Georgia native. An only child blessed with close relationships with your parents and grandparents. Dancing with the Little General Cloggers dance group on the Grand Ole Opry stage at five years old, the same year your grandparents gave you your first guitar for Christmas. Which songs did your grandparents like to listen to with you?
I can still remember spending the night at my Nana’s house as a child listening to the local country radio station. I can’t remember an exact song, but I do remember country music filling her house. She always had the local radio station playing to help her fall asleep, so when I spent the night at her house, I always went to sleep listening to country music.
Attended a private Christian school until 5th grade. Worked as a child actor in Hollywood. You shared that you discovered country music in the backseat of your dad’s truck, singing Garth Brooks’ “Longneck Bottle” at age four. Which Brooks’ songs would you list as essential tracks for new country music fans to listen to?
It’s hard to narrow it down because he has been a part of so many amazing songs! The ones that I consider to be essential are “The Dance,” “Friends In Low Places,” “The Thunder Rolls,” and “Aint Goin Down (til the Sun Comes Up).” Some people may not agree with my picks, but these are my favorite Garth Brooks’ songs.
First time hearing yourself on the radio was in 2008 when KICKS 101.5 in Atlanta played your version of “Ready Set, Don’t Go” with Billy Ray Cyrus from the station’s Lunchtime Live. What is your favorite lyric from the song and why?
My favorite line in “Ready Set, Don’t Go” is “Got the hunger and the stars in her eyes, the prize is hers to win.” I love this line because it is very encouraging to women who are following their dreams much like I am. You can achieve anything you set your mind to and the sky is the limit.
Completed high school and college online, while in pursuit of a career in music. You started out writing stories. At age twelve you wrote your first song, “Do You Like Me,” after meeting a songwriter in Hollywood. Can you describe what it felt like to record your first original tune?
Confidence and Excitement! I was so young when I recorded my first song and I felt like I could achieve anything! I felt like I could conquer the world and was so excited to see what I could do in the future.
A demanding career with life obligations. Using advice another musician shared with you, what is the biggest challenge you have had to overcome to maintain balance between both?
I feel like I’m still figuring out how to balance it all. Some of the best advice I’ve ever been given by a musician is that 70% of it is just showing up. Sometimes it’s so hard to show up to all the opportunities when you have so many other obligations whether they are for music or my personal life. If you show up to everything, you don’t have any time for yourself. This can really hurt your mental health so it’s definitely a balancing act. You would think that I would have it all figured out by now, but it’s still a daily learning experience.
A lover of old songs. Which musicians do you admire most and why?
There are so many musicians that I have admired over the years. As a child I loved Shania Twain! She, along with many other female country artists of the 90’s like Trisha, Reba, Martina, and Faith, really helped inspire me. Today, I really admire Carly Pearce. She has been working toward a career in country music since she was a kid and has made so many sacrifices along the way. I admire her amazing work ethic and talent!
Was there a specific event that inspired you to write “Make It Look Easy?”
My husband inspired me to write “Make It Look Easy.” It wasn’t a specific event, but more so about our everyday lives. Sometimes I can be very difficult and I’m not the best at saying how I feel. I wanted to write a song about how much I appreciated him, to show him that, even though I don’t say it all the time, I am truly so appreciative of him!
He supports me through this crazy career and doesn’t complain much at all. Instead, he just asks how he can help! I can’t wait to showcase some of our videos to show people a little peek into our lives.
What does the song’s artwork represent?
The artwork for the song is a true representation of the meaning of the song. My husband is so supportive! As an independent artist, you have to learn how to do a lot in order to have a successful career. You have to wear many hats. However, you can’t do it all yourself so my family sacrifices a ton and works really hard to help me. My husband took the photo that we used for the cover art and did such a great job! This just goes to show how involved and supportive he is of my career.
What would your dream music video for the single look like?
I think it would be impossible to create the perfect music video for this single! I would want to incorporate a montage of all the special moments and memories that my husband and I have experienced together on this crazy journey. However, unfortunately that would require having all of them filmed! I do have a lot of videos I have personally taken that I plan on incorporating into a video so people can see where the inspiration of the song came from.
Touring to promote new music. “There are no limits to what you can do when you focus on the goal, stay at the task and love what you’re doing!” What is your top goal for next year?
My top goal for next year is to expand and grow my audience. In today’s world it is so important to have a large and engaged audience on social media. My goal is to figure out how to get that audience to convert to streams. Everyone lives such busy lives that it’s so hard to pull someone away from the app they are on to listen to your music. I also want to tour more all across the United States. I’ve had the opportunity to play a lot of cool places this year and I’d love to expand that even more next year.
Traveling. Where are the top five places you want to travel to and why?
I love traveling and have been very fortunate to be able to visit a lot of places. The top five places I want to travel would be:
Europe — I want to visit Europe, specifically Italy because I want to experience the culture, landscape and history. If I could, I would travel all over Europe visiting many countries like Germany, France, and Greece.
Hawaii — I want to visit Hawaii because of the beach! I love exploring nature so I would love to be able to hike some of its amazing trails.
Israel — I want to visit Israel so I could walk where Jesus walked. I want to learn the history behind some of the landmarks and be able to experience the spiritual journey that this country offers.
National Parks Tour — I want to visit all the national parks! I love the beauty of the outdoors so one day I would love to be able to say I visited all the national parks. I’ve already marked quite a few off the list, but still have a lot to go.
Northern Lights — I hate the cold, but would go in a heartbeat to see the northern lights.
