Stephen Quinn

Three hours. That’s the kind of clock Nashville can put on a recording session, and it forces you to learn fast or get left behind. We sit down with country music recording artist Stephen Quinn to unpack what it really felt like to walk into a Nashville studio for the first time to cut “Get It Girl” with seasoned session musicians and a producer who actually cared about getting it right. If you’ve ever wondered how professionals can hear a song once, chart it, and deliver a finished track at speed, this conversation puts you in the room.

We also dig into the role that rarely gets enough credit: the vocal coach. Stephen explains why he brings Velvet, his longtime coach and co-writer, into high-stakes sessions, how she balances technical corrections with creative choices, and why having the right ears in the room can make your vocals stronger and the entire recording process smoother. From work tapes recorded on iPhone voice memos to “living with the lyrics” before committing to production, we get specific about songwriting habits that help independent artists finish better songs.

Then the story opens up. Stephen walks us through his American Idol journey, from pre-dawn cattle-call auditions to Hollywood Week at the Dolby Theater, including the nerves, the friendships, and the performance moments that stick. We talk about his patriotic song “Stand Up,” what “country” means as a way of life, and why audiences stand up when the message hits. Finally, he shares what it’s like to sing the national anthem at a Jacksonville Jaguars playoff game, why he keeps it traditional, and how local relationships helped land a Country Fest slot opening for Ashley Cook.

If you enjoy honest artist conversations about Nashville recording, country songwriting, music video production, American Idol, and performing live, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

Transcript

Welcome And Meet Stephen Quinn

Jay Franze 0:31

And we are coming up to live. I am Jay Franzi, and uh with me tonight is uh Judith Mike Allen, my beautiful co-host, Mr. Tiffany Mason.

SPEAKER_02 0:41

Good evening, Jay.

Jay Franze 0:42

If you are new to the show, this is George Storce for the latest news, reviews, and interviews. And if you would like to join in, comment, or fire off any questions, please head over to jFrenzi.com. All right, my friend, tonight we have a very special guest with us. We have a country music recording artist hailing from the great state of FLA. We have Stephen Quinn. Stephen, my friend, thank you for joining us.

SPEAKER_01 1:06

Thank you for having me. Glad to be here.

Jay Franze 1:08

It is our pleasure. We are looking forward to it. We only have six hours tonight, so we're gonna go ahead and jump right in.

Cutting Get It Girl In Nashville

Jay Franze 1:17

What can you tell us about the recording of the song Get It Girl?

SPEAKER_01 1:23

So, the recording of the song Get It Girl is my first song that I actually had the opportunity to record up in Nashville. I got to work with some very top-notch musicians that had worked on the road with Tim McGraw, Reba, Dolly Parton, even worked in the studio with Dolly Parton producing Kent Wells. He he worked on that song.

Jay Franze 1:45

He's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 1:46

And it was a very awesome experience to just work with people that do it every day. They just are so smooth with it.

Jay Franze 1:54

So, what role did Kent play?

SPEAKER_01 1:57

He played guitar, he took part in helping produce it, and he also played uh like an electric banjo type thing, which was really awesome to see him work on that thing. Six-string banjo. Uh-huh.

Jay Franze 2:11

They call it a ganjo. A ganjo, that's what it is. That's exactly what it is. It's just a banjo strong with six strings and it plays like a guitar. It's kind of cool.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

Yeah, he well, he was a master at it, I can tell you that.

Jay Franze 2:24

Yeah, he is he is awesome. It's good to hear that you had a chance to work with somebody like that. Do you remember any of the other musicians?

SPEAKER_01 2:30

I don't I don't remember their names. Um, I just remember them talking about all the people they got to work with over the years, and the drummer had just come off tour with Tim McGraw, actually, at that time back in 2019, I believe it was. Very cool.

Jay Franze 2:46

All right, so you went in the studio. Can you uh describe what that experience was like?

SPEAKER_01 2:51

Yeah, it was a very laid-back, chill vibe. I had my mom and my voice coach Velvet with me, and all the musicians were there, ready to go. And I had worked with local people in the studio here in Florida, and walking into there, having all of them just ready to do business. They mean business when you're up in Nashville. And but it was really cool because I got to learn so much and learn what it is like to record in Nashville because it I mean it's like a machine up there, they just they're just pumping it out.

