Backstage Pass Radio
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Backstage Pass Radio
S7: E6: Payton Riley: Crafting Songs and Shaping Dreams
Date: September 18th, 2024
Name of podcast: Backstage Pass Radio
S7: E6: Payton Riley: Crafting Songs and Shaping Dreams
SHOW SUMMARY:
Do you ever wonder what sparks the journey of a young artist? Meet Payton Riley, the sensational singer-songwriter from Montgomery, Texas, whose musical odyssey began with voice lessons at just seven years old. Listen as Payton reminisces about her initial ventures into songwriting inspired by Bible verses, and the pivotal moments that steered her away from sports and fully into the embrace of music. Her heartfelt recollections of family trips filled with country tunes and her early focus on Christian music offer a tapestry of influences that shaped her unique sound.
Tune in to uncover Payton's songwriting secrets and inspirations. Despite not being a stellar English student, Payton finds her true voice in crafting songs from personal experiences and imaginative stories. You'll hear about her ambition to use music as a beacon of hope, manifesting in the heartfelt track "These Boots," where she likens her life's journey to a well-worn pair. Payton's dedication to her craft is evident as she recounts her American Idol audition experience, sharing the lessons learned and the encouraging feedback that fuels her drive to succeed.
Finally, this episode offers a glimpse into the exciting prospects for young artists like Payton. From a transformative music industry retreat to a bustling summer camp, the opportunities are endless. Payton also shares her aspirations, including winning major awards and gracing the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. With a sneak peek at upcoming projects, collaborations, and international plans, this conversation is a treasure trove of musical insights and future possibilities. Join us on Backstage Pass Radio for an inspiring episode filled with dreams, determination, and the vibrant spirit of a rising star.
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Your Host,
Randy Hulsey
I am joined by a young up-and-coming artist out of Montgomery, texas. This afternoon it's Randy Holsey with Backstage Pass Radio. This afternoon I get to sit down with a local singer-songwriter that is right down the street from me here in the Crystal Vision studio. She continues to pump out new songs and is becoming a familiar face in the local scene. You guys are going to love this one. So sit tight, tight and we'll chat with Texas Country Music Association Young Artist of the Year, peyton Riley. And we'll do that right after this.
Speaker 2:This is Backstage Pass Radio, the podcast that's designed for the music junkie with a thirst for musical knowledge. Hi, this is Adam Gordon, and I want to thank you all for joining us today. Make sure you like, subscribe and turn alerts on for this and all upcoming podcasts. And now here's your host of Backstage Pass Radio, randy Halsey.
Speaker 1:Peyton, hello, hi, how are you? Well, I'm great and the weather's beautiful today, so you had a nice drive in from Montgomery, right? It wasn't raining, which it's been doing every day for what seems like forever.
Speaker 4:I love the rain, but it was getting to be raining all the time.
Speaker 1:Yes, I know what you mean. Well, I'm glad that you came in and I'm glad that you guys are here, nice to meet mom. Mom is with you today. So I mentioned in the intro that you were Montgomery because I know you're up from that area, are you actually? Is it considered Conroe or Montgomery, or is it Montgomery County?
Speaker 4:So we're kind of like right in the middle, but we just consider it Montgomery.
Speaker 1:County. Okay, yes sir. Well, okay, so stop that right now. My dad's not here, okay, so yeah you can call me Randy. Well, it's my understanding that you started voice lessons at a really early age and I think something I read was seven years old. Talk to the listeners a little bit about starting so young and voice lessons.
Speaker 4:So ever since pretty much I could talk, I went around the house singing at the top of my lungs or what I thought was singing, and my mom, I guess, just kind of got tired of hearing my awful screeching sounds and I just did it all the time. So she wanted to put some of that energy into voice lessons and I think both of my parents thought that I would kind of not stay at it for very long because you know, little kids, they kind of change what they do as they get older Drift in and out of things.
Speaker 1:Yes, sir.
Speaker 4:But that's kind of the thing that I stuck with all the way until now. And so, yeah, I started at the age of seven with a voice kind of they did voice and they taught like different instruments but I just did voice there. They taught like different instruments but I just did voice there. That was like through my school and then, as I got to like the age of eight, I moved to a different voice coach and I'm still with her and her husband taught me how to play guitar.
Speaker 4:So it was kind of like a full circle. And then the girl that lived with them at the time. I wrote my first songs with her too, so it was just a really cool experience. Yes, sir.
Speaker 1:So most kids at that age are just getting into things like soccer and taekwondo and all of those things. So were you ever a sports kid, or were you always just gravitated to the music?
Speaker 4:So whenever I was younger that was more of my sister's thing not mine at all.
Speaker 1:She's the athlete right A hundred percent.
Speaker 4:She plays select. Not mine at all, she's the athlete right. Oh, 100%. She plays select softball, volleyball. She's amazing at sports, but definitely music and the arts has definitely always been my thing. I mean, yeah, my thing, yeah sure. And I've done on and off sports. I did track and I did basketball, but I mostly stuck with track. But definitely music is my thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So do you consider yourself fast or not so much? Oh, I mean, I consider myself how did you fare in competition?
Speaker 4:Oh, well through sixth and eighth grade. I was the best track athlete for the girls.
Speaker 1:Nice, yes, sir Well then I would say that you're pretty good then right, yes, sir, that's a fair assumption. So was singing kind of just a natural happening for you. Just one day you started singing and then you sang every day and then mom said you know, maybe there's something there let's put you in the voice lessons. Is that how it kind of came about?
Speaker 4:Yeah, definitely. I don't really remember it because I was very young whenever I started singing, but that's how I remember it happening.
