We may only be halfway through 2019 but we’re already dubbing it Stephanie Quayle’s year. So far, she has been inducted into CMT’s Next Women of Country Class of 2019, she made her Grand Ole Opry debut, and Quayle’s latest single ‘If I Was a Cowboy’ was a Top 10 Most Added song at Country radio (Mediabase) in its first week – not a bad start. The aforementioned single gives fans a first taste of what’s to come on Quayle’s forthcoming EP, set to be released this fall. We can bet that her new project will catapult Quayle’s career to new heights.
‘If I Was a Cowboy’ was written by Nicolle Galyon, Shane McAnally, and Ross Copperman, but when Quayle first heard the song she thought it could have been written about her life. It was the perfect fit, “like putting on the perfect pair of jeans, you never want to take them off,” she described. The title alone, Stephanie said, is what first drew her to the song, “I grew up in Montana with the cowboy state of mind.” Beneath the surface, the lyrics describe raw, real emotions with vibrant imagery. It’s top-notch writing, but we would expect nothing less from a group of writers who are no strangers to the GRAMMY awards. “They are three of the top songwriters of our time,” Stephanie gushed, adding how incredible it feels to be trusted to bring their words to life.
Stephanie has also given life to this song through the music video, which recently premiered on CMT. The video gave Quayle an opportunity to strengthen her personal connection to the song as it was shot on her ranch in Montana. “It was really cool to be able to bring it home and be able to share where I grew up,” Stephanie said, but went on to explain that it wasn’t the original plan. She had worked with producer Jeff Johnson on multiple projects and they had always talked about shooting a music video in Quayle’s hometown. “Jeff is a busy guy, and the weather in Montana is tricky,” she said. So the shoot was planned for Las Vegas instead. “Two weeks prior I was in the area for a show and Montana just put on the most incredible performance… beautiful sunrises and sunsets,” Stephanie described. With a gut feeling that her home wouldn’t let them down, she called Jeff and insisted they relocate the shoot. However, the original cast resided in Nevada, so Stephanie was quick to make some calls. “My husband is in the video, my cousins, family friends…” the list goes on. The folks in Quayle’s community pulled through making this video even more special.
‘If I Was a Cowboy’ has “set the sonic stage” for the rest of the EP. Quayle can best describe her sound as a mixture of western country meets modern traditional. “I came alive in the studio when recording ‘If I Was a Cowboy.’ The baritone guitar sound, when I hear it, I feel like I’m in Montana,” she said. That feeling is what fueled the direction for the rest of the project. Her EP shares a name with the lead single and will feature five tracks, three of which were cowritten by Quayle. In choosing what made the cut, Stephanie consistently returned to the thought, “if you take all the bells and whistles away, does the song matter? Will I still want to sing it in 30 years?” While her sound has been an evolution, fans can expect 100% authenticity on this project.
If you’re anxious to hear more from Quayle, your best bet is to catch a show as she will “absolutely” be playing her new music for fans this summer. “I work for the fans. My job is to make sure I create music that makes them feel good, feel something, where they can escape,” Stephanie said. It’s fun for her to “test out” the songs and see which ones listeners gravitate towards. So you can definitely plan on hearing some new music at her upcoming show at Six String Grill & Stage in Foxboro, MA this Thursday, July 11th. Stephanie is looking forward to returning to the area to play the new venue. “I’m excited to see what they’ve done to the place!” she said, adding that she can’t wait to see her incredible fans from the Boston area. We also have three chances for you to meet Stephanie at the pre-show VIP meet and greet and acoustic performance – head to our social media pages to enter!
Tickets for Thursday’s show are available online here:
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