Rising Country Artist Onoleigh

Announcer:

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 Taking a walk

Onoleigh:

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 You have to figure out a way to really know what you have to say how you want to say it and ultimately like I said just be unapologetic about it Um And consistent I would argue consistency is the most important as well No matter who you are what you are just be there and show up every single time Welcome

Announcer:

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 to the Take a Walk podcast hosted by Buzz Knight We explore musicians who are Hall of Famers, and we love discovering new artists as well.

Announcer:

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 Today Buzz speaks with a new artist who combines Americana country and rock roots to her own original style Anna Lee was lauded as an artist to watch by music connection and is releasing new music co-written by John Oates of Hall and Oates Fame

Announcer:

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 Let us join Buzz next with Annalee on taking a walk.

Buzz Knight:

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 Well Anna Le thanks for being on the uh taking a walk podcast Appreciate it.

Onoleigh:

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 Absolutely Thank you so much for having me I am.

Buzz Knight:

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 excited It is a virtual edition Um But um nonetheless we are together So when were you first inspired by music.

Onoleigh:

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 Oh my gosh I gotta be honest This has been just kind of a lifetime you know accumulation of things that are kind of pinpointed to what I am doing now.

 But early on I mean I was always singing and dancing and kind of performing for the family if you will Um And then it wasn’t really till middle school did I kind of enroll in band and do the chorus thing and kind of go that route Um And then high school I was I was given a really cool opportunity to be um a drum major the conductor in our marching band Um And music kind of started shifting me in ways that I didn’t know I was really starting to love that I was in soccer as well but the music really took over and then

Onoleigh:

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 um just kind of moving forward you know college I had a couple of musical experiences and um it wasn’t until I really set into you know thinking about what I really wanted to do with the rest of my life Did I say all of these crazy random points in the past kind of created this beautiful constellation that I’m like I gotta follow music Now It’s where my heart and soul is so started very early but it really randomly kind of found me and now here we are I have no complaints

Buzz Knight:

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 So

Buzz Knight:

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 and your music is fueled by a lot of different influences Uh I sense there is an Americana uh piece there’s sort of rootsy rock there’s country um talk about the influences that really shaped you musically.

Onoleigh:

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 Yeah I mean I grew up in a tiny cornfield surround the town in Illinois Um and so out there I mean you just listen to so many different forms of media and I didn’t really know what I was listening to or why I just knew that I liked it And so I try even when I’m creating now I’m not very good at you know conforming to a box or you know putting myself kind of in this is the type of music that I play it just feels good

Onoleigh:

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 Um So really just a lot of a lot of what I do and how I’m doing it now It’s just um it speaks well to me and it’s what I probably listen to a little bit growing up My influence is very much were like Fleetwood Mac Adele Um Oh man a lot of pop honestly growing up because that’s kind of what we knew And then of course Cherry Underwood Huge Carrie Underwood fan those big notes um things like that So it’s really just you know um just a bunch of things that have kind of come together and uh we’re seeing what it looks like now But yeah

Buzz Knight:

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 I sense some Eagles also were an influence.

Onoleigh:

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 Yes, how do you know the harmonies all that stuff Super much Yeah.

Buzz Knight:

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 And um first concert experience What was that for you.

Onoleigh:

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 So, um I want to say I want to say my first concert was 2015 I saw Sam Smith in Chicago Um This is when he was just really into the balance, and you know all the beautiful stuff I was a big fan of

Onoleigh:

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 um and me and one of my best friends weren’t it was it was also my parents drove us So that was a really cool concert experience And since then I mean living in Nashville there’s concerts literally every night of the week So I try very much to really bop around and learn from the best But um yeah it definitely started kind of kind of then So

Buzz Knight:

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 and uh some neat venues in Nashville for sure Um What are some of the places that you are playing at these days.

Onoleigh:

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 So, where I am playing Ok The coolest one that I played recently I will be honest was um the Country Music Hall of Fame the C ma theater.

Onoleigh:

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 y’all Ok The acoustics in that room are already insane I mean if you’ve ever been in there I hadn’t before I played So you walk in you’re on this like you know round stage whatever and it I mean it just goes up and up and up There’s so many stories so many balconies Um And yeah it was it was very full very cool I opened for uh the one and only John Notes from Holland Notes Um He’s got kind of a solo thing going on right now Um And he had me open for him So it was a really great experience and again just being in such an iconic venue um

Onoleigh:

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 I sang a Patsy Cline song along with my original stuff because I was like if I am at the C MA theater like we got to do some, Patsy Cline So it was a cool night overall and one of my favorites that I’ve that I have played in Nashville.

Buzz Knight:

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 Have you played the Bluebird?

