 Hey y'all this is Jamie with Out of Bounds with Jamie and Abby. Yes and on this episode of Out of Bounds We had Raelyn a country music artist. She was so kind and sweet and just I loved her. Yeah, absolutely loved her Yeah, we talked a lot about her career and family and what she's doing next going on to her So we hope you guys enjoy that and we were lucky enough to record at Blackbird studio a renowned recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee I'm so very excited Thank you One of the other things that I would love to talk to you about if you would allow it is Type 1 diabetes of course as our listeners know my 16 year old has type 1 this April will be 10 years Wow, wow and the goal of my husband and I is to raise awareness for this disease. We felt like God has handed us this child with this disease and given us a platform to raise awareness and fun raising for it So I thank you so much for allowing us to talk about it It's such a funny thing that you talk about raising more awareness around diabetes because Back when I got diagnosed I got diagnosed at 12 so your daughter got diagnosed at 6 at 6 Oh my goodness gracious when I think about how hard it was for me to make that transition into giving myself insulin shots Checking my blood sugar at 12. I can't imagine your daughter having to do that six and I have a daughter now And I'm like, oh, I would literally be like freaking out anywhere. She went worried about her blood sugar. So that is just crazy I'm already starting to cry It's hard and for me So I got diagnosed at 12 and I don't know your daughter's story But I went into a thing called DKA my sugar was so beyond high and had stayed there for such a long period of Time that my organ started shutting down. Yeah. Oh and the only vein that they could Get was like right by my leg because there was not even a vein that was available. It was it was actually pretty crazy I was 10 minutes from from passing away and it was very traumatic awful I'm so thankful to Jesus that I'm here today. You know, I've been one of those kids I hate it going to the doctor I literally hate going to the doctor and I hate shots. I hate all of it And so when the doctor told me I was gonna have to take shots for the rest of my life. I was like So upset and of course, they don't tell you that the needles are really tiny And there's so many incredible things now but back in the day It was like a science experiment every time you had to take a shot You have to like get the bubbles out of the needle pull it back like now You have pumps and sensors and Jesus has made it so much easier But back then it was like like you were doing a science experiment at your desk Yeah, it was so different But you know when I think back on my journey of having type one I was so like Insecure about it, especially at 12 like and I'm sure your daughter went through this period a little bit Yeah, but there is a lot more resources now than there was back then but I Remember like wanting to take shots like in the corner at a friend's house like when I would go to like a birthday party and I You know, I hated like Like doing swim parties because I knew my sugar would drop and I didn't want the attention to be on me if my sugar drops That was one of Taylor's triggers is every time she swam that her I mean plummet. Yes I mean because she's exercising so much and I went through a period when I was like 15 16 Where I just didn't want my disease anymore. I don't want this and I didn't take care of myself and I I Like my a1c was super high And if you don't know a1c is it's basically what your blood sugar has been for the last three months And I remember my doctor I came in and I and I wrote like, you know bogus numbers that were so like because I forgot that they check your a1c So I forgot that that was gonna tell on me. And so I was like, oh my sugar's been like a hundred I'll throw a 200 in there really being like casual with it and And so anyways, she was so Rachel your Numbers don't really match with what your a1c is. So somebody's lying. I don't think it's your a1c number. Yeah, it's like I lied And she like the way she broke it down to me was so cool She was like, she's like, what do you want to do when you get older? And I said I would love to be a country artist I would love to be a musician and an actress and I have all these, you know dreams and aspirations And she said she's like, well, none of those are gonna come true if your health is never online Yeah, and she started talking to me about the importance of taking care of my body It was like a therapy session almost she's like, it's okay to be insecure. It's okay to go through these things But that only hurts you it doesn't hurt anybody else And she said anytime you feel that way just educate people and so that's what I started doing like I That's I felt like, you know, I'm gonna wear a pump. I'm gonna wear it out I'm gonna just I'm gonna it's my daily life and there's nothing I can do about it or change about it And all I can do is raise awareness around it and there's so many people like me Yeah, I want to start finding diabetic friends. It was easier for me But I don't have any friends with diabetes till I was like 20. Really? Yeah, and it's like and I'm you know 27 yeah, so yeah, it was it was a while till I found a really great community for me I have the Rayland Diabetes Fund because I wanted to be able to give money where it needed to be like some People just can't afford their insulin supplies or I think about that all the time so many things and that's one thing that gets me It's like I'm just so grateful that God's given me the means to take care of this disease But I'm like we have to live yeah And I think that there needs to just be such an awareness to take care of those families that they don't have yeah The means to do that and to when you meet a kid or somebody that has diabetes You just give them a hug cuz you know that what their daily life is it's just like I just want to hug you Cuz I know we got this it's like this kind of thing That's what my husband and all we always say because we do when we hear of families that have just been diagnosed We're the first ones to reach out whenever we find out because when Taylor is diagnosed. We didn't know anybody no Yeah, so now it's We're like welcome to the family This is a family you did not choose a family that you don't want to belong to but it is what it is and we have to Stick together and I mean there are times