Speaker 1:Okay, so you changed voice coaches at eight, but then you started writing songs by the age of nine. Talk to the listeners a little bit about the songwriting and how it all came about for you.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so I was in the fourth grade and I've grown up going to a Christian school my whole entire life, and this year I changed, going to homeschool just to have more time. But I remember in the fourth grade I had this spiral notebook and I would just write down bible verses and try to turn them into songs. And they weren't full songs, they were just like a verse and a chorus, but I would take that to my voice lessons every single time I would go, even though I wasn't writing songs, I would just carry that book around with me everywhere I went. And so the girl that was living with them at the time she was 19 and she was a songwriter she's amazing, I love her so much she saw my notebook and was like I want to work with her, and so that's how I started writing songs and I started doing Christian music.
Speaker 4:Okay, um, that's what I started off doing, but, like just growing up, we would go to the river and we'd always listen to country music, like that's what my parents listened to. So that was always I kind of did that on the side. But then, as I got older, I started doing more country music, and now it's kind of now recently it's more country rock, but I always still make sure to do the Christian music too.
Speaker 1:Okay, what do you think drew you to the writing? And that's kind of part one of the question. And then the other part of it is are you good in English? Is English a good subject for you? And I want to hear how you answer that, because I've asked that very question of some very talented songwriters and I'll share the answers that they gave me with you after you answer the question.
Speaker 4:Yeah, Well, songwriting I know. Like you know, as I said earlier, I started off really young, so it was just kind of a thing that I think my voice coach at the time was like, well, you should try writing songs, and that's just kind of how it started and I was just writing things down constantly and then, once I started writing with that girl, I just started writing more and more and then realized I could write with other people and I could write by myself, and so that's just kind of how I got started and I would get my ideas just from movies, that I would watch stories from my friends or just hearing conversations from people around me.
Speaker 4:And then for the second question if I'm good at English, I'm really not at all. If I'm good at English, I'm really not at all.
Speaker 1:I had a guy named Creed Fisher who was I guess the genre would be Texas outlaw country, right, and he's out of New Braunfels and he's probably written gosh, I don't know five, six, seven hundred songs. And I said so, were you like the English kid? Were you like good at writing papers? And I won't repeat what he said exactly, but the answer was no, like that was like the worst subject. And you would think, if you enjoy writing or you're a poetry person, English would be kind of like a second nature. But maybe it's not right at the end of the day, that's exactly what my mom says.
Speaker 1:She's like I just don't understand how you can't get this down like I don't either yeah, well, so you spoke a little bit about writing songs from you know, friends and movies and things like that. Would you say that most of your songs come from real world experience, or are most of them just kind of something you make up in your head? Because I think that a lot of artists go both ways, but then some gravitate to fiction or some gravitate to non-fiction, like kind of where do you write, where do you sit in that spectrum?
Speaker 4:I feel like every line in my song, like every, each individual line, has some truth and then some stuff that I have made up. So it really just depends. But some of my more recent songs I feel are more things that have happened in my life recently. Just because I'm getting older and I've been through more things and I'm in high school, so I'm dealing with boys and friends.
Speaker 4:And just I get to write about a lot of that kind of stuff. So it's starting to navigate more to more of my real life experiences and then when I haven't experienced something, I get them from, like TV shows or stories my mom has told me and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:Well, I think the cool thing about songwriting is that the songwriter paints a canvas for the listener and they can interpret the song however they want to. So it doesn't really matter if it's real people or not real people. They can make that song whatever they want it to be. And I think that most songwriters would say that's what I want you to do. I want you to feel the song the way that it makes you feel, and not so much about the way I felt when I wrote it. Would you kind of agree?
Speaker 4:Oh, yes, definitely I love writing songs because I love helping people get through times in their lives, because, kind of like, the thing that I want to have in my life is just to be a light for other people and help them get through hard times or just to help them feel the song, because that's what I'm doing it for is to help people.
Speaker 1:It's really interesting how, how song will somehow stick in your mind and you associate a song with a place in time or a date. Now, I myself am horrible with dates, but I can take. I can hear a certain song come on the radio and the first one that comes to mind is like Band on the Run by Paul McCartney and Wings. And I said I remember being in Anaheim, california, in 1978 when I first heard that song in an elevator in a hotel.
Speaker 1:How I remember that I have no idea, but it's an association thing, right, and would you say that you associate the same way?
Speaker 4:Yes definitely.
Speaker 1:Well, it's my understanding that you have a new song coming out in October that you will release as a single, so I was wondering if you might jump on the stool and play that for us. Yes, definitely Awesome stool and play that for us? Yes, definitely Awesome. So, peyton, before you get started, why don't you share the name of the song with us and then, when we come back, we'll talk a little bit more about the song.
Speaker 3:Okay, this is my song.
Speaker 3:These Boots, these boots are nice and dirty. They're not meant to be cleaned, they're meant to be worn With these old blue jeans. I got them at the boot barn Way back in Tennessee. These boots, they tell a story, a story about me. I wore them to a party the night I turned 15. I wore them to a concert dancing to Alkina. I wore them on a mountain to look up at the stars down in California, the night I broke his heart.
Speaker 3:These boots, these boots, have seen it. All these boots, I'll never take them off. These boots are blazed with fire, with red flames on their sides. They burn away my worries. I'm fiercer than a lion and when I'm on a big stage, I look up at the lights. I'm not afraid to be here, cause they walk me to the mic. These boots, afraid to be here, they walk me to the mic. These boots, these boots have seen it. All these boots, I'll never take them off and I can't wait to see the places I'll go. We'll stick together new adventures down these country roads, cause these boots, these boots have seen it. All these boots, I'll never take them off. These boots, these boots have seen it. All these boots.
Speaker 1:I'll never take more that was a song called these boots, due out october 4th. Is that date correct? Yes, sir, awesome. Well, where did the uh song get recorded at?