Onoleigh:

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 I have I have played the Bluebird You’re right That was a couple That was actually right before the pandemic happened which I was super lucky We were one of the last rounds before they took like the in the round out Um And then I think recently they just added it back in but that was also phenomenal just having like audience members looking over your shoulders and like looking at all your set notes and you’re singing I mean it’s you’re really in the middle there you know So it was it was a really cool experience as well Yeah

Buzz Knight:

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 Well, I am going to uh not let you uh get away with talking about um John Oates and how you and he met and then ultimately how you collaborated So how did that happen?

Onoleigh:

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 Yes So like during the pandemic um obviously everything was super virtual Um And he was like I want you to I want to introduce you this writer Nathan Chapman which for those of you listening and watching Nathan Chapman is like one of the huge reasons why Taylor Swift is who she is He wrote on the first two albums like really

Onoleigh:

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 created all of that stuff Um So he connected us, and we actually virtually wrote Walls which is um song that’s coming out actually before the end of the year I believe November 29th is the date we just set Um But we wrote this song we started on Zoom and Zoom crashed because everyone was writing on Zoom

Onoleigh:

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 And then um we moved over to Google Meet, and we finished the song So that was really my first like writing experience with John and then after that again during the pandemic we are all just kind of writing and doing our thing.

Onoleigh:

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 and I was sitting out on my patio one day and I had this idea for you know I was like sunshine and lemonade That’s that reminds you of better days you know yada texted him and he came up with this really cool melody Um So he was asked to put together I guess a musical thing for this movie called Gringa that just came out this past year and just

Onoleigh:

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 the song was actually selected for like my first movie Sync and things like that Um So John was huge in that piece as well So we wrote a song got that in there It’s called Sunshine Lemonade So pretty much John has been a very cool mentor moving along the way you know and just kind of showing me the ropes but let me do it myself at the same time He’s just he’s iconic I mean he truly is a legend Um So it’s been it’s been an honor but that is genuinely the connections and how we’ve been doing it And then uh

Onoleigh:

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 yes, recently had me open for him and hopefully we will do a few more shows coming up too, So I am so excited but yes.

Buzz Knight:

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 that is sensational big fan of uh certainly his work and Hall and Oates work uh overall and uh that’s so exciting, so um walls come at um this important topic of you know sort of

Buzz Knight:

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 music and um you know mental health really Um And um you are going to be on the other podcast that we produce uh which has called Music Save Me Um So tell folks why.

Buzz Knight:

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 the song walls you think is an important uh song in in these days.

Onoleigh:

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 Oh absolutely.

Onoleigh:

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 So for those of you listening as well kind of some background on it Um I went to the University of Missouri and I got my degree in social work Um I was actually a middle school guidance counselor and um I was working very closely with a lot of students telling them to pursue what scares them the most I wasn’t doing that for myself And so I dropped everything moved to Nashville the hopes to live by example Right And um I realized in that situation that if your cup is not full you can pour in anybody else’s And so songwriting for me is a way that I can

Onoleigh:

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 keep my cup full and also pour into others So with that in mind walls um walls is written about um just I was in my childhood bedroom for the very first time since the pandemic began and I’m looking around and uh full disclosure high school is extremely hard for me And a huge reason why I became a guidance counselor because I was like I want to make sure students never feel as alone as I felt I’m struggling with depression struggling with anxiety things like that very much what I struggle with on a daily basis still it’s a you know it’s a fight

Onoleigh:

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 Um But walls is genuinely about looking at those walls that watched you grow up your childhood bedroom And it was saying if you could get me through this really tough time in my life like you can get me through this pandemic you can get me through when the world literally you know everything shuts down everything goes through Um So it’s really just a conversation with the most personal piece of your life You know these walls like who are you when no one’s watching who are you When no one’s present you’re just complete self-right

Onoleigh:

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 Um And so it’s a very vulnerable song and to answer your question the importance of something like that I think I think we only know who we truly are when doors are closed right And like when there’s no other chaos and no other anything And so I think that strip down honesty with yourself is very important And that’s actually the answer to betterment is when you’re just very honest with who you are and who you want to become truly Um So I hope that this song genuinely provides like solace and comfort for a lot of people And um

Onoleigh:

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 it sure as heck does for me So that’s kind of kind of the overview I guess answer to your question is mental health is extremely important to talk about Uh I think taking the stigma away that it’s something to be ashamed of Um I would argue a lot more people you know that we all look up to on a daily basis feel it and are struggling with it It’s just it’s hard to talk about you know Um So

Onoleigh:

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 That is really the long answer to all of that, but it is extremely important to sing about and to really share.

Buzz Knight:

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 we have had jelly roll on this podcast and on Music Save Me And um he talks about certainly uh the empathetic nature of his music uh which you also um share that quality with your music the empathetic nature.

