Hometown: Fremont, CA
Genre: Country/Singer-Songwriter
Influences: Tom Petty, Jo Dee Messina, Miranda Lambert, Matt Wertz
How did your musical journey start?
“I started songwriting at the age of 13. I began performing at Karaoke on the Ranch that I grew up on in Lake Berryessa in Napa county, California. I learned to sing from country artists that were big at the time on 90’s country radio like Jo Dee Messina, Dixie Chicks, Tim McGraw, Phil Vassar, LeAnn Rimes, etc. In high school I started performing the national anthem and singing at talent shows. Once I graduated I started hitting open mics in San Francisco and getting more serious about songwriting. Then finally in 2009 I made the best decision of my life and moved to Los Angeles to attend Musicians Institute in Hollywood. I completed the Vocal Program there and it was where I put my first full band together. My first show was on the Sunset strip at a placed then called ‘The Cat Club’ right next door to Whiskey A Go-Go and I’ve been gigging ever since. I met my husband Eric Bickerstaffe, a Canadian guitarist from Calgary, Alberta at school. We moved to Nashville three years ago and are still running down our dreams in Music City.”
What is your new single about?
“My new single ‘Jump off the Train’ I wrote a couple years back when I was in Sweden for a friends wedding. I went to school with and had roommates from Sweden when I lived in LA and they’re some of my best friends. While I was there, I was riding on the train from Stockholm to Gothenburg and I was just very inspired by the city, the long summer daylight (it stays light out until like 3 am) and the idea of spontaneous loves, or loves worth getting off a train and turning back around for. And the relationships that maybe don’t work out, but they don’t have to be sad, they can be a fond look back to a feeling.”
Is there a video for “Jump off the Train” coming soon?
“YES! There is a video coming out soon. It was filmed in Sweden in Gothenburg and Stockholm by my dear friends Joakim & Anna Örneblad. So keep in touch on social media so you can watch it!”
Do you have a new EP in the works?
“I’m writing new songs and have some ready for an EP. That is definitely on my radar! I also have another single Road Trippin’ coming out on November 24th on the first ever Nashville Dreamin’ Country Vol. 1 compilation CD. For a limited time, you can get a free download of your choosing by going to this link, submitting your email, and it’ll be sent to you on or before November 24th. I’m really excited for this song to come out!”
How have you changed musically since you last EP? Have you changed your sound or way of writing?
“I think I’ve grown a lot since my first full band EP in 2012. You learn so much about recording, the process, the planning, the artwork, promotion, how to get the sound you want, and writing stories that mean something to you that can hopefully translate into meaning for the listener. My first EP is still me, my second EP is me. Just a version of me musically at a specific time. I’m really proud of ‘Take Me Back’ and the songs on there. I think I’ve definitely started listening to more music from the 70’s: Rock n Roll, Singer-Songwriter, Laurel Canyon, Summer of Love. It’s a really special era in music. I’m really fascinated diving into a time when making music was just that, making music. And the stories of how all these artists and bands came to be. I listen to a lot of Americana/Alternative country artists as well like Jason Isbell and Brandi Carlile and I love the local Nashville rock band The Blackfoot Gypsies. My way of writing is still the same, whenever inspiration strikes and wanting to tell stories. And of course, my voice is still country. I’m a country artist. But there’s more of a blend in me that I think you’ll be hearing in the future. Taking all the elements that I’m learning from across all these genres and being inspired by yet always keeping who I am throughout the process. And whatever the song calls for always comes first.”
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