who-is-erin-kinsey

Who Is Erin Kinsey? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music

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Who is Erin Kinsey? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about her journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

who-is-erin-kinsey

Photo by Sara Kauss

The Beginning:

This week, we bring you our interview with the incredibly talented country music newcomer, Erin Kinsey. The singer-songwriter is one to look out for! Growing up in a small town outside of Dallas, Texas, Kinsey was born to be a star.

“When I was growing up, I tried a lot of different things, but I didn’t really fall in love with music as a passion or a career option until I was like 12,” she begins. Like many of us, Kinsey dabbled in different interests, until she really found her love in music.

“I got a guitar for Christmas one year and it just spiraled into me learning how to sing and play at the same time and learn to write my own stuff,” shared the songstress. “It was the one thing that I set my eyes on that I just could not get enough of. I was just obsessed with it.”

Honing in on her love for country musicians like Taylor Swift and Miranda Lambert, Kinsey took her craft seriously and worked to better herself in her teen years.“I started coming up to Nashville, when I was about 15 pretty consistently and by my senior year of high school, I graduated a year early, I was coming up almost once a month,” shared the singer.

When Kinsey finally graduated high school, her path to Nashville was clearly inevitable.

The Turning Point:

At just seventeen years old, and with her parents blessings upon her, Kinsey hightailed it to Music City. “I moved up to Nashville immediately after I graduated in 2018. I packed the U-haul all day, walked the stage at night and then drove off at 6AM. the next day,” she declared.

For her first few years in Nashville, it was really important to Kinsey to work on her craft. Armed with a desire to learn from the industry, she worked with everyone she could to grow her talent.

“For the first year and half to two years that I was here, I really just kept my head down and I wanted to get better at everything,” shared Kinsey. Adding, “Whether is was getting better in the writing room, getting better at guitar, or getting better at singing. I took the time to really grow and develop in a place where there was so many resources and every one knew what they were doing, and I did not.”

When the pandemic hit, Kinsey switched gears and began to focus on social media.“I really dove into more social media things at that time and tried to develop an audience,” stated the singer-songwriter. She found mild success pretty soon there after, and eventually her music went viral.

Today:

Kinsey got the courage to release her own music thanks to her fans on social media. First up, the singer teased debut single, “Drunk Too.” The song quickly gained over half a million views and likes on social media, adding to the singer’s growing confidence.

“At the root of the song, it’s really about embarrassment […] We went in the room and I had come up with the idea and the melody in the car on the way there,” she shared about the song. “It was the first song that I wrote that no matter how much time went by, I was really excited about it and that excitement never really went away.” The ballad was an incredible accomplish for the newcomer.

What followed was her song, “Just Drive,” a song that went unmistakably viral on social media. The upbeat, romantic song was inspired by Kinsey’s relationship with her longtime boyfriend and her desire to just be with him and drive around, listening to music. Recalling a past date in high school with him, going to a fancy restaurant for the first time, Kinsey remembers the feeling vividly.

“He made a playlist and we were listening to it together,” she began, “I remember about halfway there, a thought came into my mind of just like I wish it was further away because I’m having so much fun with him driving around.”

Most recently, Kinsey released her third song, the sassiest of them all, “Better On Me.” The new single was written with the same group of writers as the the former. It is already gaining traction on social media, and the singer is so proud of it, as she should be.

The sky is the limit for Kinsey going forward! Fans can expect more new music coming in 2022 and more music video content coming on her YouTube channel. “I’m going to be releasing more new music soon and I’m really excited to put that out into the world.”

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about upcoming Erin Kinsey announcements and releases.

To keep up with Erin Kinsey, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Erin Kinsey’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

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Who Is Warren Zeiders? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music

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Who is Warren Zeiders? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about his journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

who-is-warren-zeiders

Photo Credit: Chris Phelps

The Beginning:

Country artists have many different career paths and stories, which makes the industry so interesting and exciting at the same time. This week we spotlight a new artist who found his start recently thanks to social media and loyal fans.

Warren Zeiders hails from Pennsylvania, where he shares that his supportive family is everything to him.”It really started in church for me,” Zieders explains, regarding his introduction to music. “I come from a family that grew up in church,” he continues, “I just found a love for singing old hymns and singing in church.”

The 22-year-old spent his childhood enamored with music; despite, never considering it as a career.“Being raised in church and realizing that I loved to sing, music was always my outlet, but it was never a career path in my eyes or my family’s eyes,” he shared.