Speaker 4:So I recorded that song at Beard Recording Studios in Nashville Tennessee.
Speaker 1:Okay, so you went to Tennessee to do the recording Awesome, and how was the experience there?
Speaker 4:Oh, it was super fun. I love going to Tennessee to record just all the amazing artists there and then, whenever they're like like doing the tracks for your song, you'll be like so how long have you been playing? And they'll tell you and they're like yeah, I'm the drummer. I used to be the drummer for like Reba McEntire, or I was the bass player for five years for Miranda Lambert and I'm just like, oh my gosh, what. And they just say it like it's nothing and I'm just over here like fangirling, like oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:So it's just so cool being surrounded by so many talented people it's interesting that you say that I was out in Nashville doing an interview with a guy named Dave Rowe, who was the 11 year bass player for Cash and a buddy of mine, and I went to the Nashville Palace for lunch and there were two guys on stage and I remember telling my buddy, johnny. I said, oh my gosh, these guys sound amazing and their guitars are just so, like I said it earlier, they literally sounded like cannons on stage. They were just so full. And I got to talking to one of the guys after the show and his name was Sam Banks and I said hey, you know, I've got this podcast in out of Cypress Texas and I love your original stuff that you're doing.
Speaker 1:I was wondering if you'd come on and do a bit on the show and he's like, yeah, absolutely, he's like you should get my buddy, corey Hunt, who's on stage with me, to do one too. So I kind of lined both of those guys up and as I was kind of doing my homework, I realized that Sam had played for years with Craig Morgan and Corey Hunt is the piano player for Luke Combs, who's out on tour with Luke Combs, who's out on tour, luke Combs now. So it's funny because you see these, uh, these musicians just playing song swaps in Nashville and you have, you're like you're one of nine zillion people in Nashville that are are playing, but you don't know. Some of these people have already made it, you know, and they're still song swapping out. So it's interesting that you say that Never know who you're going to run into, right? So where did the song idea come from for these boots?
Speaker 4:So I actually wrote this song when I was 11 years old and so I was in LA and I was there to write three songs with three different people and I had already had a couple ideas. But I wasn't really like excited, like I didn't really like those ideas. So I was like sitting down on the hotel bedroom and I was like thinking of some of my favorite things and then I thought of like I was like thinking like what's my favorite thing to do with my hair, do with my friends? My favorite thing to wear? And then I was like I love love boots, like I love them so much, I have a ton of boots. And so, um, I wrote down, I think, a verse and a chorus and then I brought it to the girl and we wrote the song. But the original song was way slower than the one is now like way slow and the chords are different, different melody, and then I changed the words. So I changed all of that a couple months back, maybe like nine or ten months ago, and then I recorded it.
Speaker 1:so, yeah, it's a totally different song than what I wrote a couple years ago so you love boots, so much did you ever wear them to run track meets in not so much. Well, you have the height they're kind of like high tops so you wouldn't sprain your ankle, or anything like that.
Speaker 1:so would you consider yourself a structured songwriter or do you kind of write when the mood hits you? Because I've had both types of writers on my show. I had Michael Sweet from the band Striper on my show and he said every day at 10 o'clock I sit down and I just write. If something comes out of it, that's fine, if nothing comes out of it, that's fine. But he's very structured. He wants to write at 10 in the morning. Are you that structured or do you just write when the morning? Are you that structured or do you just write when the mood hits you?
Speaker 4:I just write when the mood hits me. I cannot. I've tried several times like trying to just go in my music room and be like, okay, I'm gonna try to write a song today, and it's just nothing nothing. Yeah, it's literally writer's block, right yes, and I get so frustrated, but whenever, like it hits me, when I like least least expect it, of course it does.
Speaker 4:I'll literally be like at an artist's show and then it just hits me and I'm just like typing so fast on my phone, like trying to get everything down. But yeah, it just really depends.
Speaker 1:Luckily we have phones these days, because way back when I was growing up and you know I was writing songs and playing in bands and stuff, you either had to write it down with a pencil and paper or we use like a tape recorder and we would record the idea so we wouldn't forget it. But we have this cool invention called the cell phone now that we can kind of do everything on it so yeah, so correct me if I'm wrong, you're 15 now.
Speaker 1:Okay, so you have been writing for roughly six, six years then right. Okay, how often do you go out to Nashville to do the writers rounds? Is that a frequent thing for you, or is that an occasional thing for you, or?
Speaker 4:it's mostly just been occasional, because last year and the year before I missed so much school for music. But whenever I can I definitely try to go Like whenever I'll go up there to record my songs, I'll always try to do shows there. But I think I've done three or four writers rounds up there and they're super fun. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Is there nothing like and this is kind of more for somebody that might be a songwriter out there, that's kind of up and coming. Do you really not have that here and you're forced to go to nashville? Can you speak to that?
Speaker 4:or is there, or they're just kind of more writers there in nashville I definitely feel like there's a lot of writers in nashville, or maybe they're just more like kind of show themselves out there, like they're always, constantly around, like whenever we always, because we fly out there and so we'll have ubers, and so they'll be like what are you here for? And then the I'll say I'm here to record, and they're like, uh, they write songs too. So, like everybody you meet rather either write songs or is trying to be a musician. So I feel like it's just more like everywhere you look, there's like people that are like doing the same thing as you. There's definitely 100% more writers rounds in Nashville. And so whenever, after I had done a couple of writer rounds in Nashville, I started a thing at Deep Roots Vineyards where every single month, every third Sunday, I have a new artist come in and we just song swap of our original songs oh cool, because I wanted to bring some of that here, because there's not a lot of it.
Speaker 1:No, there's not no, and you know there's people that are doing it, but it's not. It's definitely not like it is. In Nashville it's very, very common in the bars to go in and see a song swap.
