Nashville’s newest songstress, Onoleigh, chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about her new music.
The Illinois native’s latest release “Beautifully Broken” will release to all streaming platforms on Friday, February 18.
After moving to Nashville you immediately started paying your dues singing at Broadway honky-tonks playing legendary venues including Tootsie’s and Kid Rocks. What was your favorite thing you learned about yourself as a performer during that time?
I think my favorite thing was seeing people from all over the world come to Broadway in the common pursuit of a good time. I believe escapism is its own form of therapy, and I was happy to facilitate it!
Realizing you’re helping people cope with the day-to-day struggles of life is equal parts humbling and encouraging and really keeps me doing it night after night.
When I first started performing, I thought it was about showing people what I could do. However, after playing on Broadway and realizing what music could do, my reason for performing shifted to helping facilitate that beautiful escapism for the audience that is a live music show.
Your very first single, Ghost Stories was spotlighted on CMT.com shortly after premiering. Walk us through the unforgettable, first experience of finding out you would be featured amongst the headliners.
It’s not lost on me how important it is in country music to be accepted by the community as it is very much a relationship-driven industry. So, to have a song spotlighted by CMT was an honor. I hope they continue to support my music and allow me to be a part of this Nashville community.
You have opened for country superstars Jordan Davis, Tyler Rich, Joe Nichols, and Rodney Atkins. Explain the differences between a show you are headlining and a show where you are opening for someone else. Which do you prefer and why?
When you open for someone else, there is a strong potential that most of the audience doesn’t know who you are. You are essentially on a first date, so there is a lot more pressure, but if you crush it, there’s a beautiful buzz. When it’s your show, the audience knows you and likes your music enough to buy tickets so it’s your responsibility to make sure they have a good time.
Your upcoming single, Beautifully Broken releases to streaming platforms on February 18. You are quoted saying Beautifully Broken is a song about the mistrials of love and all you experience on the road to “getting it right.” What does “getting it right” mean to you? Are there “rights” and “wrongs” in love?
Getting it right is a gut feeling. You know when you feel valued and heard in a relationship or not. It can be tempting to stay in a relationship that’s comfortable even when you’re not valued or heard. This song is about how all the wrong turns lead you to the right person and you’ve grown enough to appreciate it.
After releasing Beautifully Broken to your audience, what comes next? What do the next twelve months look like in Nashville for you as an independent, female artist?
I started working with a new co-writer and producer, Jonathan Wyndham, and we’ve written a whole new record and are about three-quarters of the way through producing it. I’m so excited for the world to hear that music and for where it takes me. It takes a village in this town to break through, and it all starts with the music. I don’t know exactly what the next year holds but I know the music is great and that’s the best start I can have.
If you could cut a duet with any current artist, who would that be and why?
When thinking about this, three names come to mind because of their artistry and vocal tones: Brad Paisley, Ryan Kinder, and Caylee Hammack.
“Beautifully Broken” is available for pre-order by clicking here.