Regardless, that did not stop Zeiders from collecting a large variety of influences and, of course, learning to play guitar in 6th grade.“The first concert I ever went to was with my father. It was a Jeremy Camp, TobyMac concert and those are two Christian artists. […] It was something that really left an impact on my life and my love for music.”

Zeiders also shared with us a love for southern rock, country music, and rock music. “I have a lot of different influences when it comes to where I take inspiration from, so my music really has hints of southern rock in it. I like to incorporate my Christian side into my music with my lyrics and certain messages that I spread to my fans and what I believe in.”

The Turning Point:

Things really started to shift for the singer-songwriter during his sophomore year of college. Up until that point, Zeiders focus was on playing Lacrosse and getting a degree in marketing. However, quarantine stopped him in his tracks, and really changed the course his life was on.

“The whole music thing did not really start until after quarantine,” begins Zeiders. “So after I gave up lacrosse my sophomore year and moved back home and had a change of pace in my life, I had some things to think through and figure out what I wanted to do in my life as a young adult.”

With some encouragement from a friend, the singer starting posting himself singing covers on social media apps like TikTok. “As a person who always loved to sing and probably sang more than he spoke, quarantine kind of came out of nowhere and I had a friend tell me you should make a TikTok and post on TikTok and Instagram and make it solely for music.”

Quite quickly, Zeiders found success and a fanbase on social media; garnering over 1.5 million fans on TikTok today alone. He eventually found the ears of a manager in the country music industry, who truly believed in his talent, leading the singer to release his own original music, as well as, a project of fan-favorite covers.

“I started recording music in my bedroom and starting putting it on social media […] Fans were consuming it at such a large rate where I never would have expected that. With that being said, that’s kinda where it all started to open my eyes to I might have an opportunity to pursue this.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, Zeiders is definitely pursuing a career in the music industry. In his young career, he continues to show off his undeniable talent, charisma, and ability to craft music. Earlier this year, the singer released his first project of original music on what he calls the 717 Tapes. The EP features five original songs all co-penned by the newcomer, including fan-favorite “Ride the Lighting.”

Zeiders shared with us the interesting story behind the lead single, “‘Ride the Lighting,’ my most popular song right now, was actually the first song I ever wrote. It was the first song I ever wrote in Nashville during my first time in Nashville.” The singer wrote the song over Zoom, sitting in his manager’s guest bedroom.

Of course, Zeiders’ covers are just as popular as his own music. The recently released Acoustic Covers (Deluxe) album features some of his most incredible renditions that fans have fallen in love with on social media, including “Outskirts of Heaven.” Zeiders’ rendition features none-other than Craig Campbell on the track as well.

It is safe to say that Zeiders is the real deal. He will continue to release original songs and covers that speak to the diehard fanbase he has organically built, as well as, speak to his own journey as as a country music singer-songwriter. Keep your eyes peeled for more from the singer coming in 2022!

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news and announcements about future Warren Zeiders releases.

To keep up with Warren Zeiders, follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Warren Zeiders’ music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

Who Is Abbey Cone? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music

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Who is Abbey Cone? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about her journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

 
The Beginning:

Country Swag is big on championing women in the industry, and we were lucky enough to get to chat with the lovely Abbey Cone. She is an incredibly talented singer-songwriter, and if you don’t know her yet, you will soon.

Cone is from Texas, so it wasn’t like she ever discovered country – it was all she knew. “Country music wasn’t even really a choice. It was just what I grew up on and what made the most sense for me to sing… country chose me.”

Cone didn’t have a traditional childhood, though. She loved music so much that starting at age 12 she traveled to Nashville from her hometown of Texas to start pursuing a career. “It was so fun. I feel like I was really fortunate to meet some really good people early on that I trusted…back then, it felt like a big little town. So I really got to experience just the magic of the Nashville songwriting community”, she shared with us. “It was hard sometimes, just to be a young girl and basically begging people to take me seriously and try to maintain and find my voice. It helped me grow a lot.”

While her commitment to the genre has served her well when it comes to her artistry, and she is grateful for her opportunities, she notes that there is a lot of sacrifice involved with these decisions. “I didn’t really have a normal high school experience. I left high school when I was 15 after my freshman year and have been in Nashville full time pretty much since then. It was a unique thing to experience, but it just feels like my story.”

The Turning Point:

Cone earned her first publishing deal when she was 16, but when she started collaborating with her producer-turned-love Nathan Spicer, she found her sonic home within country music. This led to her signing a recording contract with Valory Music Company and the release of her debut single, “Rhinestone Ring”.