Speaker 4:Yes, sir, definitely it's.
Speaker 1:Very common Talk about the Young Artist Songwriters Retreat that's coming up.
Speaker 4:Okay, so I am the Young Artist Ambassador for the Texas Country Music Associations, and so for a while now I've been wanting to have a songwriter retreat, and so I just didn't really know how to get it started until they came to me and asked me to be their ambassador and they were like well, how would we go about doing that? How can we reach more out to the younger kids and get y'all all together? And I was like I have the perfect idea. And so my grandpa has a ranch in Centerville, and so that's where we're going to be holding it on October 11th through 13th it's ages 12 through 18, and we are going to have a bunch of music people from the industry come in and talk about all the different aspects of the music industry, like recording, how to get on the radio, booking agents, how to book shows, social media, and so it's just going to teach everybody like how to start off, because for me, whenever I was starting off in the music industry, me and my mom had no idea what to do like at all. We struggled for a long time, and so I don't want other people who are my age to struggle too.
Speaker 4:I want to be able to help them and they were also having the legendary Scott Sean White come in and teach a couple of different ways to song write, which he's written songs for Cody Johnson, which is amazing. So I'm super excited to have him come and then by the end of the retreat they will have written two songs and then we'll have a showcase. And so those over the songwriting groups, after scott sean white goes and talks about all the different ways to song write, writer grimes, hadley, joe and myself are going to be mentors over a couple of groups, because we don't know, like, what places these kids are coming in from, like if they've written songs before. So we're just going to kind of be there to help them and guide them through writing the songs if they need help, and so it's going to be super fun and I'm super excited and we've had this on the books for a couple of months now, but it's super exciting because it's next month.
Speaker 1:So that's awesome. That sounds like a really cool format and it reminds me a little bit of I think they're still having this, but I and I don't know when it started but there was a deal called Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp and it was basically where you could live. Well, I was going to say vicariously, but that that wouldn't be true. But for people that have played the guitars or played the piano or sang or done something musically and they've never felt what it's like to be a rock star, they can literally pay like at one time I think it was like $10,000. And they fly out to LA, to Hollywood, and there's all of these rock stars who are the counselors, kind of like your mentors, right, for your little retreat.
Speaker 1:You know, some of the biggest names in rock and roll show up to this and they mentor these people. Right, like this is how you write, this is this, this is. And so the counselors basically see all of the musicians and they pick okay, that's a group of singers, that's a group of drummers, that's a group of bass players okay, I want that bass player in my band, I want that singer. So they basically pick their team, they go, those people go with the counselor and write, or I think they perform three songs, or they do three songs, they learn three songs and then the last night of the camp they play at I think it's the Whiskey on Sunset Boulevard to a live audience, so kind of the same format, which sounds really, really cool. I'm sure yours is a little more affordable than the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp. Oh, yes, definitely, but who can attend your camp?
Speaker 4:So it's ages 12 through 18.
Speaker 1:Okay, and do you have to have past experience? Do you have to be you know, down a path like have written your songs, written songs in the past or no, you can literally be at any point in your career.
Speaker 4:You can be just starting off or have done it for six years. It doesn't matter matter.
Speaker 1:Okay, so is this the first annual? Yes, this is the first time.
Speaker 4:This is awesome, yeah so it's going to be super fun. We have people coming all the way from Nashville, so that's going to be really cool.
Speaker 1:And how many people have signed up for this so far? I?
Speaker 4:think we have 10 right now, okay, nice. Which is pretty good, because we were only expecting like eight. So definitely for the first time, we're really excited and really happy that we got to 10.
Speaker 1:What's the um? What's the local turnout? Is it more people from out of town or is it more people in town?
Speaker 4:Um, it's kind of half and half, okay, but most of them are from out of town.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, we need to figure out how to get the message out to people especially around the city through the podcast.
Speaker 4:Well, if you know any young artists, here's some flyers.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah thanks, I'll definitely keep these close by. Let's talk a little bit about discography. Okay, 2021,. You had a single called Warrior right. You correct me where I'm wrong on the dates right 2022,. You had a couple of singles I Will Keep On Fighting, Holy, Are you Lord. And then you had a three-song EP called Make it Sad how am I doing so far?
Speaker 3:Good Okay.
Speaker 1:All right, called Make it Sad. How am I doing so far Good, okay, all right. And then 23,. You had one, two, three singles. So Long Live Cowboys Packin' and Love Heels. 24, mascara Don't Lie. And then a single called Not as Much as I Used To. And then you, of course, had Fireflies right, yes. If my memory serves me correctly, this is the song that you auditioned with on American.
Speaker 4:Idol. Yes sir.
Speaker 1:Okay so.
Speaker 4:I know my memory is spotty sometimes.
Speaker 1:But I did think that I remembered that and I was talking to my friend, jessie Roach, who I song swapped with, and she was an American Idol contestant. I was talking to my friend Jesse Roach, who I song swapped with, and she was an American Idol contestant, and she's the one I think that mentioned to me that you were American Idol as well. So that's when I went and started looking for things. How was the American Idol experience for you?
Speaker 4:So it was way different than what I expected, but all the other artists there were super nice and super supportive and really, really talented. It was definitely an amazing experience and one that I'm glad that I had, and all some of the artists that I met there I actually we still keep in touch and I'm supposed to be riding with them when I go back to Nashville.
Speaker 4:But you would think with that many talented people around, some of them would be like a little mean, like kind of walk around like I'm better than you Like, prima donnas or whatever. Sure yes but all the ones that I hung around, they were not like that. They were amazing and so sweet and so kind and I really, I'm really glad that I did it, because I got amazing feedback from the judges and then I just got to meet amazing people.