to where there was a school teacher at Taylor's School his daughter had diabetes call me one day Jamie our insulin didn't come in can we borrow a vial? Yeah, I mean that's what you do Yes, you you have to stick together Yeah, and Taylor did go through a stage like at the beginning at six years old It was almost kind of cool that she had it You know she was getting lots of attention at school and she was the first one when the first day She went to school. She was like I want to show them how I prick my finger Yeah got in the middle of her class and did it and it was amazing, but when she hit I Want to say about 12 13 years old she did go through a phase and honestly it Correlated to the time we moved to Nashville to where nobody knew that Taylor Nobody knew what you know what diabetes was and all that so she tried to hide it and she was on the pump and She she wouldn't put her numbers in because she didn't want to pull it out in the middle of lunch And she did she went through a really really hard time And it was at the doctor's office to where I realized what was going on because our a1c was like 10 point something Which for our listeners really you wanted to be around six six That's a really high that really broke her down and that was a time I finally was like okay I really think you need to see a therapist even if you don't feel like you need one It's just good to talk to somebody who's not me. Yes So we found an amazing doctor here and she does anytime. She feels the need She'll just go and have a little chat for an hour But she got out of that little funk. Yeah, and now she's back to raise an awareness up for the gala She's our keynote speaker at this so awesome And she talks about it in front of school and she's gonna go through this again when she's in college Oh, she's totally gonna go through it. You know, I'll never forget when I went on a date with my husband and I was like Oh, God, I don't want to take I don't want to take a shot I'm at Panera with this hot guy There that's like me going to Applebee Yeah, like I went to Panera on 21st and You know, I remember being like hey, well, I gotta take a shot and he's like He thought it was a shot of alcohol. Oh, okay. He was like This this early, okay, and I was like no like an insulin shot Like I have diabetes and I thought he wasn't gonna like me and I was like, you know what what the hell like he's gonna Well, if you don't like because I have diabetes, you know Yeah, and of course, you know, you liked me And that's another thing too. I didn't realize how much fear there was around being pregnant with diabetes The best I've ever felt was pregnant. Are you serious? I get pregnant again tomorrow So good my sugar was like 5.2 my a1c. I was like a normal person's a1c. I've never felt more Incredible than I do when I was pregnant. What's the explanation because you have to keep your numbers so tight Like between like they can't go over 130. It's really tight and it seems hard But it's I really do believe that God creates your body in the most beautiful ways when you're when you're carrying a baby It's like it knows that it has to go into this fight or fight. Yeah, right? And my sugar would go down to 60 and it would just stay there. I was so nervous to get pregnant I was so nervous to go through that. Mm-hmm. I mean, I thought I was gonna have to get a surrogate I mean, I thought all these things and some people do you know Some people's diabetes so bad because you don't need to carry a baby if your a1c is high, right? Because you're just gonna damage the baby But I want to start raising more awareness around that too is like just talking like talking to people through that Yeah, absolutely. I remember that when Taylor was diagnosed my father My father actually Everybody was upset obviously, but He kept thinking of steel magnolias. Oh, yeah drinker juice Shelby. Yes. Listen. I know it That's all he kept thinking. It's when she has the kid that she's gonna die Oh, I know it's the worst. It's the worst movie Type what am I that was like she's not gonna be able to get pregnant. No, you know My doctor, he's a little cuckoo cuckoo, but I love him, but he's weird as hell in the best way Of course the first thing he says to me. He's just funny. I love him though. I like he's my favorite person So I was like, I am pregnant. So I was like, I need to do a telehealth with you We were talking he goes only advice don't watch still Magnolia. That's the first But he's so ready to just don't watch it and it's just like it's so true Mom's like, oh, what about just that show he didn't drink her juice. I was like, okay, mom Okay, everything's gonna be okay. We're in the 21st century now. Let me tell you when it's hilarious when Taylor I forgot how old she was she may have been 11 years old. I wasn't thinking. Yeah, I started watching it with her Oh, and I'm like, oh my gosh. She's gonna freak out. And so I had to I'm like Taylor. Listen, this is a movie You know, they exaggerate things and yeah, mm-hmm. So all she did was laugh through the movie. Okay, good. Thank you Like When you were first diagnosed What were your symptoms? I mean, I know what your symptoms probably were My sugar had stayed high for so long. We had just actually came back from Nashville I was 12 my cousin had just got engaged. So they were having an engagement party up here and the whole time I was just going to the bathroom a lot like so when your sugar is high You just literally can't keep any liquids down. Like you always have to go to the bathroom You're so thirsty and my I was the fifth kid. So it's like my mom's like, oh, she's going through growth spur She's you know, and it wasn't any shame on her I just don't think she no signs and she had type two so she didn't know type one existed Like type twos mindset is you're overweight. Like that's you know, that's a lot of type two and my daughter's You know tiny and I was losing a lot of weight and but I was getting taller So my mom thought okay. She's just she's just going through at 12. Yeah, you know, and so we get back to Texas and I like I That's when my organs were shutting down. I was like mom I feel bad like I want to go to the hospital and I never say that and she lifted up the cover and I was just tired And my legs are black and blue and she was like, okay And so that's when we call and some people find out because their sugar goes so low Yeah, and when your sugar goes low, you just need to go to the hospital when your sugar