The Bobby Bones Show - Takin A Walk to The Ryman Auditorium with Nashville Singer/Songwriter Sarah Harralson: Step by Step building a future.

Episode Date: April 11, 2023

A Bonus Friday Episode: Sarah Harralson joins Takin A Walk talking about her new project "Blue Ribbon" and about the path she is taking to craft a successful musical story.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. It's Financial Literacy Month, and the podcast, Eating While Broke, is bringing real conversations about money, growth, and building your future.

This month, hear from top streamer, Zoe Spencer, and venture capitalist Lakeisha Landrum-Pierre, as they share their journeys from starting out to leveling up. There's an economic component

to communities thriving. If there's not enough money and entrepreneurship happening in communities, they fail. Listen to Eating While Broke from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey there, folks. Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes here. And we know there is a lot of news coming at you these days from the war with Iran to the ongoing Epstein fallout, government shutdowns, high-profile trials. And what the hell is that Blake lively thing about anyway? We are on it every day, all day. Follow us, Amy and T.J. for news updates throughout the day. Listen to Amy and TJ on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

On a recent episode of the podcast Money and Wealth with John Hobriant, I sit down with Tiffany the budgetista Aliche to talk about what it really takes to take control of your money. What would that look like in our families if everyone was able to pass on wealth to the people when they're no longer here? We break down budgeting, financial discipline, and how to build real wealth, starting with the mindset shifts too many of. of us were never, ever taught. If you've ever felt you didn't get the memo on money, this conversation is for you to hear more. Listen to Money and Wealth with John Hope Bryant from the Black Effect Network on the I'd Heart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us. From I Heart Podcast, Saigon. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? One city, a divine. country and the war that tore America apart. This is for Vietnam.

They're pouring patril all over here. Freedom for Vietnam! There's a fire coming to this country and it's going to burn out everything. Listen to Saigon on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Buzz Night, the host of Taking a Walk, music history on foot. Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And on this bonus Friday episode of Taking a Walk, we are here in Nashville, Music City, Tennessee, a town filled with musicians, of all types, with a story to tell.

Sarah Harrelson is our guest. She's a Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and producer, and she has a new project out called Blue Ribbon. And we're going to take a walk to the legendary Rhyman Auditorium, where one day, I hope, Sarah Harrelson will be playing to a sold-out crowd. Well, Sarah Harrelson's so happy that we're taking a walk right near the Riemann. Yes. This is exciting because the way I think about it is you're going to be playing the Riemann in the very near future. And I could say I had you on an episode of Taking a Walk.

Yes, let's hope for the Riemann and the Opry. All right. It's there. So tell me, first of all, the current state of... work that you're up to. I know you've had some new releases as a singer-songwriter, artist. So tell us what's going on with that. Yeah, so I just released a new single called Blue Ribbon on March 1st. March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. And I released the single in honor of my mother who recently passed away from colon cancer. She bought it for five and a half years. So the song's in honor of her and I just want to bring awareness to the

cancer it's one of the leading cancers right now and I think people just need to be more aware of it more aware of screenings for it so it's just a way to bring awareness this month and also help people that are going through that cancer that's so great and I know that we talked about this your mom before she passed was certainly able to you know about your performances and your work and That must be special that she's aware of what you're up to. Absolutely, and I wanted to finish recording Blue Ribbon last year. I knew she had little time left, and I just wanted her to be able to hear it while she was still around,

and she did, and I'm so grateful that she did. So tell me about the work that has to go into being a singer-songwriter, creator, a creator in Nashville, incredibly competitive at a time certainly where you know music is certainly you know always important and critical in a force but that nothing about it is easy yeah nothing about it is easy and especially as an independent artist you're taking out so many hats you're doing so many things out once as a songwriter as an artist if you're doing your own booking your own promotion recording I do a lot of production work my and do a lot of vocal services too just to keep my own music afloat.

So, I mean, even if you're assigned artists, it's nonstop busy once you're releasing one single, you're going to the next, you're already recording your next album, EP single. But this community is a welcoming community in terms of what creators like yourself are up to, right? Yes, definitely. I've been here almost 10 years now, and it's something. now and it's still a welcoming community no matter who I meet compared to places like LA everyone just kind of brings you in with open arms and even if you're new to town now people are willing to write with you mentor you so it's great to see that as Nashville is growing it's still such a welcoming community so when did you know you were

hooked on being a musician from an early age songwriting was a way for me as a child to express my emotions when I felt like I couldn't express it at all. It was definitely a therapy for me. At a very young age, my granddad was a bluegrass musician, so he definitely influenced me getting into music, I learned piano at 14 and taught myself guitar in high school, and I knew I wanted to move from Knoxville to come to Nashville. Was Knoxville a, you know, very compelling music community? Not obviously, you know, as much as Nashville, but is that a strong music community? Yeah, I would say like a smaller music community, but there's still a good amount of bluegrass and country musicians.