“I met Nathan in 2018. We got set up on a write together and we immediately hit it off as humans and co-writers. I was at the phase where I was wanting to find a producer… someone who was equally as hungry as I was. And that ended up being Nathan”, she explains to us.

“I cut 6 songs with Nathan and those are the 6 songs I shopped when I got my record deal. It feels like a bit of a blur… we found out that we wrote really well together, that we produced really well together, and that we got along really well… we started dating three years ago now.”

Today:

Flash-forward to now, Cone is a CMT Next Women of Country, releasing music, and set to head out on her first tour in support of Brittney Spencer. On the topic of her song “Rhinestone Ring”, she shares, “Rhinestone Ring’ is about these big plans about a wedding and then meeting the person you feel like you could marry and realizing you don’t need any of that. It paralleled the pandemic and I think a lot of people learned or maybe feel like they don’t need as much as they thought to feel peaceful.”

“This is my first official tour that I’m doing – 8 days with Brittney in January and February. My booking agent called me and told me there’s this opening you’d have to submit for, and I said ‘please submit me!’ I called Mickey Guyton and was like, ‘I love her, I have to do these shows!’ and they ended up going with me. I’m just so excited.”

In terms of what’s next, look out for more tour dates and more new music in the upcoming future from Cone. She is poised to be an absolute superstar with incredible lyricism and a clear vision as an artist.

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about upcoming Abbey Cone announcements and releases.

To keep up with Abbey Cone, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Abbey Cone’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

who-is-nessa-lea

Who Is Nessa Lea? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music

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Who is Nessa Lea? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about her journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

who-is-nessa-lea
The Beginning:

We love bringing you new artists, and today we get to do just that. Our spotlight shines on newly signed Curb Records artist, Nessa Lea. Her story is unlike anyone else’s, and we chatted with her about where she started and where she is now.

Born and raised in Tennessee, just south of Nashville, Lea recalls her childhood being very special. “I grew up playing in creeks and catching lightning bugs and all that. I have a very musical family, so music has always been in my life that way,” she shared.” Her family dabbled with different instruments and connections to music throughout her early life.

Finally, when she was in middle school, Lea got the urge to play music too. “I didn’t start really playing myself until I was eleven years old,” she begins, “I was inspired by Taylor Swift, so I started playing guitar and writing my own songs at eleven, I wanted to be like her.” Despite a true love for music, like many of us, the singer was unsure of the path. She added later, “As I grew up I figured music probably wasn’t going to work for me, but I enjoyed it as a hobby, so that’s kind of where I kept it.”

She decided to put music on the back burner, until her boss and mentor encouraged her to go for it.

The Turning Point:

While working at Nashville’s infamous Chaffin’s Barn, a local dinner-theater restaurant, Lea caught the attention of the restaurant’s owner. “The owner there, she found out I could sing and wrote songs and she asked me to play something for her.” After hearing her sing, the owner offered her a chance to play dinner music at the barn before the show every night. Lea obliged, and was happy to have music in her life even more.

Eventually, the owner offered to pay for recording time for Lea, truly showing her how much she believed in her undeniable talent. “We started recording and Don Cusic ended up sending my songs over to Mike Curb unbeknownst to me and Mike ended up offering me a record deal a couple of weeks in,” she shared of the whirlwind experience. “So I signed with them early January of this year and I cannot be more thankful and excited to have an opportunity like this.”

Having all these people in her corner truly inspired Lea to go for her dreams. “I’ve always had this love for music and it’s been my safe place with writing and playing. It was something I enjoyed by myself and kind of being in Nashville and having so many friends that were trying to pursue a musical career, ya know sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t, and I never really had the confidence,” she shared. “Now I have people telling me “I can,” so I’m trying to believe them!”

Today:

Flash forward almost a year later, Lea is living her dream! She made her debut with her single “Bad Boy” in October, and it is truly just the beginning. Taking her love for her artists like Loretta Lynn, Lana Del Ray, and Queen, the singer was able to craft music that speaks to her both as an artist and as a songwriter.

“’Bad Boy’ is my first single and actually on the note of confidence, that song really is about having the confidence to tell someone in a relationship that I can be what you want but if you want me, you have to treat me right.” Lea also added, “Singing “Bad Boy” actually gives me some confidence in myself and I really hope it does that for other girls, […] I hope that other people will listen to it and it will give them the little kick that they need, that little kick of confidence.”