Jay Franze 3:25

It is pretty impressive. I say that every time, I don't think anybody will ever believe me until they get to witness it.

SPEAKER_01 3:30

You really you really can't imagine it.

Union Sessions And Fast Studio Work

Jay Franze 3:33

It's definitely an impressive thing, and it's done through un uh union scale. So you go through the union to record and you record in three-hour blocks. So if you were only going to record that one song, you were within that three-hour block. So it's a very short period of time that you get to go in the studio and spend with these musicians. So they really do have to be spun up and talented musicians that just go in, hear your song for the very first time, chart it out, go in a room and perform it. So that had to be impressive for somebody who's never been in a studio like that before. Oh, absolutely. All right. So if you're in the studio and that happens, and I love the fact that you said you brought your mom and your voice coach. I'll let Tiffany talk about your mom, but I want to talk about your voice coach. What made you bring your voice coach with you?

SPEAKER_01 4:20

My voice coach has aside from being my voice coach, she's kind of taken on a role of being my manager slash producer, and she also co-writes just about all of my music that I have. So we work closely together in all of my music that I do. Uh, I actually have her in my phone as vocal mama, so she's also kind of like another mom for me. But when I'm in the studio, she's always there to, you know, make sure that my vocals are top-notch right where she knows that I can be, and just kind of helps me through that whole process. Because I mean there's a lot going on when you're in the studio, as you know.

Jay Franze 5:00

Oh, absolutely. I'm glad you said that too, because I always encourage the vocalists that I work with to bring their vocal coach in with them, and if they don't have one, I try to work it within their budget to bring one in because it is expensive, it is part of a budget, you have to pay for somebody's time, but the value in having somebody like that in there is priceless, and it makes the entire session go quicker, which then saves you the time in the long run anyway. So, how did you meet Velvet in the first place?

SPEAKER_01 5:29

Uh, Velvet was referred to me from a friend, she's a local voice coach here in Jacksonville, Florida, and I was kind of on the search. I had been through a few other vocal coaches here in town and just was trying to find the one that just fit just right for me. And so a friend of mine referred me to her, and we hit it off right away. And I've been with her probably about eight to ten years now.

SPEAKER_02 5:54

I'd love to know in the studio what kind of corrections does she make for you.

SPEAKER_01 5:58

So it's more technical stuff with the vocals and maybe just suggesting to do a note a different way or hit the note a different way. Just I guess things that maybe I'm not thinking about when I'm thinking about all the other things that I'm doing in the studio, trying to work on the words and really, you know, putting the emotion into it. I don't want to say that it's hard to put the emotion when you're in the studio, but it's a little bit different because you're not performing for an audience, you know. It's just kind of you and the music in there. So you really bring a different life to the lyrics and the music when you're in there.

Jay Franze 6:37

So you say she tells you to do it a different way or advises you to do it a different way. Is that a different way technically or creatively?

SPEAKER_01 6:46

Uh I would say both, technically and creatively. Maybe just something that she's hearing that she might think is maybe better or uh better fitting for my vocals, I guess you would say.

Jay Franze 7:01

So the the recording process itself. You were in the studio, you got to work with these musicians, you do the basic tracks. Do you stay that day to record your vocal? Or was your song being recorded with a group of other songs?

SPEAKER_01 7:16

Uh so the one in Nashville, we were just working on that specific song, and so it was all done in the same time slot. We were there. Probably, like you said, it was probably about three hours we were there. Musicians did their part, I did the vocals, and then of course there was more behind the scenes once all that was done. Right.

Jay Franze 7:37

So that's good. So you went in the studio, you recorded the basic tracks for the guys, and then when they left, you went in and recorded your vocal. Did you do your own harmonies or did they bring somebody in to do harmonies for you?

SPEAKER_01 7:48

Actually, the producer did harmonies on that specific song.

Jay Franze 7:52

So what was it like working with Kelly?

SPEAKER_01 7:55

He was amazing, and he actually, um, alongside with Velvet, was there too, and he cared enough to want it to sound good, so he actually gave me some tips and tricks uh vocally as well while I was in the booth, which I thought was really nice of him.

