Madeline Edwards about meeting her moment in country music

The 29-year-old performer is cresting a fast-rising wave of acclaim and claiming her place as a thoughtful singer-songwriter in country’s mainstream.

Madeline Edwards appeared dramatically for many mainstream country fans before she arrived. Read also : Music Fans’ Travel Bucket List: Ultimate Music Landmarks. A conversation with the jazz-inspired, Houston-born country artist at the Nashville W Hotel in Music City’s Gulch neighborhood highlights that the depth and scope of her art can surpass the heights it has already reached.

In particular, she joined Mickey Guyton and Brittney Spencer on stage during the Country Music Association Awards in November. Fellow Texan Guyton’s “Love My Hair” took the stage via a gripping performance that saw the trio’s hair cut to magnificent displays of radiant, pronounced black beauty.

“It was my ‘golden ticket’ moment. Very kindly Mickey offered me the chance to take part in it. I had just appeared in the city inspired and wanted a fresh musical perspective. Although we had not known each other for a long time, mine talents. “

CMA Awards: Mickey Guyton sings ‘Love My Hair’ with Brittney Spencer, Madeline Edwards

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Edwards has released her latest single, “Hold My Horses”, as she prepares to release her self-titled country debut on June 24. She has also toured with Chris Stapleton and made a number of appearances at the CMA Fest. Her latest schedule has given her a vision of how she needed to double her efforts as she gained greater recognition.

“[Chris Stapleton] challenged my notion of what it means to be the best. He puts so much work into his craft, but he also balances perfectly with still having time for family.”

Her April 2022 single “Port City” listens back to her roots with country music as a 13-year-old who spent a decade playing the piano and “thought she was going to be rich, famous and the next Beyoncé,” at the time she was 17.

While living for a time in Santa Barbara, California during those years, she remembers driving to see her mother’s family in Fresno (“it’s not like that anymore, but at the time it was a big peasant and rodeo town”) and listened to country radio on the road. These moments were permanently effective.

“As someone who learned piano at the time, I piqued my curiosity to hear the jazz piano chords in Shania Twain’s (2002 single) ‘Forever and For Always’. Also, I listened to tons of Keith Urban, George Strait and Alan Jackson.” I love how [his 2021 album] “Where Have You Gone” is somehow respectful, controversial and a breath of fresh air “, Edwards notes.

Edwards also enters the field of country music with a decade of remarkable musical credibility achieved in other musical spaces. Her work with Houston- and Nigerian-American rapper Tobe Nwigwe earned cosigns from NPR in 2019. “I am unhealthily obsessed with making my work perfect,” says 2022 CMT Next Women of Country class member and Equal Play award winner. Her work with Nwigwe represents one of a sparse number of pieces in her catalog since 2016.

“I have completed both the hard work of my music and the heart work on myself every time I release material,” Edwards adds when asked what drives the obvious passion for intentionality in her performances.

Her “real comfort” in country music shines when the breadth of her life experiences mixes with the genre’s insistence on pushing storytelling to the fore. While talking to The Tennessean, her husband – who has been battling Crohn’s disease for the past decade – is in hospital. When she reveals this fact, she exhales. The stress that the 29-year-old practitioner carries is suddenly palpable, and the depth of her work begins to take greater shape.

Her weight in telling her stories as a woman, daughter and wife far exceeds the weight of simply reproducing her existence as a female country artist of African-American and Polish / Jewish ancestry.

“I have nothing against the movement in country music to become” Tik Tok-famous. “But country music is also the last, true form of storytelling – and in this era it represents the narrative of the last true threads of American history before radical change.”

Edwards synergizes complex musicality, mature lyrics and soulful vocals into a sound she proudly calls her and hers alone.

“My music is human and intelligent,” says Edwards. Songs like 2021’s heartbreaking “Best Revenge” contain lyrics like “you do not have to key your car or make you cry or be ashamed of your best friend / because I move on and I love you so much. “

Even deeper is the idea that Edwards is not a black artist who makes music that explicitly includes black people. Instead, she is a black artist who creates what she describes as “good music that pop culture and society’s overarching gatekeepers and tasters – most of whom are black – will be the first to realize is great.”