If her single is anything like what’s to come, fans are in for a real treat! Lea lets us know that she has several other songs recorded and more music coming out in 2022. Her goal though is to make meaningful connections with fans. “Now I just really want to give music my all and not disappoint the people that helped me to get here. I’m just really thankful and excited to share my music and hope that it can reach people the way it has me.”

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about upcoming Nessa Lea announcements and releases.

To keep up with Nessa Lea, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Nessa Lea’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

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Who Is Chase Wright? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music

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Who is Chase Wright? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about his journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

who-is-chase-wright-jason-myers

Photo Credit: Jason Myers

The Beginning:

This week we are highlighting an Indiana-born artist that we are loving lately! Chase Wright is an up and coming singer-songwriter, who will captivate any country music lover. We chatted with the Nashville-transplant about his story, his brand new record, and much more.

“Music was always present growing up,” begins Wright. “My mom was a music education major and her mom sang professionally back in the 40s or 50s.” The singer recalls singing at a 9/11 memorial, when he was five years old and picking up the trumpet in 6th grade. Besides that though, the artist admits that his musical journey did not really take off until college, besides being an avid fan throughout his life.

“Growing up, when I was younger, it was definitely a lot of different things,” shared Wright. “I was listening to 3 Doors Down, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Goo Goo Dolls, Matchbox Twenty, Usher.” The singer adds later, “There were so many different things growing up that I was listening to, but when I got to college, it was pretty much only country.”

College was really, when Wright started to chase the music dream. “I went to college at a small school in Indiana called DePauw University and studied economics,” shared the singer. “I mentioned to my dad how I wanted to learn how to play guitar, so he brought me a guitar he bought at garage sale. […] He said if you learn how to play on this and you really want to do it, we can get you one nicer.”

The Turning Point:

Following the footsteps of a new artist at the time, Sam Hunt, the singer started dabbling in playing shows and learning guitar. During his junior year of college, the singer worked in the corporate world, and quickly realized that corporate life was not for him.

“I didn’t really see my life going in that direction, so I really dove into music in 2017, which was my junior year in college.”

Upon graduating college, Wright set his sights on playing gigs and developing a social media presence. The singer recalls posting everyday and playing covers of songs both in person and online. “After about 5-6 months in doing that, that was when my now manager reached out and he wanted to get me to come to Nashville to do this songwriting workshop for ASCAP.” Taking a leap of faith, Wright went to the workshop and the rest was history.

Now a Nashville resident, Wright dedicates his time to his artistry. Over the years, the singer has crafted his talent as a songwriter and learned to infuse his eclectic influences throughout his music.“Country music has changed sonically so much, but what has held through, through all of those changes is really the meaningful lyrics.”

Today:

Fans can rejoice in Wright’s growth, as his debut record Interwined was just released in early November. The record features ten enticing songs that all showcase the incredible talent the singer has, truly laying the groundwork for what’s to come next.

“I just want to make music that I love and I genuinely love it and will listen to it on repeat,” shared Wright, talking about the album. “I really hope that fans and people listening will feel the same about it.”

Despite the fact that the singer would cut songs by other songwriters, all, but one song on the record were co-written by Wright. When discussing the song he did not write, the singer shared, “‘Missing You’ was exactly the song I was looking for and what I wanted to say.”

Similarly, one of his favorite songs off the project, “Wish You’d Miss Me,” was just as vulnerable.“The one that I have the most emotional attachment to is probably “Wish You’d Miss Me,” for a number of reasons. “One, it was just the first time I felt like I was truly honest when I was writing something where I needed to say something and I said it the way I wanted to say it,” shared Wright.

When asked about the title track collaboration with Canadian-Pop artist, Delaney Jane, Wright cannot say enough good things about the process.“We wrote half of it in January and then came back a couple of months later and I was like guys, what if this was a duet,” shared Wright, adding later, how extremely talented Jane truly is.

As fans immerse themselves into Intertwined, Wright predicts more music and more shows on the horizon in 2022. He makes no promises, but one thing is for certain, the singer is here to stay!

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news and announcements about future Chase Wright releases.

To keep up with Chase Wright, follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Chase Wright’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

who-is-troy-cartwright

Who Is Troy Cartwright? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music

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Who is Troy Cartwright? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about his journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

who-is-troy-cartwright
The Beginning:

This week, our spotlight is shining on an artist that was born to be a musician. Warner Music Nashville recording artist, Troy Cartwright is one to look out for. Growing up in Dallas, Texas, he recalls always loving music. “I’ve always been into music. I always joke that writing songs is the only thing that nobody told me to do.”