Jay Franze 8:14

Oh, it's very nice, and it's actually very cool that you have a team of people that are willing to put in the effort it takes to get it right, because in Nashville, like you mentioned, it is a machine, and sometimes you get one machine that just wants to pump you in and out, pump you in and out, and keep making the money come in, and then there's some that want to take their time and make sure that they get a product that they can feel proud about when it's over.

SPEAKER_01 8:36

Absolutely.

Building A Video With Local Community

Jay Franze 8:37

All right, well, the song had a video, the video is pretty impressive. How'd you put the video together?

SPEAKER_01 8:44

That was an interesting road because when you're at I guess at the level that I was at that time, and I was still kind of working on building up my connections here around Jacksonville, and I was uh along with Velvet, like I said, when I sh when I say she is a part of everything, she is there to support me and help me in every project that I've worked on. And so we searched and found some videographers that we knew, I think it was through her church she had heard of them, and so we reached out to them. And then there's a local bar in town which you see in the video called Southern Social. And at the time I had played there for going on four years every Thursday, and so we we were like, how awesome would it be to record a music video for your original song with all of your family and friends and all my friends from the bar that I would, you know, see on a regular basis when I perform there. And so that's exactly what we did.

Jay Franze 9:47

Crazy question, just a side note. Did you make them all sign a release to be part of your video?

SPEAKER_01 9:53

We did not do that, but we let them know we kind of created an event page and said, Hey, you know, if you would like to be a part of the video, these are the two nights that were doing it. And so they knew ahead of time what they were getting into.

Jay Franze 10:08

I only asked that question because I was telling Miss Tiffany in the past that I've worked for a video company and we used to put videos together for people. And when we did that, some artists would insist that they would have a release done, and some would be like, Yeah, we don't care. So a lot of times in the case of we don't care, what we would do is we'd put signs up saying, Hey, you know, on the front door. Before you enter this door tonight and realize this is going to be a recorded event, that there is an opportunity that you might be put on video. If you don't want to be put on the video, you can go up to the balcony. Otherwise, if you're down here, you're gonna be on video. And then when the filming starts, we make that announcement as well.

SPEAKER_01 10:48

Yeah. Well, we also did an off night for the bar, so it was literally pretty much just all people that knew, you know, family and friends. We didn't really have any strangers there.

Jay Franze 10:58

Nice. Oh, hey. All right, so tell us about the video process.

SPEAKER_01 11:03

So we did a two-night thing, a Wednesday night, and a Thursday night, and Wednesday was kind of more for the dancers, which the dancers were not professional dancers, they were just some couples that would be up at the bar dancing, and I became friends with them and was like, hey, do y'all want to be in my video? And they could do all the you know flips and tricks as you can see in the video. So the first night, Wednesday night, was a lot of the dancing, and we had actually kind of Velvet and her daughter put together the little line dance that we do in the video. So we did a lot of those clips that night, and then the actual get it girl is a family friend that I've known her my whole life, and she's a dancer, cheerleader her whole life, and she just has that personality to where she doesn't mind dancing in front of people and putting on a show, so she was the perfect get it girl, and she fit the part, and she wasn't taller than me, so that was good.

Jay Franze 12:10

How tall are you?

SPEAKER_01 12:12

I am 5'10, or at least that's what my license is. So I go with it.

Jay Franze 12:17

With the heels on, I get it.

SPEAKER_01 12:19

No, yeah, exactly.

Jay Franze 12:21

My daughter busts my cookies all the time. I always say I'm 5'12. I'm six even, but my daughter goes, No, you're not. I'm like, I don't know what to tell you, kid. I've got the room.

SPEAKER_04 12:32

I'm five I'm 5'12.

Jay Franze 12:35

She she's okay with me saying I'm 5'12, but I cannot say six foot. I don't know what the difference is there.