is high You don't really know until a couple a couple, you know months and I think my sugar when I went in was like 1100 It was something was a real Taylor's Taylor's was 600 around in the 600 and she was on the verge of DK. Oh But we caught it to where yeah It was think the thing is is like when you when you don't know what to look for you don't know And so that's why I think my mom had a lot of regret and my dad, but it's not their fault No, I mean like they don't we didn't know like no To it's just I should have known and my brother like he's such a huge such a net It was like really mean and like so we were like driving to Nashville for my cousin's engagement party And I had to pee every five seconds and I remember like trying to not tell people how to pee He was just being a brother, you know, I mean he didn't know he's like why you got a pee all the time And so when I found out I had diabetes. I milked it so bad People leave you made fun of me when I was actually had a disease and like I still don't let it goes I feel so bad for do I was like you should feel that I was so mad Like so you're the youngest of five that they well, okay, so I have a lot of brothers and sisters Okay, so my mom had four kids in her first marriage and my dad had three in his and Wambam had me So I have seven brothers. Oh, wow. Wow. Okay. I'm the only one of one with the same mom and dad Oh, okay. Okay. It's like an only child in a very, you know yours mine in our situation Yeah, my husband is one of seven his mom like actually had seven kids. Oh, wow. That's it. That's where she is a saint Where's he is the rights in the middle middle? Yeah, and he's total middle child like and I'm total baby Well, okay, so tell us like where you you grew up in Texas. I grew up in Baytown, which is outside of Houston It's like 45 minutes from Houston It's basically very blue collar chemical plant smells like crap, but it's home to me Like there's so many I'm from South, Louisiana. You get it smells like crap my dad. My dad's my dad's always in it Well, he's from bozier city. Yeah, I'm from a homo. So it's really close. Yeah My family lives in like a street poor and stuff like that. So I yeah, I grew up in Baytown and it was it's awesome The best way like to describe Baytown and that's why I called my record Baytown is it's it's country But it's got such swag like the people there Like it's not just, you know, it's all kinds of kinds everybody lives in Baytown and I love that about Baytown It's so cultural. There's so many they love country music, but they love R&B They love like it's just it's such a vibe and and the same thing with Houston Like, you know and like so many rappers have come out of Houston But the Houston livestock show and rodeo is one of the biggest country events of the year And it's just like Houston area that area is just such a fun was a fun place to grow up Yeah, so when did you move to Nashville or tell us like your whole thing? So yeah, so the next step So it's it's kind of I feel like a cat that's lived nine lives sometimes But I graduate when I was 16 graduated early top of my class. Don't ask me how many people was like 12 It was a homeschooling program. Hey, but nobody can take They can't I'll never forget Vince go goes. Wow. That's awesome. I was like, yeah only 10 kids All my family does music and so I was like, I don't want to do music I want to I want to be an actress because like they can't tell me how to act They don't know how to act and so I because it's very opinionated. So I was like, okay I'm gonna start doing acting and so I started going to these acting classes in Houston And I got an agent out in LA and I was like, I'm moving to LA. So it's 16. I moved to LA Oh my god. I was crazy Okay, so my dad or my mom or my step mom somebody would stay with me every month So it was like a revolving door of people my cousin would stay with me and the fact that my parents let me do that at 16 It still cracks me up because my daughter Daisy wouldn't step foot in LA But they knew that I was like 16 going on Like I've always been an old soul. I've always been a go-getter and like Man too, it's not like somebody wasn't there with me. So I was doing the whole thing. They gave me a year They're like, we'll let you have a year here Just if you get open some doors within that year, you can stay longer, but you know, you have one year I was like, okay. I did acting classes. I did all these cool things. I Did some auditions, but I wasn't as busy as I wanted to be so had a lot of time on my hands So of course I just picked up my guitar and started to learn songs on YouTube and writing songs and I was like, damn I really like this. This is fun and For me, I I really believe in focusing on one thing and when God really opens doors on that Like you can kind of if you focus on like this is the way somebody put it Like if you're focusing on five recipes at one time It's not gonna be as good as if you focus on one finish it one finish it It's like putting the time into that one thing And so doors were just opening for music more than they were for acting and so I was like, okay Well, God, I I don't want to move because I was didn't want to be a failure at 16 Okay, but I was like, I don't want to leave and like be a failure or whatever And so I met this woman and she was like I remember singing at some coffee shop on Venice Boulevard and It was it was just crazy and so this girl came up to me and she's like you're really talented But there's so many scam artists like yeah, okay, like whatever right, but she she was actually somebody legit She's like I want to hook you up in Nashville And I was like I've already been to Nashville because I would because I would go my cousins were in a Christian rock band We went to Nashville at the time and I was like Nashville would be fun But I want to you know be here. I think this is where I need to be but I've always loved country music obviously I'm a country girl through and through and So I came here and I fell in love with the writing community at 17 am Well, I was here writing Nobody knew me. Nobody. I wasn't didn't have a publishing deal I didn't have a record deal and the voice came in for auditions and I was writing with this one girl And she was like you should audition for the voice I was like, I don't want to audition for the voice of our audition for American Idol They said no and I auditioned for X factor. Did you really I was yeah audition for both of those And they said