A SINGER-SONGWRITER from Nailsworth reached the top of the American charts for Australian artists last month.

Toria Richings’ song Diamond Stone, released in February, saw her ahead of the likes of Tame Impala and Courtney Barnett.

The musician, who describes herself as ‘alternative country,’ began playing at the age of 16 in Nailsworth and since moving to Sydney Australia in 2019, she fell in in love with songwriting again.

To date she has released three EPs: Turning Tides; Where it All Began; and Diamond Stone.

Her music has been greatly influenced by six weeks she spent in Nashville and Memphis in America.

From an early age, Toria listened to the likes of Neil Young, Pink Floyd and Queen which inspired her to teach herself guitar.

She began gigging in Nailsworth pubs and venues at 18, before settling down to have a family.

She now has gigs lined up in Australia with a permanent backing band and Diamond Stone has been played more than 100,000 times on Spotify.

Her latest release, Love Affair, can be found on Spotify and Youtube.