SPEAKER_01 12:41

But uh so then we went on to the next night, and that was where we kind of brought in the full band, and so we performed the song that night, which everybody knew what to expect. But I mean, we we were redoing the song over and over and over just to get all of the clips in. And by the end of it, we're like, okay, we don't want to ever hear the song again. But no, it was it was just so awesome. And to be the artist and the performer, you know, me and Velvet wrote that song together. Actually, but believe it or not, Velvet, we I had just left or write with her, and we kind of just had one of those days where we didn't we had a block, so we weren't getting much done. And I'm headed down the road, and she shoots me a text and she sends me a little voice memo and she's like, hey, check this out. And it was the hook for get it, girl, and she was playing it and singing it, and I said, That's that's great, let's work on that next week. And so I come back next week and we pretty much wrote the song almost in one day, right there. But for me and her to be there and you know, be the ones that wrote the song and then be the ones that went in the studio, recorded it, and then we also pretty much produced the whole music video. I mean, the videographers were awesome to work with. Um, of course, they had their own tips for us and things from their view of it and their profession to help make it look great, but pretty much they followed everything that we wanted and they brought it to life.

SPEAKER_02 14:16

How does that feel to start a music career and you have like all these big hopes and dreams for yourself, and then like one day you're recording a music video?

SPEAKER_01 14:25

Honestly, I I sometimes forget that I that I did that and had the opportunity to do that. And when I sometimes we'll be at my parents' house having a family event, and my dad or my niece and nephew, they love the video, they love that song, and so they'll pull it up to the TV and I'm like, oh yeah, I did do that, didn't I? And it it really is rewarding to get to see your work brought to life. Because I mean, yes, you get to hear the song, you get to hear the lyrics, but seeing the storyline and the whole thing being brought to life was really rewarding to know that Velvet and myself, like we we did that.

Jay Franze 15:07

As a creative person, did you find yourself being as critical of the video as you did the song?

SPEAKER_01 15:15

I would say no, only because definitely my forte is more on the lyric vocal side of things. So I I'm definitely harder on myself when it comes to that. With the video, I kinda I kind of just wanted to have fun with it, and I knew that between the videographers and Velvet that if something looked horrible, they would tell me. So I really just kind of I wanted to soak it all in and really enjoy the experience. So I tried not to be too hard on on myself for that one.

Writing On Piano And Living Lyrics

Jay Franze 15:51

You mentioned that you wrote the song with Velvet. You mentioned you're a lyric person. Was that your role in the writing process?

SPEAKER_01 16:00

Um, yes, I I usually am more of the lyric person, but like I said, she came up with a book for that one. Um, but our writing process, she has a music room in her home because she does voice lessons for a living, that's what she does. And so we go into the music room, she has a piano, that's what she primarily plays, and so all of the music that I've written is starts on a piano, which is also really interesting because I feel like a lot of people think of songwriting and think of acoustic guitar, which makes sense, but for us, we always work on the piano, and so we get to hear it when it's just my vocals and the piano, and then it's a whole different ball game when you get in the studio with adding all the other instruments in production to it. But our our writing process is very simple. It's just me and her in there and the piano, and we just work it all out, work through it, and if we you know have a block, we say we call it a day, and we'll we like to also live with the lyrics, so even if we finish the song, we're like, hey, let's live with it for a week, listen to it, make sure we love it, and we'll come back and reassess next week before we really get to the next step of wanting to take it to the studio.

Jay Franze 17:20

How do you record your work tape?

SPEAKER_01 17:23

Just with the simple iPhone voice memos. We we keep it very simple.

SPEAKER_02 17:29

It's nice that the phone has advanced.

SPEAKER_01 17:31

Oh, absolutely. Thank God.

Jay Franze 17:34

That's a common practice. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just a work tape. You're just capturing an idea. Then you're gonna go demo the song, hopefully, and you can get the musicians coming and do that, and then you go record the master after that. So it's gonna go through a few stages. Or in some cases, you just go from work tape to master. In your case, did you do a demo before you went in and did the final recording?

SPEAKER_01 18:00

I wouldn't say we did a demo, but usually we have between the producer and myself and Velvet, he'll send us, I guess, what you might consider a demo, and we make sure that everything is up to par and how we want it to sound, and then it will go through the mastering process.

AI In Music And Ethical Demos

SPEAKER_02 18:20

Have you and Velvet played with Suno or any AI to help you guys kind of hear what that's gonna sound like?

SPEAKER_01 18:26

We haven't yet. We've talked about it, or she's more kind of asked me if I've ever messed around with it on my own, and I have never used it. I like AI for certain things, but I don't I don't know how comfortable I am with using AI when it comes to writing or um anything like that. So I don't know. I've never done it.