Buzz Knight:

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 uh of music Do you believe there is a movement towards musicians and particularly musicians in Nashville for really uh writing and creating music with some empathy.

Onoleigh:

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 Absolutely And I would argue too I mean I used to think sympathy empathy they were all kind of the same thing but from my understanding you know empathy is feeling with somebody sympathy is feeling for them and there is one of those things when writing from a very empathetic standpoint.

Onoleigh:

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 um you’re really getting in the gritty with people you know you’re like I feel this with you Um And I think when you write from that type of standpoint and jelly roll does a very great job about this as well is he’s feeling with the people going through it He obviously has been through some things you know and he’s very open about it his struggle

Onoleigh:

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 with it and how it’s a continuing struggle you know it never really ends you just learn the tools how to be better And I think if more you know people really do write about it I mean I think music is therapy in a sense which is ultimately why I still argue that I use my social work degree on a daily basis you know

Onoleigh:

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 Um but I do think that there’s this movement coming through and artists really showing that platform that it’s OK to feel And even when you’ve got quote everything you know jelly roll all these people you still struggle like the human emotion is real pain demands to be felt Um And I think shedding light on that is extremely important for everyone listening and again it’s just the human experience you know so definitely

Buzz Knight:

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 and another one of your songs Tight Rope is really about life balance and the importance of that Talk about that.

Onoleigh:

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 Yeah So that song actually comes out tomorrow and um my co-writer Kenny Foster phenomenal guy Um I was going through it a couple of years ago um as it just never ends truly but I walked into this go right Um And I was telling him kind of where I was at in life and you know I was trying to come up with these concepts these ideas that were a little happier than I felt

Onoleigh:

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 He kind of stopped me and he was like hey is this a song you want to write or a song you need to write You know when I really came up with this and it changed the way I look at songwriting I said oh my gosh I gotta stop trying to fit the mold of what people want to hear and really just saying like this is this is where I’m at I needed to write that song So tight rope

Onoleigh:

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 it is very much about balancing the complexities of life right Life death comfort regret you know all these things and when you’re chasing a dream or you’re chasing something bigger than yourself or sometimes just surviving and that’s an accomplishment in itself Um You know it’s hard to keep that balance It’s hard to stay on that tight rope especially when there’s so much unknown So tight rope is really just this metaphorical song about life and keeping balance and feeling it all and

Onoleigh:

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 um ultimately pursuing something bigger than yourself So it’s uh it was one of those first songs that I really wrote for me and I sang it out quite a few times and I had great response on it and I realized man I gotta put this song out Um So it’s been a journey but here we are

Buzz Knight:

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 Well lastly you mentioned Nathan uh Chapman and your work with Nathan and obviously then his connection with Taylor Swift So I cannot help Uh But ask you as a uh a woman in Nashville and in the music scene Um What path has Taylor Swift helped folks like you forge.

Onoleigh:

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 This is a great question.

Taylor is just unapologetically herself and

Onoleigh:

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 that’s something that I’ve genuinely learned and struggle with on a daily basis on it Still just reminding myself that I have a voice and that what I have to say matters and Taylor is really articulate and great at that I would argue Dolly Parton she’s great at that share They’re all great at these women in the industry They know that you know what they have to say matters and they hold a lot of weight in what they say and I think there’s so much beauty in that and um

Onoleigh:

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 you know following something like that you must.

figure out a way to really know what you have to say how you want to say it And ultimately like I said just be unapologetic about it Um And consistent I would argue consistency is the most important as well Um No matter who you are what you are just be there and show up every single time Um But yeah Taylor is amazing and one of actually one of my best girlfriends she’s a huge Taylor Swift thing I

Onoleigh:

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 um and I recently um at the Country Music Hall of Fame show I had Paul Sidoti which is Taylor’s guitar player um playing with me that day too So it’s kind of been this crazy full circle A lot of Taylor Swift connections if you will um in my circle which has been very exciting knowing that

Onoleigh:

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 myself with some good people and they have nothing but great things to say about her But she’s also just a wonderful businesswoman and I think that’s another element too that I’m really trying to incorporate the Yes it is about the music But you know you got to get people to hear the music too and stick up for what you believe in And I think it’s um it’s been amazing really to watch somebody pave the way So I’m excited

Buzz Knight:

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 Honestly, congratulations and good luck with everything and uh thank you for being on our taking a walk.

Onoleigh:

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 Absolutely Thank you so much for having me

Announcer:

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 Thanks for listening to taking a walk share this podcast with your friends and listen for more episodes on the iHeart radio app Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Buzz Knight is an established media executive with a long history of content creation and multi-platform distribution.

After a successful career as a Radio Executive, he formed Buzz Knight Media which focuses on strategic guidance and the development of new original content.