“Blacks already love country music,” Edwards continues. “Kacey Musgraves and Chris Stapleton, [black people] love them no matter the genre, because we know that their music – with its strings of R&B, gospel and soul that is evident in it – is some of the best music out there. That is the flawless standard I am approaching. “

“I wish I could make my music reach the masses without anyone knowing who I am,” says the fiercely private performer. However, she is a black female country artist with full awareness of the idea that she appears in a unique way both in the shadow and in the presence of artists such as Frankie Staton, Miko Marks, Rissi Palmer and Mickey Guyton.

In other news: Chris Stapleton is honored with a new Country Music Hall of Fame and museum exhibit

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Edwards is fearless in the face of this moment.

“Miko Marks told me I represent the first of a ‘new race’ of black female country artists in Nashville. That means I’m humble and unaware of the past. I know the place I currently occupy in country music. That’s why I’m grateful for this opportunity. ”

She sums it up with a concise, powerful statement when asked about her future.

“I’m not just a pretty face down with ‘Nashville pageantry’ making decent songs. That proof will be in the product. I’m a longtime Nashville career artist.”

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Is Chris Stapleton still married?

Chris Stapleton and his wife, Morgane Stapleton, have been married since 2007, and the couple have no problem mixing business with pleasure. In fact, Chris Morgane credits too much of his success. “Make no mistake, [Morgan’s hands are] always everywhere,” he told Rare Country in 2017.

What’s Chris Stapleton’s wife’s name? Read also : First person: discovering the taste and texture of music.

Is Chris Stapleton’s wife a doula?

According to People.com, Morgane had a “previous doula obligation” and will no longer appear. Instead, Miranda Lambert will take her place. “Due to her previous doula involvement, Morgane Stapleton will not be able to join Chris Stapleton on Bluebird as planned,” the ACM statement to PEOPLE said.

Is Chris Stapleton’s wife in Starting Over?

“Starting Over” is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton, released on August 28, 2020 as the main single from his fourth studio album of the same name, released on November 13, 2020. Read also : Outlaw Music Festival runs into Michigan. The song contains background vocals from Stapleton’s wife Morgane.

What kind of car does Chris Stapleton Drive?

Just as Stapleton drives around Paintsville in his own RAM 2500, talking to people and helping, the RAM brand invites the entire RAM community to share their stories on social media. Anyone can do it by posting on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #HaulItForward.

How much is Chris Stapleton worth in 2021? Chris Stapleton net worth: Chris Stapleton is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist with a net worth of $ 12 million.

What year is Chris Stapleton’s Jeep?

Enter Morgane Stapleton, Chris’ wife for almost eight years. Knowing that her husband could use a diversion, he bought a 1979 Jeep Cherokee online and suggested that they fly to Phoenix and drive it home again. “I’ve owned old vehicles before,” says Chris Stapleton. – I knew it was going to collapse.

What kind of jeep does Chris Stapleton have?

Chris Stapleton – Jeep Cherokee from 1979 Stapleton is a real country boy, and prefers Jeep Cherokee from 1979 over contemporary glamorous cars.

What cars does Chris Stapleton have?

Chris owns a very beautiful Red Range Rover, and a Chevrolet Impala. He also has a Mercedes Benz in the garage. Chris Stapleton enjoys driving alone.

What is the age difference between Chris Stapleton and his wife?

& quot; Congratulations on the day of the lady who always gets me back! & quot; wrote Stapleton on Twitter. The “Restart” singer, 43, included a black-and-white photo of Morgane, 38, giving him a hug from behind.

Is Chris Stapleton’s wife a doula? According to People.com, Morgane had a “previous doula obligation” and will no longer appear. Instead, Miranda Lambert will take her place. “Due to her previous doula involvement, Morgane Stapleton will not be able to join Chris Stapleton on Bluebird as planned,” the ACM statement to PEOPLE said.

Are Chris Stapleton and his wife still together?

The couple bonded in October 2007, four years after meeting as songwriters in Nashville. As she celebrated their 14th anniversary in October 2021, Morgane noticed how much her life had changed since Chris became a part of it. â € œ14 years today.