SPEAKER_04 18:49

Yeah, yeah. I were using away from it.

SPEAKER_01 18:52

Yeah, I I just somebody asked me recently how I felt about AI in the music business and if I felt like AI was gonna take our jobs. And I'm like, AI can't feel emotion, and AI is not gonna come perform live. Like you just AI can't be human, it can't.

SPEAKER_02 19:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:13

Not yet.

SPEAKER_02 19:14

We've had that.

Jay Franze 19:15

Yeah, not yet, right? It's advancing pretty quick. Let's check back next month. I think as far as AI goes, I would never suggest using AI to craft your lyrics, but as far as doing a work tape, there's no reason why you couldn't sing into the recorder and then have AI build the instruments around you. So that way it's you singing, it's your song, your lyrics. You're just using it kind of like you would a drum machine, but it plays drums and guitar and bass and plays everything.

SPEAKER_01 19:48

Okay, I see what you mean. I didn't think about it that way. Yeah, interesting.

Jay Franze 19:52

There's definitely ethical ways to do it and non-ethical ways to do it. Let's put it that way. All right. You said that Velvet helped you almost produce and direct the video so you could perform and stay on top of what you needed to focus on.

When A Vocal Coach Wears Many Hats

Jay Franze 20:08

So how did the management side of the relationship develop in the first place?

SPEAKER_01 20:16

I guess I never thought about that. I mean, so first things first, she really just started as my vocal coach, and then it got to the point of okay, she got to the point of asking me to do I want to audition for any of these shows, such as American Idol, The Voice, all of that. And so she would help me in the process of deciding which one to do, and you know, helping me sign up, and then also following me through the whole process. Even when I went to audition for American Idol, and I believe one time for the voice and one time for American Idol, she actually traveled with me to my audition and everything. I don't want to mislead by saying management role, like she doesn't really do my booking or anything like that, but she just is that person that when it comes to my music business, if I am uncertain about something or have a question, I'm calling her, hey, do you have a minute to talk? I need some advice. So she's kind of a consultant in that way. And then, like I said, of course, co-writes and she plays the piano to bring the lyrics to life, and so just anything that I need, she's always been there for me.

SPEAKER_02 21:29

Fill in all the gaps.

SPEAKER_01 21:30

Yeah, she wears all the hats. It's nice to have somebody like that.

Jay Franze 21:36

She is a godsend, absolutely.

American Idol Auditions And Hollywood Week

Jay Franze 21:39

So you brought up American Idol and the voice. Can you tell us your experience with American Idol?

SPEAKER_01 21:44

Um, yeah, absolutely. Uh American Idol, I went and auditioned for my first time ever. Growing up as a kid, I'd always been obsessed with American Idol, uh, as well as my family. It was kind of our thing to sit down and, you know, when American Idol was Was on. We would sit down and watch every night that it was on. We would be voting on the house on the house phone at the time.

SPEAKER_02 22:10

The landline.

SPEAKER_01 22:11

Yeah, exactly. And so growing up, that was even before I really got into singing. And I guess I didn't really realize the connection I had with American Idol until I got older and deeper into my music career. I don't even know how it got started. I'm sure somebody was probably just talking about how American Idol was starting auditions. Are you gonna do it? And then I just signed up and did it, which was the first season that Luke Bryan, Lionel Ritchie, and Katy Perry were judges. That was the season that I was on.

SPEAKER_02 22:42

How long of a day is that?

SPEAKER_01 22:44

The days are long and the process is even longer. Um we my first audition was in August, I believe, of 2018. And it was in Disney Springs down in Orlando. Yep. It was outside. It was so hot. They had this fenced-in area that they had set up, and then they had little pop-up tents all lined up in there. Yeah, no, no misters. Oh, and there was executive producers and producers all sitting under each tent, and so there was just it was like a cattle call, like you can imagine, with thousands of people. My mom went with me and we got in line at I believe it was like 4:30, five in the morning before the sun came up. We were standing in line. And then we didn't get done with that whole day until about three in the afternoon.

SPEAKER_04 23:43

Wow, okay.