no and I was like, I don't have like that Mariah Carey voice Like I have a good voice, but it sounds like I've been you know drinking truities and smoking cigs and I don't So it's like I don't know what to say, you know And so I have like this raspy country voice and they were like, but that's the whole point of the voices It's different voices and I was like, all right. I mean I do like like Shelton So I auditioned and I made it straight through the auditions in front of Mark Burnett ended up doing that got on the show and It was so funny because the place that we had to go for quarantine This was before quarantine was not cool, but now this is when it was cool It was like, oh, this is cool But there was like a quarantine period where you know, you can't say anything all those things and so Anyways, we were in LA for the auditions literally two miles away from where I lived not even a year before Such a god thing like crazy like not even a year later. I moved back to Texas I thought it was a failure and I'm back at the place that I lived a year not even it like yeah It was crazy. So was there made on the show got done with the show and then I went back I started right in here and so I was like, you know, I'm just gonna live here for four months Just right and then go back to Texas and I never went home. Oh, and then I've been here For 10 years. Wow Literally cannot believe I've been here for 10 years and been through a few record deals the one thing that I love about my story is I think it's a beautiful story of persistence and I Would not have written my journey any differently than it is and you know, I've been Signed to a few different labels in town. I've had a few different publishing deals I've had changes in my business, but No matter where I'm out of my career music is still what I want to do and the daily grind of writing songs and Seeing the fans and like the one thing that gets me through is the fans Honestly, because the fans don't know the BS that happens here, right? They just see you on stage and they're they love you and I think that's what that's always what's kept me going Yeah, and and to become a mom has really changed me in so many ways because I Put so much of my identity into my career, you know, what I looked like You know how I represented myself if you know, I gotta I gotta make sure that I get on this or on that and when I had Daisy I was just like None of that matters anymore. It's like I need to be an example for her exactly And you know be a strong example for her about somebody who continues to follow their dreams But doesn't let this world and what their view of my success should look like Yeah, determine my happiness because I'm honestly happy with where I'm at right now If you're not happy with where you are, you're never gonna be happy, right when God gives you success I've seen people that have tons of number ones and have this quote-unquote incredible career, but they're sad as I don't want to be that way. And so I've I'm so grateful because of that and I you know just seeing her and being a mom It's just a new identity that has changed me in so many ways. I just love it And she's what six months. She's six months. She looks just like you. I know she is poor buddy I'm like, she's got your nose She does like look like him and sometimes but she is definitely my karma copy. Yeah I didn't mean for that to happen. Here we are both of my children when they came out with just like my husband And now as they're growing they're starting to look a little bit like me. Yeah, so just yeah Girls boy girls. Oh my gosh two girls 16 and 13. I love that. Yeah, and she has a boy girl Yeah, little boy. He's one and then a six year old girl. Oh my gosh. I love that. What's their names? Jessa and Judah. Oh, I love the name Judah. Our best friend's name is Judah. Oh Yeah, it's good being a mom is the best though. I have to say it puts everything in perspective It really does and it just shows you that like, you know, whatever you choose to do in your life If you want to have babies, if not the one thing that I think that's so incredible is it's like life's not about you anymore Right and I needed that we're in a very self-serving industry where everything's about you like, you know, and I Of course know that my identity is not in any of this It's in God and my family and what I do but not, you know, the everything this business is but when having her I was just like None of this matters anymore. It's it's all about you boo boo. You're the queen of the castle I fully know it, you know, since you both are from huge families. Do you guys want tons of kids around like 30 kids? Yeah, Josh, you know, Josh wants like three. Yeah, so yeah, I want like five. Is he in the industry as well No, so my husband played at Belmont got a full ride there and then he played for the Cubs organization And then he went into the military and so now he's still in the military But he also is in like finance and stuff like that He got a degree in business and works for this financial company here and he loves it Oh, so he's like one of those guys that wakes up looks at the stocks. I'm like, how's it going, baby? No, he's not music. Thank God. I love it. I love it Not being the same. Yeah, because I like feel like we talk about the industry all the time And he just like knows good songs like he doesn't get so he just literally likes a song as a fan And so I know if he doesn't understand a song that nobody's gonna understand it I wrote this too much like I wrote like I made was a songwriter in this when I should have just been like, okay But he's he's awesome. Yeah, such a good dad. That's so fun. How did y'all meet? It's so funny. We met the first time at church. We saw each other. I was looking like hell that day, too I remember we had to went out the night before I almost didn't go to church that day I was like, all right. I'll throw on a poncho and some bootcut jeans and put my hair in a ponytail I literally was wearing a multi-colored poncho with freaking miss me bootcut jeans Buckle like not the vibe. Thank you. Like like what the actual hell Yeah, and of course I meet my future husband there and he looks like a Greek god and you're like, all right You're hot. You don't look at me in this poncho And so anyways, but he thought I looked so cute He's like you just didn't care. Yeah, because I don't give a care by but I was like I had to go for that because I really couldn't do anything about it And so