At just twelve years old, Cartwright started playing guitar and writing songs.”Once I could play, I just kind of stopped practicing, and just started writing songs,” shared Cartwright. “I always sort of had a knack for that part of it.” Despite loving music, interestingly he tried to avoid the country genre at first because it was his older sister’s favorite.

“When I was kid, it was just sort of whatever was popular at the time like Simple Plan and New Found Glory and stuff like that […] There was some singer-songwriter stuff that I fell in love with like Pete Yorn.”

Cartwright loved music so much that he took a leap of faith. He headed to Boston for college to pursue a degree in music business. Little did he know, this move would soon change the trajectory of his life.

The Turning Point:

In college, Cartwright rediscovered country music, after missing home and its familiarity. Artists like Eric Church and Chris Stapleton became his “North Star” later in life, as an artist.”I started missing home and that kind of was the start of it to country music and now it’s my career.”

During his junior year of college, Cartwright participated in an internship that became a major turning point for him. “I realized that was not the path that I wanted to go down,” shared the singer about the business-oriented job. “I realized through that process like ‘hey if you’re going to be an artist’ you just got to go for it.”

Upon graduating college, Cartwright headed back to Dallas to pursue his career as an artist.“ I was able to pretty quickly string together enough shows to pay the bills. […] That was kind of my start in country music, just playing the honky tonks and the bars that would have me.”

Eventually, Cartwright caught the ear of a publisher in Nashville.“I had a publisher here in Nashville say ‘hey why don’t you come write some songs here.’,” adding later, “After I came to Nashville for the first time and got to co-write, I was going to move to Nashville no matter what, I just had to figure out how to get there.”

Today:

Now, Cartwright is living his dream, as a signed recording artist. Most recently, the singer-songwriter released his debut major-label EP, Halfway To Houston. The five tracks all portray the rock influence from the singer’s childhood mixed with his love for the storytelling that country music does best.

“Most of these songs were written during the pandemic,” begins Cartwright. “I had a lot of time to think about what I really, really wanted to say as an artist.” Later, the singer shared, “I kind of had it in two buckets. It was what’s the real stuff that I want to say and then what’s the rock n roll part I want to get out.”

His songs “Hammer” and “Halfway To Houston” bring out the rock side of the collection, while “Break Every Heart In Texas” is one of the most emotive songs on the project. According to Cartwright, “It’s a song that I’ve always loved and I love the story and the picture that it paints about this guy watching the love of his life basically marry someone else. I think it’s a pretty powerful emotion.”

This is only the beginning for Cartwright. Fans can expect more music coming in 2022, as well as a tour with LANCO coming even sooner. Stay tuned and make sure to keep the singer on your radar!

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news and announcements about future Troy Cartwright releases.

To keep up with Troy Cartwright, follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Troy Cartwright’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

who-is-brenna-bone

Who Is Brenna Bone? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music

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Who is Brenna Bone? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about her journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

who-is-brenna-bone
The Beginning:

Today we get to highlight an East Coast born songstress, Brenna Bone. Growing up in Eaton, Pennsylvania, the singer-songwriter grew up a competitor. “I grew up competitively dancing and cheerleading, so I feel like I owe a lot of the performance side of me to those years of my life.”

Bone connected to music throughout her childhood, finding inspiration in pop stars like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. “I just knew from a very young age that I wanted to be on a stage.” In high school, the songstress discovered that she could carry a tune and fell in love with music. “Eventually, I taught myself how to record at home and I would release cover songs and I was just doing everything,” she shared.

Despite the fact that Bone knew she wanted to become a musician, her supportive family wanted her to go to college. “I started college and it was about half way through my freshman year of college, and I remember calling my mom and being like “hey I think I’m going to quit school. I want to play music full time.””

The singer-songwriter began gigging, playing shows three or four nights a week. “I really honestly made a name for myself back home,” shared Bone, adding later, “I owe a lot to my hometown, the support they’ve given me, the artist that they have helped me become. I owe a lot to where I come from.”

The Turning Point:

After making connections in the music industry and visiting Nashville once a month, Bone finally took the leap. Four years ago, she made the move to Nashville to pursue her dream career. “I just fell in love with country music and how it evolved over the years. I put my own rock influences in my own type of country music,” shared the singer about her signature sound.

