Thank you so much for chatting with us! Did you always want to be a musician or was there a specific moment that something happened that made you think "this is what I want to do with my life." If so, what was it? I feel like at some level I always wanted to be a performer and be on stage but the turning point and the "OH SNAP!" moment for me was when I started playing shows and singing my original songs. I was around 14 at the time and I had never really connected with songs the way I started to once I was writing the lyrics and music and that definitely reassured me that's what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Is there anyone in your family that you can credit as being instrumental in your decision to go into the music field? How long have you been honing your craft as a singer/songwriter? My parents were very supportive of me and really gave me creative freedom when it came to what instruments I wanted to learn or what I wanted to do with my time after school (which was usually just play guitar locked in my room for hours, haha!) My mom was always singing and playing piano so she was always there to help me learn any new song to practice too. I've been writing in my song journal since elementary school but I think when I got in high school is when my songs started surprising people and really connecting with them. Are you mainly inspired by what happens around you for your songs? I definitely take a lot of inspiration from my personal life when writing my songs because it's the best way to process how I'm feeling. But I love hearing other people's stories and being inspired to share their message or experience as well. Tell me about your new single and video, “Therapy.” Did you write the song? How was the video shoot? Therapy is about a one sided friendship that I feel like a lot of people experience. It's really easy for people to get distracted with their own stuff and forget to check in on their friends but we have to remember that friendships and relationships are what keep us going and we have got to check in every once in a while to see if they need a shoulder to lean on. I wrote the song with Nate Alan & Wes Strunk and walked into the session not really knowing what song I wanted to write. After just talking for awhile and giving our life updates we knew immediately what to write and that this song was going to be so unique in its approach and I'm so happy with how it turned out! Shooting the music video was a whole new experience for me! I got to tap into a little bit of my acting side which was so fun! It was also so therapeutic to be able to get a visual representation of exactly how I was feeling when I wrote this song. I can't wait for you guys to see it!
Do you see yourself as a mentor to the younger female artists? Yes! I would love to be. So many times people get so focused on their own stuff but we have to remember us girls have to stick together! Can you tell us more about the Teen Guidance Foundation? I started The Teen Guidance Foundation in 2012 after I graduated high school. I really wanted to do music but I wanted to do music with a purpose. I was extremely bullied all throughout elementary and middle school and I wanted to use my experience to share my story with kids so that they wouldn't have to go through the same thing. Our assembly is a completely different approach than most anti-bullying assemblies. We have a full set up with lights, video, music and teens empowering teens. The thing that makes us stand out even more is we call out the bully. We let them know why most people feel the need to bully and therefore informs the students that most of the time people are bullying out of insecurities. I've had so many kids come up to me after assemblies saying they were either a bully or bullied and that this assembly absolutely changed their life. I can't wait for us to be able to get back to the schools!
Who’s your favorite female country artist and why? It's so hard to choose just one so I'll give you my top three! I've always loved Carrie Underwood because I love what she stands for and feel like her voice is out of this world. I also really love Lauren Alaina and Kelsea Ballerini because they are making huge moves for female country artists right now while also releasing some amazing songs! What is your favorite dish to cook? I want to be a good cook so bad and maybe one day I will be, haha! But my go to is always grilled chicken with roasted garlic brussel sprouts and crispy sweet potato fries! Favorite music to listen to while you cook? I love anything up beat to listen to while I cook because you can have little dance parties while you cook! You’re stranded on a deserted island for a month. Which three foods would be there (magically!) for you? Potato chips, chicken nuggets, and anything chocolate! Finally, if you could be sponsored by one food/drink brand who would it be and why?Probably Zevia because I am OBSESSED with their drinks! Or Five Daughter Bakery here in Nashville because doughnuts are my love language.
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