then we were at the same wedding like two weeks later We hit it off and we dated for like a year broke up for two years got back together and got married within like three months Oh, wow, I've been married for almost seven years. Wow. Oh, wow got married. We're young. Yeah, you were Yeah, how old are you 21 20? It's awesome. I was 22 when you know, you know, and it's like if you get married young great if you get married You know, yeah great. I think that we need to start talking more about that and it's like I don't know. I but I found my person really young. Yeah, I'm grateful for that We just had him on this past month and that's what we talked about was it was our 20th anniversary and wow We were young and Actually, I mean the way you are we had Taylor at 26. I think I was 26. I had Daisy at 27. Yeah Wow, that's very very similar. Yeah, I got pregnant at 26 It you know, that was such a great time because we we had like six years of just we do Yeah, the heck we wanted to you know and wham-bam. Thank you, man. We have a kid now Changes everything it really does it really does so with having her I'm sure you're hyper sensitive and you Watch over her closely. That's how I am with my youngest with type one, you know That's what when I was thinking about if Daisy ever had to have type one like I My heart goes out to parents like I would be so controlling with it Yeah, you have because you have to let them go you have to you have to Because I remember my mom was really crazy about I was 12, you know, but my mom it was funny Because this is like so my mother and my dad's the more like motherly type and my mom's more of like Honey, you're gonna have to figure this out. Are you going? I ain't doing this for you forever But she was nervous, but she also was like like shooting it to me straight like you're gonna have to like teachers I gotta forget God it and I'm so thankful that I have parents mom a mom like this but so We had to learn like we were in this diabetes class and they make your parents go to the diabetes class Yeah, about this. So they show you how to give the shots and it was really interesting and my mom was like I ain't doing this right you got to learn it and I was just like, okay And my dad was like, please wait like you know, it was like it was so funny but but I'm thankful that my mom was so hardcore with me because she You know, she was like you need to learn this like you need to you're gonna do you're gonna do great and and I did and I You know, I knew how to do all of it like Funny, I probably empowered you like I don't need to do this you do it Yeah, you got it like there's no point and I'm not gonna give you shots right 12 You know what I mean or for the rest of your life You have to learn it and I was like, okay, but I mean think back now I mean you were 12 years old and then at 16 you you fly the coop. Yeah, so you had to do it by yourself one of the funniest stories of having diabetes is We said the school that I went to this home school and there was so many kids there But we had like these little desks and they had like little panels up and and so anyways I was doing a shot at my desk and a kid went up to the teacher was like, hey I Think I think Rachel's doing drugs at her desk. Oh my gosh She literally started crying laughing. She was like if she has type 1 diabetes and she goes Why is she giving herself a shot? Like I think she's doing drugs and I was like, no Like we we still laugh about that my teacher me I was like remember that kid that literally thought I was doing drugs Like well, why would I do it out in front of everybody? Like I go to the bathroom Like 16 like I mean kids are crazy these days. Yeah, I'm not that crazy I grew up with a kid that had it like through elementary school and every year like cuz you know you'd be in the same class Like every other year and his dad would come and they would present to the whole class basically like this is what he has This is what it is He would educate everyone on it so that like we never thought about it Sometimes he might need to eat a piece of candy or whatever it was like they would educate us I thought that was so and I think it's so important to do that And that's one thing that I should have said before is like all my team knows. Hey, maybe have a bar in your bag Yeah, maybe a juice like I always have stuff on me But these are my signs of like if something sketch like I kind of go off into it days Like you know and so and we're all prepared my team's prepared you can never over prepare somebody for that And it's not because you're you know something's gonna happen It's just so important for everybody to know like educating everybody Education is just key with the diabetes. Yeah, totally. Yeah, okay. I want to talk more about your career Yeah, so you said you had like multiple record labels and everything what's been the hardest thing you've kind of had to go through where I'm at now and The freedom that I have creatively is I think what's been hard for me in the past is Getting signed because I'm different because I write different because I see the world differently and then when I get there I feel like I Just keep trying they kept trying to fit fit me in a box that I couldn't fit in okay, I and it's no like This is the thing is every artist is different. It's not a you know circle hole for everybody some people are Shape like squares and we were shaped like triangles like not everybody's the same and when I look back I'm so grateful for my journey because every person that has been in my career. They believed in me. It's not that I just think For me where I'm at today and I look back I'm grateful for the journey because it's made me better songwriters may better woman It's maybe better business woman and artist. I just I'm so excited for the future generation Because I think we can really educate any new girls that come into town like hey, you know fight for this Yeah, like whatever makes you different. Yeah, keep that because they're gonna try to fit you in this mold of making you Generic when you're not generic, you know like whatever makes you different in this town and gets you noticed It's like it sticks for a second, but yeah, and you know what and it's more of like I You know, I moved here when I was 18 and you don't know what to stick up We're like, okay. Well that'll work. I'll do it like, you know, I'll think about that or I'll think about this But it's it's I didn't know how to fight for myself at 