Speaker 1:That's awesome that you keep in touch with them and you bonded with some of them like that enough to keep in touch with them. Share your feelings on the judges' reactions and what they told you at the end of the audition.
Speaker 4:I think it was definitely very helpful and like for me to move forward in my career. I feel like they gave me really good advice and I feel like they were very supportive, super kind and after, like American Idol, I was, you know, of course, sad that I didn't make it through to the next round, but I realized, like a couple of weeks later, that everything happens for a reason and that it did happen for a reason, and so I'm happy with the way things ended and the judges were super amazing and I'm so happy that I got to meet them Like that's crazy, that I got to shake Luke Bryan's hand and give.
Speaker 1:Katy Perry a hug.
Speaker 4:And then Lionel Richie gave me his handkerchief, so that I've. That's just so cool.
Speaker 1:That is super cool. Well, that's a a memory that you'll have for the rest of your life, and I know the outcome isn't what you hoped. But you, you know, I think there's I mean, you see, the I guess the, the outtakes or the bloopers, or whatever you want to call them of these people that go and audition that they're not singers, right, they're not even remotely close to being a singer, but somewhere along the way, somebody told them that they were a great singer, right, and that you find out real quick, there's always somebody better than you. Whether it's soccer, whether it's baseball, whether it's music, right, there's always a better guitarist or whatever. And I think it's soccer, whether it's baseball, whether it's music, right, there's always a better guitarist or whatever. And I think it's what you take away from it that makes the difference. Yeah, is the feedback that you got on the show something that you still think about and something that still kind of molds you today?
Speaker 4:Yeah, definitely, because they told me to keep songwriting and to never give up and, even through the hard times, just keep pushing through.
Speaker 1:Sure, do you think you'll ever audition again?
Speaker 4:I mean I might. They told me to re-audition whenever I'm 18. And so I just don't know where I'm going to be in my career whenever I'm 18. Because that's a couple years from now. But I mean it is a possibility couple years from now. But I mean it is a possibility, but right now I don't really know you may not even need their platform, you know hopefully not yeah, you never know.
Speaker 1:so you know it's always.
Speaker 1:Sometimes it's about being in the right place at the right time, and I used to play with a young artist, a young female artist here, who spends a lot of time in Nashville.
Speaker 1:She's got several CDs and just released a single. And you know, I would always, in my mentoring of her, I would always say don't, don't go and perform songs that you aren't ready to perform live, because you never know who's going to be sitting in the audience and that person sitting in the audience could change your life, and if you go in and you try to attempt a half-baked song or one that you've not really put enough practice into, it could be a deciding factor for you and not in your favor, right? So when I play with Chris, we never play anything that we're not prepared to play and we're not looking for record contracts. At my age, I could care less about that. But my point being, I still have a lot of pride, right, and Chris and I are both OCD, so we want to deliver the song the way it should sound, not just like we woke up this morning and just threw it together and we're trying to play it right.
Speaker 1:Yes, Well, I was wondering if maybe you would do the listeners a favor and perform that song that you auditioned with on American Idol.
Speaker 3:Yes, of course I admit it, I was scared. I've been hurt a bunch of times, couldn't leave the past behind. But this guy was the sweetest of his kind and God knows he could have been mine. But I had to go and ruin it. All he wanted was fireflies dancing in the moonlight. His hand felt so good in mine, two-stepping on the truck bed, four-wheel drive to sunset.
Speaker 3:Promise ring on my left finger Said the diamonds only get bigger. Doesn't that sound like a perfect picture? Loved everyone, no matter what. His eyes sparkled in the sunlight, heart bigger than the sunrise. Went to church every single Sunday, prayed to God on his worst days. How could I ever let him go? All he wanted was fireflies dancing in the moonlight. His hand felt so good in mine to step in on the truck bed in mine. To step in on the truck bed, four wheel drive into sunset.
Speaker 3:Promise ring on my left finger said the diamonds only get bigger. Doesn't that sound like a perfect picture? And I, I'm like a perfect picture and I hope he finds someone who'll make him happy and he'll look at her like it's the last time time and he'll hold her in his arms till the end of time, and I promise he'll be better off without me. All he wanted was fireflies dancing in the moonlight. His hand felt so good in mine to step in on the truck bed. Four-wheel drive into sunset Promise ring. On my left finger he said the diamonds only get bigger. Doesn't that sound like a perfect picture?
Speaker 1:Great job, Peyton, on the song and bright lyrical efforts as well. I really like that, Thank you. Talk to me a little bit about the on the song and bright lyrical efforts as well. I really like that.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 1:Talk to me a little bit about the meaning of the song.
Speaker 4:So I wrote this song when I was going through a breakup. Me and this boy have been best friends for as long as I can remember, and our sisters are best friends and our moms talk on the phone every single day, and so we were really really close. And so we were together for a year and a half and then he was going to a different school and we just kind of grew apart. And you know, whenever you break up with somebody at least from my personal experiences, in most situations you don't really talk to them that much anymore. And that's kind of what happened. And not only did I lose my boyfriend, but I lost my best friend, someone who was always there, not only for the past year and a half, but also for all the other years.
Speaker 4:And so it was just really hard to not be able to talk to him every day and so definitely writing this song it helped me get through that and I've always said that music moves people in so many amazing ways and I knew that, but I just never knew how much until I wrote this song and it definitely moved me and helped me get through this hard time, and every single time that I sing this song I just felt a little bit better and better.
Speaker 4:And not only writing this song helped me, but it helped so many other people. As you were saying earlier. I wrote, I sang this song on American Idol and so it got out to a lot more people, lot more people, and so I had a lot of little girls and little boys are not little, but people around my age messaging me on Instagram, tiktok or emailing me saying how much this song helped them get through their breakup or just through their hard time, and it really helped me remember of why I do. What I do is to help people and be a light in their life.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. Has he heard the song?
