RACHEL Laing has always known that singing and performing were her destiny.

When she was younger her father owned a recording studio and she would lock herself in it and sing for hours.

"I also used to envision myself on the big stage in front of a thousand people while I sang Tina Arena from my bedroom, with a deodorant can as my microphone," she said.

Singing has always been a passion for Rachel, and she said that music was her happy place.

"I love that I can close my eyes and express myself. I can go to a place where I am the only one in the room, and I can be myself."

As she got older, she performed in talent quests and then began performing in pubs and clubs.

After performing solo for five years, Rachel felt it was time to start working with someone.

"The stage was becoming a lonely place, and I felt that I needed someone to keep me energised, and also fill in the gaps when I wasn't singing," she said.

Twelve months ago she met Eddy Santacreu when she advertised for a guitarist and they entered a talent quest at Coogee Bay Hotel in December 2010.

They won the heat and were runners up in the grand final; this led them to form their music duo - Toucan.

"Eddy is an amazing guitarist, and he had shown expertise and professionalism in our rehearsals that were admirable and I felt I could learn a lot from working with him," she said.

Eddy is originally from Paris and has received an excellence award from the Paris conservatory and a Gold Medal Award from Versailles conservatory.

Toucan will be performing at the Mittagong RSL this Saturday and audiences can expect to hear songs they love.

"We pride ourselves on having a very diverse repertoire of radio classics and popular songs from the 60s till now, covering rock, blues, pop, folk and easy listening," Rachel said.

"Eddy and I aim to play the songs as they were originally, whilst adding our own personal sound of course, and we invite our audiences to sing along and remember the moments in their lives that made each song so special to them."

Toucan start at 8pm on Saturday at Mittagong RSL and will be playing through until midnight, and it is free entry. They will also be performing there on March 10, May 19, June 16 and July 14.