Although she credits her parents for her taste in Rock music, like AC/DC and Bon Jovi, she discovered country music on her own. She credits artists like Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, and Miranda Lambert as some of her favorites in the country genre.

“I love the storytelling aspect of country music and I love to rock out,” she shared. “I write like a country artist and love the story-telling aspect of it and I put in my own little rock side to that.” Bone’s unique blend of country and rock music has garnered her both success and recognition in the genre; however, this is still just the beginning for the artist.

Today:

So far in her young career, the entertainer has released three singles and done some collaborative projects. Most recently, she released her killer song “Break This Habit.” “The song was the first Zoom write that I had over quarantine. We wrote it last June, so June of 2020,” shared Bone.

Drawing inspiration from personal experience, the singer-songwriter shared the writing process for the song. “I remember I was going through a break-up at the time, but it was one of those situations where it was just a bad relationship to even be in,” she began. “I remember talking to my friend over Zoom, and I was like I don’t even know what I’m going through right now, he feels like a bad habit that I keep going to.”

The more Bone and her co-writer discussed the idea, the more the song just flowed out naturally. “We wrote that song in an hour and a half,” declared the singer. Written by the entertainer with Matt Mulhare, the tune is a heartbreaking song about not wanting to quit a relationship. The tune is one that anyone can relate to.

According to Bone, she has another new single coming in early January and a collaborative project with fellow country songstresses coming before year end. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for the budding star!

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about upcoming Brenna Bone announcements and releases.

To keep up with Brenna Bone, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Brenna Bone’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

who-is-willie-jones-music

Who Is Willie Jones? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music

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Who is Willie Jones? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about his journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

willie-jones-music
The Beginning:

One of the coolest things going on in country music right now is the genre blending and the diversity in the industry. Singer-songwriter, Willie Jones is at the forefront of this movement. A new artist to most, the rising artist has been grinding for over a decade. We chatted with him about his journey to where he is now and everything in between.

Growing up in Shreveport, Louisiana, Jones recalls how important music was to him. “I grew up with my mom, my dad, and my sisters,” he began. “Music in my life was always something that I loved. Earliest I can remember was being 4 years old and wanting to sing.” The singer sang in church, in choir, and was involved in school plays throughout his youth.

“I listened to a lot of different stuff. I was inspired by so many,” shared Jones. “I’m talking Gospel [music], I’m talking Soulja Boy to musical theatre, freaking Beyonce, T-Pain, John Legend, Kacey Musgraves. Just all over man. I just like music that I like.” It is clear that the singer has learned to fuse his love for hiphop with soulful country music, since his childhood.

“Growing up we had so much, I mean our generation had just a different form of access to different kinds of music. Everybody just grew up around different things.” Jones shared later, “music today everybody is kind of all over the place and that’s a great thing. […] “If it sounds good to me, I’ll listen to it.”

The Turning Point:

Jones has been making a name for himself basically his whole life. However, back in 2012, the singer competed on the popular show, X factor. At just eighteen years old, the judges and America knew Jones was a star in the making. “That was my first kind of splash on the scene. Of course, so much work goes in to really getting a career after you do one of those shows. That was almost 10 years ago and there’s been a lot of freaking ups and downs. […] The goal was always to make great music.”

Since then, Jones has garnered over a million followers across his social media following. The singer even signed a record deal with Sony Music Nashville earlier this year. Jones is proud to represent Louisiana, his country roots, and is amongst the growing powerful group of black entertainers in country music right now.

Jones connected to storytelling in the genre, and it is clear he fits right in.“That’s one thing that definitely drew me to country music was the stories that were told and the instruments that were used. It’s really cool to see where country music is now and see it just expand and grow into people telling stories in a country format in a way that’s personal and individual to them.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, 2021 has been quite the year for the singer. Jones has a handful of songs out so far, including “Down By The Riverside”, and most recently “Get Low, Get High.” The singer-songwriter shared the story behind the later during our conversation. “It was like one of the first songs that I wrote during the quarantine. This was when the music industry was figuring out how to do things,” he began.

“I was back home in Louisiana and it was a crazy storm the night before that I had this write and the next day it was the most beautiful day when I had this write. It was just crazy to see how wild and horrible, tree limbs falling down, lighting, and the next day the sun out and some breeze,” shared Jones. “We wrote the song in my backyard, but I was telling my co-writers about the weather the night before. […] We just got into this conversation about how life has ups and downs and we have to really learn from the lows and appreciate the lows to really celebrate the highs in life.”