Speaker 4:Yes, yes. Whenever I was on American Idol the day that it got released, everybody in his school like all the teachers played it. And then I recently came out with a music video, so all the teachers played that again.
Speaker 1:yeah, well, good for you, I and I like how you kind of changed in the middle of the song and went down in that lower voice register.
Speaker 3:That's that was a cool transition there. Yeah, I like that very creative.
Speaker 1:Well, last year you were nominated for young artist of the Year by the Texas Country Music Association. And not only were you nominated, but you won.
Speaker 4:Yes, sir.
Speaker 1:What does the accolade mean to you as a young artist to get such an accolade?
Speaker 4:I mean it was pretty amazing because in 2022, the year before I won Young Artist of the Year I had gone to the award show, but not because I was nominated for anything.
Speaker 4:I just wanted to see all the artists and because it's an amazing time to be there and just all the amazing artists are all in one place, and so it was really cool just to watch the artists go up there and sing their songs and then get their awards. And so when we were at the award show, we were sitting in the back and I told my mom I that's going to be me next year getting that award or being on stage, and so I worked my tail off all in 2023. And then I got nominated for the award and then in November last year, I won the award, which was just super amazing and I'm just so blessed and I was so excited to just have so much support from all the artists around me, and I would definitely not have gotten there without all the amazing artists that have helped me and my mom that's a pretty amazing accolade young artist of the year all before you even get a driver's license right, how about that?
Speaker 4:that's pretty cool. You should be proud of that cool, because I was the youngest person to ever receive that award, so that was cool too I'm sitting amongst uh royalty right now then that's awesome how about me?
Speaker 1:yeah, if you were to win another accolade, have you ever thought much about what that accolade would be? Which one would you have you ever thought about? Yeah, that's the one. That's the holy grail, that's the one I want to win.
Speaker 4:I feel like I would want to be a female artist of the year, I feel like that's like one of the top ones that I would want to win.
Speaker 4:But I'm actually nominated for young artist of the year through Texas Country Music Associations, again for this year, and then I'm also nominated through the Josie Awards, which is going to be held in October at the Grand Ole Opry, for Female Artist of the Year, young Artist of the Year. So that's super exciting. But definitely, if I were to get an award and which one would mean the most to me would probably be female artist of the year- which would be a CMA award.
Speaker 1:Yes, that's awesome. Well, good luck. I know that you'll uh, you'll get there one of these days sometimes it just takes a little longer than you think but you, you keep working. That's what you do yes, sir you have another song that will be released sometime in 2025, and I was wondering if you would give the listeners a sneak peek of that song too. I'm wearing you out on the eddy side.
Speaker 3:My tattoos made my mama cry. I like to live life on the fence line Way down in the holler. People like to talk around in a small town Pointing fingers at a girl with her belly out. Give me something that will sting on the way down Splats, have more fun. Limited edition. You can't find me on a shelf. I'm a one-way ticket To the darkest side of hell, going fast on a one-way street, hopping for the ride of your dreams. Limited edition. Limited edition.
Speaker 3:My piercings a little on the trashy side. My mini leather skirt splits up my thigh. I can shoot you dead with my stormy eyes Like pure snake. Then I'm Well. They'll never looks so damn delicate. If you're looking for trouble, I'm a specialist. If you got good intuition, I'm not a good game to play.
Speaker 3:Limited edition. You can't find me on a shelf. I'm a one-way ticket To the darkest side of hell, going fast on a one-way street, hopping for the ride of your dreams. Limited edition Limited edition. New Limited Edition. Five stars, nothing less. Got a suit right between my ruby reds. I'm a never ending terror that will haunt your dreams. Welcome to your new reality. Five stars, nothing less. Got a cigarette between my ruby reds. I'm a never ending terror that will haunt your dreams. Welcome to your new reality. Limited edition. Welcome to your new reality. Limited Edition. You can't find me on a shelf. I'm a one-way ticket To the darkest side of hell, going fast on a one-way street. I've been for the ride of your dreams, limited Edition. I'm way too straight. I've been far out of your dreams. Limited edition Limited edition. Limited edition yeah now we're talking.
Speaker 1:That was great. I like that limited edition. Huh, yes, sir it. I think you went from 15 year old songwriter to like 27-old songwriter in that one there.
Speaker 4:Thank you.
Speaker 1:I like it.
Speaker 4:Definitely. With my new upcoming songs I'm trying to go more towards country rock a little. So, that's just kind of a sneak peek of that.
Speaker 1:I like that, I like the style for sure, and the drop D always sounds good in a song, yes, sir. You have played some great venues around the greater Houston area. What were some of your favorites to play?
Speaker 4:I loved playing at Sawyer Park. That's probably one of my favorite places to play. I just love just the workers there. Everybody's super nice and all the people that come in they have great and I just really love playing there. And then I like playing at Pacific Yard House in downtown Conroe and the table at Madeley. I like playing a lot of local places because those are the people that helped me out whenever I was younger and supported me and took a chance on me whenever I started playing, because a lot of people wouldn't book me when I was 12 years old. So I really like playing at those venues just because the managers and the people that own the place are just super nice and supportive of me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the table is a cool venue. I had a guest on my show from Oklahoma Her name is Bailey Ray and she was in town and I did an interview with her and then I went up and watched her show at the table. So that was a cool venue. Yeah, it has like a little food trucks and stuff out there.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, I love Bailey Ray.
Speaker 1:Yeah, she was really sweet and a great artist, for sure. Who were some of your favorite artists to share the stage with? I know you've shared the stage with a lot of people over the last several years, but who were some of your favorite artists to share the stage with? I know you've shared the stage with a lot of people over the last several years, but who were some of your favorites along the way?
