So what kind of performer are you? How would you describe your music?
I am a country music singer/songwriter. I play guitar and piano. I write songs about my life, about what I’m going through. I’m a wife and a mother of three little boys. My mom was killed in a car accident when I was a teenager, and the things I went through and still go through because of that permeate my songwriting. I also write songs about other people I know; I put myself in their situations and write songs from their perspectives. Some of the themes in my songs are inner strength of women, expectations of love, coping with loss, faith, etc.
When did you get involved with music, and why?
From an early age, about 5 years old, I started singing songs in my church in Alabama. Both my parents played instruments and sang and we would travel and sing together. I began singing in other churches, community events, school talent shows, local television and radio.
As I got older and when my mom died, I really delved into music because it helped me cope with loss. It was sort of my therapy, or my counseling. At Bellingham High School I was really involved in everything that the school offered musically. My high school music teacher really inspired me to go to college and major in music and that’s exactly what I did. I graduated with a music degree. The why of all that? Well, it’s what I was made to do; it’s like breathing to me. Sometimes I think that I didn’t choose it necessarily — it chose me.
What’s it like performing country music in the Northwest?
Even though people may think that country music in the Northwest isn’t strong, my goal is to have a following of people who support me and country music, and hopefully the underground country music scene will come alive and we can see country music come to the forefront in Whatcom County. I really hope that with what I’m doing, it can help to bring more independent and major country artists to the area.
