On his song “The Moon Over Georgia,” he said, “It was an absolute honor to be able to record and put a little modern twist on such a great song. It was written by Mark Narmore and recorded by Shenandoah, both well respected and successful in the industry. I feel like this song sets the tone for my music.”
Regarding his plans for 2020, he said, “I am planning on releasing one song a month for the rest of this year and write with more writers here in Nashville. I plan on releasing a physical CD and book more shows this year and get out there in front of the fans.”
When asked about his music and songwriting inspirations, he said, “My inspirations for writing and performing music is storytelling. I use life experiences from myself as well as others to write songs. When I write a song, my goal is to captivate and draw my followers into the story so they can feel it like I do.”
On being an artist in the digital age, he said, “Well I’m 16, so digital media is what I know. I feel pretty lucky to be an artist in this era. I am able to entertain my followers and listeners through all the social media platforms with videos and other media. I feel music is becoming a social experience. I am on all platforms Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and of course Spotify, Apple, and Amazon music. I am able to interact one on one with my fans and build that relationship. Our fanbase as artists is what is going to make us successful. I personally try to respond to my fans as much as I am able to.”
He listed Carrie Underwood and Gabby Barrett as his dream female collaboration partners. “I have been a fan of both of them since they entered the music industry. Their vocals and music are amazing,” he said.
For young and aspiring musicians, he said, “Know who you are as an artist and work as hard as you can. Find your tribe and your team and the people that believe in you and support you. Work really hard, because this is a tough business to break into.”
Payne concluded about “The Moon Over Georgia,” “Growing up as a younger child my parents and family introduced me to all genres and many eras of music. Most of which was before I was born. One of my favorite country bands from that time was Shenandoah. ‘The Moon over Georgia’ was my favorite single they released followed by, I would have to say ‘Two Dozen Roses.’ ‘The Moon over Georgia’ is a song that I could relate to and feel, and being from Macon, Georgia, it was a perfect song to introduce myself to the fans.”
To learn more about Ethan Payne and his music, check out his official Facebook page.