Speaker 4:So I've really liked opening up for Ryder Grimes and Peyton Howey. They are amazing and they are definitely some of my mentors and they have helped me through any questions that I have, because they're light years ahead of me, but any that I have because they're like light years ahead of me, but any questions I have, they immediately text back. I'm like, how do you do this, how do you do that? And they immediately respond and just help me and answer any questions that I have. So they are amazing people and I've loved being able to open up for them.
Speaker 1:Did you say that Peyton Howey responds to you immediately?
Speaker 4:Yes, pretty much every single time that Peyton Howey responds to you immediately. Yes, pretty much every so often.
Speaker 1:Peyton Howey, if you are listening to the show, I need you to start responding to me a little quicker please, because I have to wait days on you now. Okay, that's a joke, of course. Peyton's been on my show twice and I love Peyton and she's going places for sure.
Speaker 4:Oh definitely.
Speaker 1:She's, I guess, just uh done some shows with Ashley McBride.
Speaker 4:I know, I saw that that was so cool. I was like, oh my gosh, that's amazing and you know I've never.
Speaker 1:The craziest thing is I've never seen her live. Uh, just because it seems like you know, if I'm playing she's playing somewhere like our musician schedules and it's never marry up for whatever reason. But it's not for lack of trying. But I said years ago when I heard her play for the first time, she's, she's definitely going places for sure.
Speaker 1:And I think I've done one or two song swaps with her. I did, I think it, I don't know, I can't remember now, but we've definitely swapped out at Mahoney's on the waterway, in the woodlands, and that was fun, that's really cool yeah. Peyton's really cool. If you were to recommend three local artists to come talk with me on my show, who do you think they would be?
Speaker 4:artist to come talk with me on my show. Who do you think they would be um like? What's your definition of local like texas?
Speaker 1:doesn't even have to be local okay.
Speaker 4:Well, the girl that I wrote limited edition with she's 16. Her name's hadley joe and we were literally best friends. She is amazing. She has an amazing voice and she's just one of the sweetest people ever, so you should definitely have her. And then I don't know if you've had rider grimes, but he is amazing too, so you should definitely have him well, where's joe?
Speaker 1:where is she from?
Speaker 4:she is from west texas, but right now she goes to a music college in south plains.
Speaker 3:Okay, yes, I'm not really good with directions or anything like that, but yeah, she's doing amazing.
Speaker 4:You should definitely have her. And then ryder grimes. I really, really like him. He has an amazing voice. And then a person that has always been there for me and has been a mentor and always helped me with any questions I have are Daniel Andrews. He used to live around here, but now he just moved to Nashville.
Speaker 1:Okay, well, I'll have to look them up. For sure I've heard a writer. I haven't heard of the third person that you spoke of. But that's the cool thing about this show is it was kind of started for a couple of reasons. One was to just expose local artists that were peers of mine. We play in the same places and everything, and while I'm a professional musician and play out, like you guys, I'm not making a living. I'm not trying to make a living playing music. I have a full-time job that pays my mortgage. But it was to expose the local artist and then to learn more.
Speaker 1:Because I'm that junkie, like I love the stories behind the songs. I'm the guy that I'm almost like the musical savant that knows so much music trivia it teeters on ridiculous why do you know this stuff, randy? Like how do you retain that? But it's something that I've always loved. And to sit down and talk to the artist about ooh, when did you write that song? How did you come up with that song? Like, I'm the liner notes guy. I want to read the liner notes before I even listen to the music. Always been like that, even as a young kid. What is new and exciting for Peyton Riley that you'd like to share with the listeners that maybe we haven't covered.
Speaker 4:Um, well, we kind of touched base on this, but um, I'm about to turn 16, so I'm getting a little bit older, and so in 2025, I can see the gray hair coming out over there.
Speaker 1:You really need to to color that, you know.
Speaker 4:So I'm getting a little bit older and so I'm kind of going more into country rock and so my music's going to start showing in that in 2025. I started recording at Steel Records in Louisiana and so I have some more rock music kind of coming out in 2025. And then the retreat, oh, and then I am coming out with a Christmas song after Thanksgiving, which is going to be super fun. I just wrote it, which is kind of weird writing a Christmas song but it's not Christmas.
Speaker 1:So it's not traditional. It's not a traditional Jingle Bell song, it's a Peyton Riley original.
Speaker 4:Yes, definitely awesome, yeah so I'm coming out with the Christmas song, I'm kind of going more into rock and then, um, I am going to the UK next year, which is going to be super fun with Dusty Motes. I've always loved traveling, so it's going to be super fun to do some of my two favorite things. They're combined together, and so that's just some of the stuff. I can't give away all my little surprises.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, you got to keep them guessing, right. Yeah, if they know, if the people know everything, then you're not a value to them. Right, I get it, I get it. Yeah, I don't like to show all my cards, either Right, either right I. I always keep my guests kind of at bay. Like you know, I have some big names on the show and even some really cool local people, and I usually don't let that cat out of the bag until the last minute. So you got to keep them wondering what's coming. Very true.
Speaker 4:I have one more thing, though, that I'm doing at. It was supposed to be, I like, at the end of this year, but we're going to be moving it to January, february. But I'm going to be in a movie called An Almost Perfect Day and I'm the main character and I'm super excited. They've started casting the people already and I've been learning my lines and it's just a super fun experience, because I started off I mean, I did voice lessons, but I mostly kind of started off doing acting at my local theater, and so once I got more involved with music, I had to stop doing that, but I've always wanted to get back into it. So I'm super excited for this. It's going to be super cool.