18 right, you know, and I but but now I'm like Oh, hey, I'll know like I'm not this song songs that are right like I was writing a hundred songs a year and You know five we're getting put out and just it's just it was just such a hard industry to like get your music out and so I'm really thankful for The industry now because you can put out music every month You can probably do it ever the heck you want and it's really cool to see and I The one thing I just love about Nashville is everything's like musical chairs like when I See people that have been in my past whether it's a label or publishing deal We all just mutually respect each other because it's like, you know, if it didn't work out business great I'll go to lunch with you but like sometimes business doesn't work out But that doesn't mean it has to be on bad terms and I think I love about this town is I've gone through Some you know things in my career, but this town is still embraced me and loved me and and that's what this town's about It's like, okay, that wasn't the right fit But that's okay. We're still hoping the best for you and they really do yeah They really is it's not a cutthroat. Even though we're in a cutthroat industry Nashville, I really think has figured out making it, you know, they still care about the artist and like I Just think it's it's it's really really cool about this town but I've you know, my music it's the one thing I you know, I talked about the fans earlier, but my songwriting has always been so important to me and writing songs that I believe, you know, are Are bigger than me and are meant to be out and I One of the first songs that I wrote that completely changed my career in my life and the songwriting world was love triangle I wrote that song about my perspective of my parents divorce and how it felt to be stuck in the middle of two people You love the most your mom and your dad and That song just opened so many doors for me in the writing community and songwriting has always been therapy for me it's always been a way that I've processed things in my life and I You know, I always want to be sacred when it comes to my songwriting and everything else comes second to that But there's never a day when I'm headed to a right or I'm headed to do something that I'm just not extremely grateful Like it's it we're more into like the storytelling. Yes side of things. That's not necessarily just like oh, this will be a hit Yeah, I mean, I do like songs that are well. Yeah, but I do like storytelling too I do love to you know shake my butt dance like have a good time like you know the one we were all talking about was bra That whole album is so much fun. I just thank you. It's awesome. I know it's I Love that record because it's so storytelling, but it's so fun The next two songs are about to release or kind of like an extension of that and that's the thing It's like I just want to have fun and put out good music and be a good example for my daughter and young girls out there and Not even girls guys too like I don't know I just I'm just so grateful for this platform that I've been given and I just want to continue that and Baytown is probably one of my favorite projects. Did you write all of them? I've only released one song that I haven't written Wow, yeah, but yeah, I've written all my songs. I feel like Baytown when you play it you can tell like you just had fun Yeah, you know like it's just like but I love that it has like me about me small-town prayer It has those really great songs a signer wrote for my daughter called me for me to love You know song about my me and my mother's story because she chose me that song is There's been over 20,000 videos now made of Oh, wow people stories of keeping their baby and it's like literally the most Beautiful thing ever. That's another thing. It's just like you have to follow your heart on what to release because God will bless it And I've just literally seen that with with Baytown. We've hit over a hundred million streams on the record Wow, and it's just It's just crazy because it's like we promoted it, but you know, I'm not a major label right now I'm doing this independent like I'm just doing my own thing and I feel like when When the pressure is kind of off and you like care, but you don't yeah, that's when like everything start magic It's like there's like this weight that's lifted off of your shoulders. Yeah, okay. I'm I'm okay. Yeah, so totally So that did that release in 2020? Well, it released last September. So okay, it's right after I had Daisy Oh, right after okay. Yeah, that's nothing like normally old me would have been like looking at the charts But I'm like you're nursing a baby like half a way And there's there was no me like being obsessed with where my record was. I was like, I just I'm in survival mode You are in survival mode, especially those first two months. Yeah Nobody explains that to you. Oh, no No one would have kids if they told you right? No, no It's so funny though how God works because it's like Six weeks later. I mean, I'm like healed up feeling good. I'm like, let's do it again. I'm like, why did I say that? You know, like I don't know why because it's just like it's all the love Yeah, if it were up to men, they would have one kid to be done. I couldn't do it again. I love I love my husband, but Totally my husband was more traumatized than I was. Yeah When we talked about heaven three john was like, uh, right now we're man to man to have a third We'll be in zone and I can't do zone That's so awesome. That's when they start raising each other, but that's great. That's true. Yeah, so will you two are Coming up. What's your yes? So I'm going out with kane brown. Okay. Love kane Me and him and his his wife is my best friend and so I'm so excited. We're gonna have nine kids on tour. So it's me Walker haze and kane. So I have daisy walker has six kids and then they have two kids kody and kingsley And so it is going to be wild It starts in in may so we have some some dates in may and then we have some dates in june. So it's gonna be fun That's so fun When's the last time you toured? Oh girl I've well, I did a show in december after having daisy. So that's my first show back And I did a residency downtown at old red like big pregnant like I was just wielding it in the bar Like straight up like I couldn't drink with everybody, but I was having a good time like I was so but it was fun Yeah, it was so much fun. Oh, that'll be so fun. Okay, and then I