be doing?

Myself, Shannon Noll and Johnny Ruffo will be taking to the streets in different states. So I’ll be doing Sydney at Pitt Street Mall, Shannon Noll will be doing Brisbane and Johnny Ruffo will be doing Melbourne.We’ll each be busking in the street which is fun!

The great thing about it is it’s all about raising money for charity, so we’ll be taking donations and the money will go toward our selected charity. Mine is The Smith Family and Optus will match dollar for dollar every donation made, so hopefully we can make a great amount of money. For my charity The Smith Family it’s really important because it’s all about helping disadvantaged children and educating those kids and I guess at Christmas time they don’t always get to wake up with a present under the tree. So if we can help get them a present under the tree it’s worth it in my eyes.

Image: Cybele Malinowski

Yeah I’ve done some work with them before and it really is amazing to see what they do. They really do focus on educating these children who are disadvantaged and you know education is so important, they’ve seen so many success stories come out of the Smith Family and become successful in their own right and it really is an incredible charity.

Do you have a favourite Christmas carol?

I’m such a big Mariah Carey Christmas album fan, like every girl it gets played to death at Christmas! So I’m going to be doing ‘All I want for Christmas is You’ which is like my favourite Christmas song and then I’m going to be doing my other favourite which is the ballad ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’, as well as a few of my own songs. I’ve also got a bit of a busking band going on which will be fun and I’m looking forward to it.

So you’ve never busked before?

No, so I’m kind of nervous and scared! I hope people stop and donate some money to charity.

I’m sure the hat will fill up very quickly. It might have to be a tub!

I hope so! Maybe a suitcase!

So is performing in the street scarier than on stage?

It’s going to be so different because you’re out in the open and people are just walking past. Usually when you’re doing a show, a gig or on tour people have come specifically to see you, but when you’re just busking in the street it’s just people walking past and if they’re interested they will stop and if they’re not then they’ll keep walking. Hopefully more people stop and watch than keep walking.

Image: Cybele Malinowski

I warm up my voice so I don’t do any damage and other than that I don’t have any other rituals. I just drink lots of water and if I’m performing with dancers I’ll do a bit of a run-through with my choreographer and my dancers so we’re in the zone. I’ll check over the songs and make sure I’m doing them in the right order. I’m quite relaxed! I’ve heard of people who wont talk for 8 hours and only drink room temperature water and won’t eat, people can get very over the top but I’m easygoing.

So you’re not a diva then!?

No, no!

Do you have any nice Christmas traditions?

I just like spending it with my family. I’m starting a tradition this year though. I do Carols by Candlelight every year on Christmas Eve in Melbourne and because I’m from Queensland, waking up in Melbourne on Christmas morning in a hotel room with no Christmas tree, it’s kind of like ‘oh’… So I’ll go over to my friends house and cook a big Christmas brunch so I’ll feel at home and I get to put some presents under their Christmas tree. Then I’ll fly up to Queensland to see my family!

Ricki-Lee Coulter, Johnny Ruffo and Shannon Noll will all be busking next week as part of the Optus Celebrity Carols.

Ricki-Lee will be busking on Monday December 19 at 11am in Pitt Street Mall, Sydney for The Smith Family.

Johnny Ruffo will be busking on Tuesday December 20 at 11 am at the State Library of Victoria Forecourt, Swanston Street, Melbourne for World Vision.

Shannon Noll will be busking on Wednesday December 21 at 11am at Queen Street Mall, Brisbane for Kids Helpline.

Tags: charity, Christmas, Interview, Kids Helpline, Optus, Optus Celebrity Carols, Ricki-Lee Coulter, The Smith Family, world vision