The anthemic song has become a fan-favorite, and one we can all use during the crazy last few years. Jones shared, “I’m excited for people to add this song to their playlist and to their life because I know it’s one that just lifts the vibration.” We tend to agree!

Lucky for fans, Jones promises more music coming at the top of the new year. “I will say this, there is definitely going to be more music. There’s going to be more visuals and there’s going to be more life, more love, more growth. We got some big stuff coming. I’m just really excited to keep growing.”

 

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news and announcements about future Willie Jones releases.

To keep up with Willie Jones, follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Willie Jones’ music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

who-is-tenille-arts

Who Is Tenille Arts? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music

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Who is Tenille Arts? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about her journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

who-is-tenille-arts
The Beginning:

We have been following Tenille Arts’ career for a few years now. Today, we are excited to finally get to spotlight her journey in the country music industry. We chatted with the singer-songwriter about her Canadian upbringing, her move to Nashville, her new music, and more.

Growing up in a small town in Canada, Arts does not recall a time where music was not pertinent in her life. “I loved country music. Growing up that was all that was played on the radio,” she shared. At just eight years old, Arts was mesmerized by artists like Martina McBride, The Chicks, and Faith Hill. “That was the music that was always playing in my home,” she adds. The singer also remembers loving artists like The Beatles and Paul Simon.

As a young girl, Arts’ talent was recognized by one of her neighbors, which set her off on this musical trajectory unbeknownst to her. “I started singing and just making up songs as early as eight years old. I was actually just always singing everywhere I went and my neighbor […] heard me singing and came over and told my mom that she thought I had a good voice and that maybe I should do something with that.”

This propelled the songstress’ mom to put her in vocal lessons. Arts ended up training classically for ten years. Still, she loved country music the most, so she taught herself guitar at around thirteen years old. “I picked up the guitar and started writing my own songs and made my first trip to Nashville at fifteen years old, back in 2009. I just fell in love with Nashville and kept going back and forth until I graduated high-school and started looking for a publishing deal,” adding later, “I signed a publishing deal when I was 21 and moved to Nashville and it just kind of all spiraled from there.”

The Turning Point:

With her dream of going to Nashville on her heart, Arts declined a Canadian record deal before landing her Nashville publishing deal. “I was like ‘I would rather go to Nashville and really take on the entire the country music scene and see what happens, rather than maybe get stuck up there.'” She added,  “I didn’t want to only be in Canada. I wanted to possibly have a career worldwide.”

For Arts, Nashville was the place to be to really hone her craft. “Nashville was where all the songwriters were and I wanted to be in that world and write with those people. Because that’s where the best songwriters in the world are.” Inspired by artists, who wrote their own music like Taylor Swift, Arts worked endlessly to write and cut her own music.

According to the singer, she feels like she is in the perfect place getting to be in country music right now. “It is so, so exciting to be a part of this change where women are taking over again. It’s so incredible and I feel so grateful to be an artist at this time.”

In her career, Arts has developed a reputation of being a team player. She supports other country artists and continues to be inspired by the amazing class of women in the genre right now.

Today:

Arts’ newest record, Girl to Girl was just released. The record is a full on love letter to her younger self and other girls, who could use the songs. “This album honestly was not planned at all. I was stuck at home and had a bunch of Zoom writing sessions set-up because that was the only thing I could do, so I started writing without a direction,” shared Arts.

“I was a little discouraged at first, because I was like ‘I don’t have anything to write about. I’m not living life. I’m sitting at home.’” And the more I thought about it the more I realized that there was a lot of things that I hadn’t written about yet that I had been through in my life that I had just sorta brushed over.”

The record became an ode to her younger self and the songs started to pour out of Arts. She yearned to support other female artists, so she decided to collaborate with Callista Clark on her song “Breakup Songs. “I kind of just wanted to be a big sister and share these things,” shared Arts. “I wanted to spotlight another new female artist. First of all, she’s incredible […] I wanted to put my arm around a young artist and say I love you and I want to support you and be here for you throughout your entire journey.”

Of course, the record features Arts’ first number one single “Somebody Like You,” which found its way to the top during the pandemic. “For me, the first time I played a show was months after it went number one. […] It went from zero to one hundred, people were singing the song back to me and I could put my microphone out to the crowd […] It was just such an incredible moment.”