saw that you are you acting a little bit? weren't you in a oh god I was in a hallmark movie. Okay, and like Honestly, I think my mother-in-law that was her highlight of her life because she loves hallmark during christmas But it was honestly so much fun. It was me and sarah evans and why not a jud and kicks brooks like so many awesome celebrities are in it But it was it was awesome. I want to do more acting. I want to do More stuff in the tv space. I I love stuff like that and I really thrived when I was on the voice because people could see my personality So I really want to do more more things like that for sure. Oh, that's so fun Can we talk about the voice like how like how was like a whirlwind? What was that experience like? I mean, I was 17 So it was like any other 17 year old girl like holy crap. This is happening like whoa Yeah, you know my favorite thing about that show is it really like I think that I needed that first no like even though it was such a People think that I won that year, but I didn't like I was top 12 But that first no like set up a lot of like thick skin for me Yeah, because I realized okay. I can be told no, but I know that I'm still talented and I know that I've got Something and so I was able to move here. And so when other knows what happened in my life It's hard, but it really prepared me as a person But that show was everything it needed to be for me. It was a great promotion tool People got to know who I am and like getting to meet Blake was The trajectory of my career. I mean he Helped me find a manager. He helped me, you know with my deal with big machine when I first got here Like he showed me like this is what you should do. This is what you shouldn't do He took me on tour and you know, Miranda took me on tour because they were married at the time And so it was just like to be embraced by them at such a young age. It really set precedent for me and It's very very very grateful And and he's been somebody that's been a sound piece throughout my like a big brother He really is and he when he really loves somebody and cares about somebody he means it and he stays and he's There and through the changes in my life for the last 10 years He's always been there and he's been a friend that Honestly means the world to me and I'll never forget So me and my husband, you know, we we got married and then we had a wedding later And so when when I told Blake that I was married, this is the funniest thing ever. We were at santa na ho and He literally was eating and he just dropped his fork and stopped eating and he was like, well I guess we're getting tequila shots and like it was just like so funny And he was so of course so excited. He was just like shot because you know, I'm like his I was the time I was like I was his baby girl Like he was like, you know, he's like my like, you know, like a second dad like an uncle like he's just so sweet But he has been you know, just to our family and it's just it's he's such a he's class act That's amazing. That's good to hear I know and then we did that song why I got a truck together, which is one of my favorite songs. That's a good one I know thank you Did y'all write it together or did you write it by yourself and I wrote it with him in mind And okay, my favorite is the end of the song He goes back the truck up. No, not that the truck Ray talking about I was like, make sure you put something funny on it. He goes, oh, I got something special for you. I was like, okay That's so fun. He's he's great. And then he married Gwen Stefani, which is hilarious. Like, you know, I used to wear y'all I put my foot in my mouth. So I You know, I used to wear her clothes all the time like the hair juku brand I loved and I'm like, I remember telling her I was like, oh my god I wore your your shoes when I was like 13 and she was like I I literally I probably made her feel so all and I was just like, I mean like you look great I was like trying to go like she didn't care like she was going to funny So if you would have told my like, you know, 12 year old self wearing my high top hair juku shoes that Stefani would be, you know Engaged to Blake at my wedding. I'd have been like, uh No, she's not but that's wild. It was so funny though. I was so nervous at my wedding like because my you know Crazy-ass families coming up to them at the at the table and they stayed the whole night They did not leave early. They stayed until we left like they partied. It was so much fun And but when I saw like my country family coming up to them, I was just like, oh god Okay, like I thought I was gonna have to save them. But they of course do so well on those situations It was it was hilarious. Like, you know, my uncles were going over there. I was my heart was literally about I was like, you know, it's my wedding. I can't worry about this. They're fine. They came they obviously if they stayed they're fine You know, and so they probably wasn't and then of course another great thing at my wedding was my mother-in-law Who is the most christian woman you'll ever meet in your life? Super conservative awesome incredible lady but like, you know, but she Chugged a beer on the dance floor and like she can chug a beer better than anybody and it was like her And josh's two buddies and she beat all of them. She can down it in like two seconds And like it was awesome like It was hilarious like she lets loose and I love it. I mean like Watching her chug that beer was a highlight. I love it. That is so funny of the show So what is a pinch me moment? For you look I've had a few since you started One of them was definitely my grandelobry debut because grandelobry has always been my dream is to one day be a member I love the grandelobry so much another one was playing royal albert hall in london where the queen goes That was it. That was a big moment for me trying to think there's been there's been so many When a wild horse my debut record debuted at number one on the billboard chart I mean I've there's only been a few females that have done that with their debut record less than 10 Oh, no kidding. Um shinai twain one and a judge and so it's for my debut record to hit number one On billboard was was probably one of the biggest accomplishments. Congratulations. Yeah, that's amazing. Thank you. It really is. That's super cool So I think we know you're really close with blake and a lot of the the male artists What what's your relationship like with female country artists? It's been honestly