And I think that's why I fell in love with country music growing up in Knoxville and just the storytelling aspect of it too. So even though it has like a smaller Appalachian music community, it's still very welcoming there too. Think of some of the first music that you heard. Who are some of those artists that you heard maybe from your grandfather or from other aspects of being around there? Yeah, so I grew up around a lot of different music. My dad was always listening to country, playing me, the likes of Brad Paisley. Dixie Chicks and my mom would listen to pop and rock and I listened to a lot of Elton John growing up with her and then my granddad of course played a lot of bluegrass and even

polka music since he played accordion so I was around a lot and I definitely fell in love with artists such as like Joel and Alonis Morse said and the Dixie Chicks and I just loved kind of country folk music and the story. storytelling aspect of that. And as your work has evolved today, where do some of your other influences come from? Yeah, so even though my main genre is country, I have a lot of sub-genres and my music, as many artists do now, especially pop. You know, I grew up around a lot of pop growing up.

Even just listening to modern pop, I like to incorporate. I like to incorporate some of that into my music sometimes. And I love rock too. So it depends on what kind of song I'm writing, but on my next project, people will hear a lot of that sub-genres. I even recorded a bluegrass song recently. So my next project really encompasses everything that I grew up listening to. And do you still get nervous when you play live?

Sometimes, definitely not as much as I used to when I started here in Nashville. It's more refreshing, I think, when I get on stage now. But if I'm playing a new stage, a bigger stage, or a different audience, I still get that nervous feeling. But once the first song starts, I just kind of fall in love with it. I love that. Fall in love with it, for sure. like God. And when you think about the artists that you collaborate with, is the sharing enough where you can be open to each other in terms of learning new things or really just trying

to be completely honest? How do you build a chemistry in a session? Yeah, sometimes it's strange when you're in a co-writing session with another artist or writer and maybe it's someone you haven't met before. And there's just the assumption that you're going to open up to this stranger that you've never met before in a writing session. And it gets easier as you get to know a writer. But it always just kind of feels like a first date and a little bit awkward that first time you're riding with someone because it's like a therapy session and you're being very

vulnerable about your life. So it always kind of has a nerve. feeling writing with someone for the first time. But at the end, it feels like you've known them for a while once you have this work of art that has so much emotion and feeling to it. And you have another vantage point to your career in terms of the work that you do for Warner Music. Can you talk about that? Yeah, so it's kind of different for me as an artist and songwriter because I've also I was supporting myself working on the business side of the industry, working in artist royalties.

I worked in music licensing too. So I definitely have a lot of knowledge about the business side of the industry that a lot of artists and songwriters don't already have. So in a sense, it's been so helpful to have all this knowledge to help my own career. So from your knowledge and vantage point with that side, of your career, what advice would you give to musicians as far as the business side that you've been exposed to? I would say definitely educate yourself. Whether you're an independent artist or a sign artist or writer, get to know the business side of the industry. It's so helpful now to learn about royalties, to educate yourself, making sure you're getting paid, knowing what contracts you're getting into as well, because it'll help you in the long run.

And lastly, as someone who's working toward your goals of building audience and building your career, to that artist that's listening to this that maybe is questioning their mission. I'm sure we've all been there questioning missions. What advice would you give to those artists? Yeah, we actually talked about this earlier, about not comparing yourself to others, and that's something I've always had to remind myself is it'll always get you down when you're comparing yourself to another artist or writer.

Just be true to yourself, true to your craft and your art, and that'll help you in the long run. And just always put out music that you like. If you're putting out something that the label wants you too that you don't like, who knows if that'll get you anywhere, but at the end it should be something that you love that's going out into the universe. Beautiful set.

I want to wish you well on your mission. We're standing in front of the Rhyman. I expect to see you on this stage in the near future. I don't want to put too much pressure on you. I'm just giving you all my good wishes. And thank you for taking a walk with me. Thank you so much. Taking a walk with Buzz Night is available on Spotify, Apple Podcast.

or wherever you get your podcasts. It's Financial Literacy Month, and the podcast Eating While Broke is bringing real conversations about money, growth, and building your future. This month, hear from top streamer, Zoe Spencer, and venture capitalist Lakeisha Landrum-Pierre, as they share their journeys

from starting out to leveling up. There's an economic component to communities thriving. If there's not enough money and entrepreneurship happening in communities, they failed. Listen to Eating While Broke, from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hey there, folks, Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes here. And we know there is a lot of news coming at you these days from the war with Iran to the ongoing Epstein fallout, government shutdowns, high-profile trials, and what the hell is that Blake lively thing about anyway? We are on it every day, all day. Follow us, Amy and T.J. for news updates throughout the day. Listen to Amy and T.J. on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us. From IHeart Podcasts, Saigon.

You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart. This is for Vietnam. They're pouring patrol all over here. Freedom for Vietnam! There's a fire coming to this country and it's going to burn out everything. Listen to Saigon on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On a recent episode of the podcast Money and Wealth with John Hobriant, I sit down with Tiffany the budgetista Aliche to talk about what it really takes to take control of your money.

What would that look like in our families if everyone was able to pass on wealth to the people when they're no longer here? We break down budgeting, financial discipline, and how to build real wealth, starting with the mindset shifts too many. of us were never, ever taught. If you've ever felt you didn't get the memo on money, this conversation is for you to hear more. Listen to Money and Wealth with John Hope Bryant from the Black Effect Network on the I'd Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.