Speaker 1:That is really cool and you know so many people. I don't have that problem, but so many people, and especially young people, they're terrified to speak or do anything in front of people. And I've never, I've never been that person. And I've been asked in the past like, do you get nervous when you play shows? And I said I, I think I'm more nervous to play for one person than I am three or 400, like three or 400. And then I played festivals where there are thousands of people out there and it just it's just another day of going and playing music. It doesn't bother me. But some people like really weird out about that kind of thing. But it doesn't sound like you have that problem at all.
Speaker 4:Well, whenever I was younger, it was definitely like a challenge.
Speaker 1:Yes, Whenever?
Speaker 4:I was like 12 or 13, when I started playing out with my guitar and singing, I would not talk at all on stage and my mom would be like, from the side, be like talk, peyton, tell them why you wrote this song.
Speaker 4:And I was just kind of like and so how I got over that fear is, every single weekend she would take me to open mics and just throw me up there on stage, take me to open mics and just throw me up there on stage.
Speaker 4:And I think kind of like the biggest problem with talking and performing that I got so nervous about was thinking that it wasn't okay to mess up. Like I would feel so bad every time that I would mess up, and so just seeing other people mess up too kind of made me realize that it's okay to mess up sometimes and it's like not the end of the world, and so that's when I started getting more comfortable. But it also is about like, the more I play on stage I get less nervous, and I definitely feel the thing that you were saying like, whenever you play in front of like a bunch of people, I don't get that nervous, but when it's like a smaller crowd, I definitely do, because, looking out on the crowd, like all those thousands of people they kind of mesh together so it doesn't look that, like that many people.
Speaker 4:But I definitely agree with you. I'm get really nervous playing in front of less people well playing an acoustic guitar in front of somebody.
Speaker 1:It's as raw as it comes right there's. You know you think about bands when they go on stage. You've got a loud rhythm section. You know the bass guitar, the drums. You've got lead loud rhythm section. You know the bass guitar, the drums. You've got lead guitar, rhythm guitar. You got all these things, maybe even a keyboard.
Speaker 1:And if one person in the band makes a mistake, nobody hears it. Right, they know, but you don't know. But as a solo artist and I don't play solo anymore but when we do play solo a solo artist and I don't play solo anymore but when we do play solo, we're exposed. There's nothing to hide behind with an, an acoustic guitar. But I think I think mistakes are kind of cool because it shows the vulnerability of the human right. That's our humanness, and it's okay to expose faults, right? Because my oldest son is probably 20 times the guitarist I am, but he's scared to death to play live shows with me. I'm like Brandon come on, dude, just play. You're a phenomenal lead guitarist, just come play some shows.
Speaker 1:And I said you have to keep in mind that if you're in a room with 200 people in it, there is maybe one, and I would bet that there's not even one that can even remotely do what you do, right? So why are you so worried about it? Right, make a mistake. We're human, we make mistakes every day, and anybody that thinks they don't, there's probably something wrong with them, right? So keep making the mistakes. That's not a bad thing at all, and you'll find a lot of times the people listening will never know. You can kind of cover it up, just keep going, right? That's the whole thing. I'm sure everybody's told you that. Just if you make a mistake, keep going, don't stop, don't bring attention to that, just because they'll never know. Can you share with the listeners? Uh, maybe some of your upcoming shows that you have?
Speaker 4:yeah, definitely so. I have one tomorrow at angel lagoon, at angel lagoon in date in texas. And then, as I said earlier about the song swaps that I do at deep roots vineyards in planville I do those every third Sunday of every single month and so those are really fun to go to. And then I have a lot of upcoming band shows coming up and a lot of solo shows. But definitely, if you're looking for like just to see my whole schedule, if y'all can't make any of those, y'all can go to my website at Peyton Riley Music and then go to that little sandwich thing and click that and go to shows and it shows all my shows through the rest of this year.
Speaker 1:Okay, and so, other than Peyton Riley musiccom, where else can the listeners find you on social media?
Speaker 4:Yeah, so they can find me on social media or on Spotify or Apple Music or anywhere they listen to their music at.
Speaker 1:at Peyton Riley Music P-A-Y-T-O-N-R-I-L-E-Y, and then music okay, and I have to assume, because you were sweet enough, you and your mom were sweet enough to bring some stickers which I have places to put those for sure and a koozie and a t-shirt. So I have to think there's a merch site out there somewhere where can the listeners find the merch?
Speaker 1:just go to my website at paytonreillymusiccom and then you can find it on there okay, well, I encourage the listeners to go out and take a look at the website. Uh, support the local artists by buying some of that merch. Uh, you don't understand how important the merch is to the musicians these days. That's a lot of their income. So a t-shirt, a hat, whatever, is always helpful to the artist that puts gas in the tank and gets you to the next show, right? Well, peyton, this has certainly been a treat having you in the studio today.
Speaker 1:I appreciate you driving in from Montgomery and I wish you nothing but success along your journey, and so so thanks for being here. I asked the listeners to uh, you're welcome and I asked the listeners to check out Peyton's website at PeytonRileyMusiccom and make sure to take a peek at her schedule and you guys get out and support her when you can. I asked the listeners to like, share and subscribe to the podcast on Facebook at Backstage Pass Radio Podcast, on Instagram at Backstage Pass Radio and on the website at BackstagePassRadiocom. You guys remember to take care of yourselves and each other, and we'll see you right back here on the next episode of Backstage Pass Radio.
Speaker 2:Thanks so much for joining us. We hope you enjoyed today's episode of Backstage Pass Radio. Make sure to follow Randy on Facebook and Instagram at Randy Halsey Music and on Twitter at rhalseymusic. Also make sure to like, subscribe and turn on alerts for upcoming podcasts. If you enjoyed the podcast, make sure to share the link with a friend and tell them Backstage Pass Radio is the best show on the web for everything music. We'll see you next time right here on Backstage Pass Radio.