like I think a lot of us females we Were up and coming at the same time like me lorna lana kelsey ballerini matty and tay There's just been so many artists that we've all kind of went through this together and I've you know, I've I have such a great great relationship with all those girls It's incredible to hang out with them because they understand The struggle that we've had to go through as women but also like We're all just doing it and making it happen and now we're in this, you know at the time like me and Matty and tay have pictures On radio tour when we're like 17 18 so little and you know tay has a baby now We're in these we're going through these phases of life together And we know what it's like to want to be pregnant and to have a family But also want this career for ourselves And I don't think that's like enough that people talk about is The juggle of that like being a mom and also being an artist. It's hard, but It's it's done every single day and that community of women has like Really been good for me. Like I've talked to Hilary Scott about it from lady Anna Bellum and A couple artists that aren't really in country music, but it's just been it's a different dynamic You know, it's not like, you know, my husband's doing music and I can be there and support him and have daisy Like it's just different So I did my first show in december and when I was on stage all I could think about was day Like I was like nervous. I was like, oh my god, I gotta get back to my baby and I'm like Yeah, but it was It was good But it was still nerve-racking because you stole that mom instinct like even though you haven't like a nanny help And it's not like that. It's different like totally. I'm the mom like that and I'm we're having to let that go But that the community of women here like have really helped me with that and in inspiring other artists that you know just There are times where we all get in a funk and it's important to stick up for each other to be there and I'm really excited about this new wave of women that are coming. I mean some new songwriters in town I have surrounded myself with female songwriters and this new wave of women is just so incredible because They are just being so unapologetically themselves and it's really cool to see They're continuing to be vulnerable and to another level that it's inspiring to me like I'm Seeing this new group of you know songwriters and artists and I'm like, why I gotta step up my game I've always been vulnerable, but I'm just saying like it's it's been really really cool to see Do you get like tons of dms from fans being like I want to be where you are? I want to be a country music artist and wanting advice and I'm sure you get like reached out to all I do and I message I message them back, you know, sometimes when I have time Yeah, I feel like I have no time anymore But I I love to reach like to talk to artists about their journey and stuff And I think the cool thing about the day and age that we live in now is there's so much that you can do in your bedroom Like there's so much you can do upload a video to youtube Write songs like You can live right now. You can make a name for yourself right now And I think that that's the cool place that we're in right now is like You can put out a song on spot of five you want to yeah, you don't know You know I'm saying like, you know, and it's just like it's it's just You need somebody to get you to get it on there, but it's so easy like you just pay some money and you do it But Justin Bieber was found. Yeah, you too. It was right and it's just like there is platforms You know so many ways to to grow your brand without The way that it used to be and it's great because it's creating more opportunities for these young artists and especially females and I'm just I'm really inspired honestly and Um and two I think another cool thing that I've seen is it's not just young artists because like I've Of course, I love young artists, but I'm like, what about the you know, 35 year old girl that had five kids and she's Amazing songwriter and artist but hasn't got the chance to do it because she's been a mom her whole life in a small town Those are the people that are getting seen now too. And it's like we've got to start Normalizing that it doesn't always have to be the young hot And over sexualizing young girls like that bothers me a little bit And I just think You know, well, she just needs to be older and so like that no like let her be young let her grow up like let her Write songs that are for the 15 and the 16 year old and the 17 year old girl And when she gets older, she's just gonna go through some things that make her want to write like when I wrote got my girls I was 17 that song was written from a 17 year old's perspective when I write when I sing got my girls now It's like I'm a woman and I'm singing it from a 27 year old woman's perspective, right? Right, but I'm so thankful that I had those songs because that's the place in life that I was in and But it's cool to see Songwriters that I've never heard of Make it on the scene in the last couple years and they're older and they're have had life I'm saying one thing. I want to write with somebody that's been through Honestly, like because I know that I'm gonna get a good song. It's been really cool that those walls are being You know the traditions are like, you know, and it's it's just really really a good point It's a really cool. I love that thing that Adele said. I'm not writing songs for tiktok I'm writing songs for the 30 year old that doesn't understand tiktok. Like, you know what I mean? I was like straight up. Listen. I love tiktok though. I mean, there's a few people. I get so stuck on that damn thing I love it personally. I try to do the dances. It's weird I'm getting better. I like have to have some my friends like help me edit it But it's it's fun. I mean, I'm just excited for women in music right now. It's it's gonna be It's gonna continue just being a rocket shifting off. You're such a good role model. You are. Yeah, that's incredible. You're so fun And yeah, I don't know. You feel like family immediately. It's interesting. I know you walked through the door and it was like, oh You're very I literally about to leave here and go get a big burrito. So if that doesn't like Yes, sum up me. Well, we thank you so much for being here. Oh my gosh. Thank you. You're busy No, I'm away from us. No, thank you. So thank you so much. Thank you. I appreciate it