Questions:

1.     Hi Brooke, can you tell me a little bit about yourself, before you became country music?

2.     How did you get into country music and how did you know you wanted a career in it?

3.     Who are some of your musical icons?

4.     What is the story behind your latest single “Whiskey Wednesday?”

5.     If you could sing a duet with a famous singer or group who would it be and why?

6.     Is there anything new coming up with your music for the rest of 2017?

7.     What is one accomplishment that you are most proud of so far that has happened in your music career?

8.     Where do you see yourself in the next 5 to 10 years with your music career>

9.     What is one of your favorite quotes?

Answers:

1.  If you ask my mom, she swears I would “sing” even as a baby – she can’t remember a time that I wasn’t singing.  I started out in my school choir and would get solo’s here and there.  There aren’t really any singers or musicians in my family, so I didn’t have a model or mentor growing up, and for a while I wasn’t sure how to advance my career.  When I was in high school, I was watching an episode of VH1 “Behind the Music” on Faith Hill that inspired me – in one of her interviews, Faith said when she was younger she competed in the local Miss Tennessee competitions – not for the crown, but for the talent award.  Faith has always been an idol to me, so I followed in her footsteps.  I went to college in Memphis, TN and competed for the title of Miss Memphis and eventually won and went on to compete in Miss Tennessee.  I didn’t win Miss Tennessee, but I gained incredible experience and for me, it was really about the opportunities and exposure I gained singing.  After graduating college,I returned to Maryland where I competed and won the title of Miss Maryland and went on to compete in the Miss America Competition on national television.  That year I had the opportunity to sing at some incredible events, it was life changing. It gave me the confidence to truly pursue music.

2. Growing up in Maryland, country music wasn’t always the “cool” thing to listen to, but I didn’t care! I grew up loving 90s country females like Martina McBride, Leanne Womack, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Deana Carter and Faith Hill.  I started listening originally because my brother loved country music and he was my ride to school – so he controlled the radio!  At first I didn’t have a choice, but eventually I came to love it.  And interestingly, the tone and quality of my voice lends itself to country- I could sing any pop song but the way I sing it, it just naturally comes out as a country song.

3. I mentioned Faith Hill above.  Something really magical happened with my release of Whiskey Wednesday – I created artwork for the single release based on my own style and what I felt like best exuded “me”.  The night before Whiskey Wednesday was to go live on all platforms, I was listening to the “Feminist Friday” Spotify Playlist when Faith Hill’s “Wild One” came on.  I looked down at my phone and was surprised to find that the album artwork for Wild One was almost the exact same as my artwork for Whiskey Wednesday.  What’s even more serendipitous is that Wild One was the first single off her debut album (like WW for me!), which eventually reached number 1 on country music charts (see attached photos).  At that moment, I felt like it was a sign that I was on the right track.  It was so fitting that my gut instinct was to choose artwork that exuded who I am as an artist and yet it was also symbolic of the influence Faith had on me as an artist.

4. I decided there are enough sad country songs in the world and that it’s time for something that is fun to sing along to and doesn’t take itself too seriously! Yes, it was inspired by a breakup- but it’s meant to be the opposite of a breakup song. It’s about making light of another relationship gone wrong.  My hope is that it gives single girls everywhere something fun to get ready to, something that inspires them to put on their heels, apply their lipstick and go out and have fun.

5. Faith, obviously 🙂

6. YES! On Friday, July 14th my EP “First Rodeo” will be released everywhere.  Whiskey Wednesday was the first single off the EP and the rest of the songs will be available starting the 14th.  This is a huge moment for me, not only because it’s my first release, but also because its a project that started a year ago with a fundly campaign, jokingly titled the “Help Me Im Brooke” campaign.  I raised $7,000 which allowed me to record 4 songs and two music videos.  It was an incredible learning experience, and i’ve done everything by myself up until this point.  I can’t believe the songs will finally be available to the world!

7. Honestly, this EP is it.  I have truly done everything myself from marketing and branding to writing treatments for my music videos and designing my own shoes.  There were times when it was overwhelming, and honestly, I don’t always know what the heck to do next (at one point I actually asked Siri, “Hey Siri, how do you release an EP?”  !!! Ha).  But what i’ve learned is that it’s important to trust the universe and God, and to just take one step in front of the other and the rest will fall into place.

8.  In the next 5-10 years I see myself headlining a national tour, standing on an arena stage, singing one of my favorite and most uplifting songs I’ve ever written called “Tower of Hope” to an audience of 20,000.  This song wasn’t able to make the cut for this EP, but I plan to record it this year and release it next.

9. “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” – MLK.  I love this quote because i’ve held tight to it through this whole process, especially in the moments when i’ve felt in over my head or like “I can’t.” I remind myself that all I need to do is take the next step, even when I can’t see the whole staircase.