If Girl to Girl is any inclination of how Arts’ career is going to progress, fans are in for a real treat. The singer will be re-releasing her Christmas song soon, and will be focusing on shows at the top of 2022. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more soon!

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about upcoming Tenille Arts announcements and releases.

To keep up with Tenille Arts, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Tenille Arts’ music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

who-is-harper-grae

Who Is Harper Grae? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music

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Who is Harper Grae? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about her journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

who-is-harper-grae
The Beginning:

Today we shine our light on another singer-songwriter and badass female country artist in the industry. Harper Grae is an incredible entertainer, who has spent years honing her craft and finding her voice. We chatted with her about her upbringing, her journey to country music, and where she is now.

Hailing from a small town in Alabama, Grae was raised by her grandparents. “They were so full of music and love,” shared the singer as she reminisced about her childhood. According to Grae, both of her grandparents were musical. Her grandfather played guitar and her grandmother sang in church. Similarly, the songstress got her start in church.

“The first song I ever learned was ‘Amazing Grace’ and I sang that in church before I even went to Kindergarten,” she shared. Grae was that little girl who was constantly singing and putting on shows for her family members. Despite her love of music, she never dreamed that she could do this as a career, until she headed to college.

“When you’re from such a small town you really don’t know that there’s so much more out there, unless you’re influenced by it or you get the opportunity to go somewhere,” she began. “So when I was in college, I really had a ton of opportunities to really just culture myself and understand that I can do music for a living.”

During her time at Auburn University, Grae studied musical theatre. As fate would have it, the singer got cast on a show called “The Glee Project” her senior year of college, marking her first ‘big break’ and the first time she had been West of the Mississippi River. The journey led her to Hollywood, where she learned important lessons that she would not have learned otherwise.

The Turning Point:

Despite how incredible the show was, Grae knew she wanted something different. Deciding against going to New York City to try out for Broadway, Grae hightailed it to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue her heart’s desire. Growing up, she recalls country music being a staple of her youth. Artists like Martina McBride and Reba were her inspirations.

“I actually wanted to go back to my roots in country music and move to Nashville,” she recalled, when discussing this time in her life,” adding later, “I moved to Nashville right after that show. I’ve been here now writing and releasing music, touring, just really doing it from grassroots.”

Now a Nashville transplant for over a decade, Grae realizes how influential country music has been throughout her whole life. “I was listening to a lot of country music and realized I was that little girl singing ‘Concrete Angel’ in Kindergarten. […] I related so deeply to the lyrics.”

Grae continued to find her people and hone her craft through her years in Nashville. She has become a positive role model and a light for many, who are fans of her music. “I feel honored to walk the walk that I am in country music, being a lesbian country music singer. There’s still a lot of work to be done. […] For me personally, I just want to be that encouraging voice to anyone who is in a small town, who is in a conservative time […] if I could help a child not have to undo something because of my music, then it’s priceless.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, Grae is at the point in her career where she is confident and truly herself. “There’s so many supportive voices and there’s so many minorities being lifted up right now by the industry,” she shared. Adding, “I’m not chasing anything anymore other than writing great music and making art.”

That sentiment describes Grae’s music beautifully. We chatted with the songstress about two of her poignant songs, including “Still Your Mother.” The track resonated with people everywhere for its vulnerable lyrics and somber honesty about miscarrying before giving birth to her rainbow baby girl. “I had never put pen to paper about the experience of my miscarriage before,” she began, “I finally felt like I was ready to talk about this and sing about this.” She went on to add, “When I wrote “Still Your Mother” I just wanted to honor the life that was lost and for that little boy to have his own legacy and song.”

On the flip side, Grae has the ability to showcase multiple facets of her personality through her music. Most recently, the singer-songwriter released “I Think About You.” The song was inspired by all the exes that came out of the woodwork, once Grae went public with her now, wife. “There was this thru-line of like ‘I don’t understand how you don’t think about me,'” shared the singer, when thinking about what all her exes would say when they reached out to her.

Grae even let Country Swag followers in on a little secret about the song and its lyrics. “When you’re listening to “I Think About You” you’re probably going to think it’s about one person. […] But really, what this song is about, every single lyric is about a different ex of mine.”

It is safe to say that this is only just the start for the songstress. She has more music in the works for the top of next year, as well as, tour dates on the books. Hopefully, Grae will even get to go out on tour with her fellow class of 2021 CMT Next Women of Country comrades too!

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about upcoming Harper Grae announcements and releases.

To keep up with Harper Grae, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Harper Grae’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.