SPEAKER_01 23:44

Yeah, so it was a long day. I did two auditions that day in front of regular producers and then in front of the executive producers. Which come to find out, those two ladies that were the executive producers, I find out later down the road they were kind of the chiefs when it came to making decisions later down the road. Alright, so how did you find that out later down the road? During during Hollywood week, not to skip any parts. So August is what my first audition. October was when I did my second round of auditions, which was in front of the actual judges.

Jay Franze 24:21

And where was that was in Georgia?

SPEAKER_01 24:24

And that was kind of the same process. We got to get in line at seven in the morning this time, so that was a little better.

SPEAKER_02 24:31

You got to sleep in slept in. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 24:34

And that one you were actually allowed to bring pretty much as many people as you wanted. So I brought 30 people with me. The whole hipster clan. And we had matching shirts with this logo that I created. We had neon pink and neon green shirts. They had this, you know, those big head signs that you can make for yourself? Yes, they had those made up on sticks. They had, I mean, they did it all. And we really had fun with that trip, needless to say. So we did that, and that was in October. That was actually my 18th birthday. I auditioned on my birthday. Oh, nice. Oh, cool. And I didn't get back to the hotel that night until about one in the morning.

SPEAKER_04 25:21

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 25:22

So that was an all-day thing. Now, some of my people throughout the day, they they could leave. They didn't have to stay, so some of the 30 people they did not stay till one in the morning.

Jay Franze 25:35

They were very dedicated friends and family.

SPEAKER_01 25:37

Exactly. I don't blame them. I would have left if I could. Uh so then after that, you of course wait until I believe it was the end of January or February that they flew us. There's a big gap because they got to finish all the cities of auditions with the judges now. And so I think they flew about 150 of us to Hollywood. That was somewhere around January, February. They fly us all out there. They put us up in hotels. We stayed in the Roosevelt. I don't know if you're familiar with that uh historical hotel there, which was really cool because I'd never been to I'd been to Vegas, but I'd never been to that side of California and Hollywood and all that. So then they fly us out and we go straight into getting assigned to our rooms where you get randomly assigned a roommate, so you get to make friends. And um you're allowed to make friends. Yeah, you're allowed to make friends. And then it it really was straight in the next morning. You gotta be up at 6 a.m., camera ready, down in the lobby, emphasis on camera ready. So you're up at five because you're lucky enough to be a dude.

SPEAKER_02 27:00

Or a dude.

SPEAKER_01 27:01

Exactly. I feel bad for the girls. They had to get up probably at four. Um and then they take yeah, and then they take us over to the Dolby Theater, which is where Hollywood Week was hosted, which was also, I mean, again, that's one of those things that I forget that I had that opportunity. Like I was in the Dolby Theater, performed on the stage there, mind-blowing, honestly, and sometimes I forget about it.

SPEAKER_02 27:29

The celebrity judges.

SPEAKER_01 27:31

It was when I first auditioned in front of them in Savannah, I feel like I kind of had one of those moments where you just black out. Because people always ask me about how the audition was, and I honestly, I mean, I don't I don't really remember. I just know that it happened and I was there and it was awesome. I got a gold ticket, but the whole in-between part, I don't I really don't remember. And I I guess that's normal in moments like that. Your brain just kind of is so excited.

SPEAKER_04 28:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:03

I'm of course still friends with some of the other contestants just because being with them that long and you're seeing each other every day, like you're you're gonna uh have some kind of bond, especially a closer bond with some closer than others. And so I still talk to them. I was actually just talking to Noah Davis last week, and we got to catch up on FaceTime. He moved to California, so he's been living there pretty much I think maybe a year or two after our season, and he's doing well. So it was technically the first season on ABC when they moved over moved uh stations, but I believe overall it would have been the 16th season. Uh Maddie Poppy was the winner of that season, and of course Caleb Lee Hutchinson was second, Gabby Barrett was third, which everybody knows Gabby Barrett nowadays. Really? Yeah, that was the season that I was doing.

SPEAKER_02 29:01

Did you end up making a connection with her?

SPEAKER_01 29:02

I I didn't. She was one that kind of I feel like she's your wife. Yeah, you know, married. No, actually, so her husband and her husband Cade was also a contestant that season, and that's how they met. Exactly. Thank you. Yeah. And Maddie Poppy and Caleb Lee actually were dating when the season ended. They don't date anymore, but that's a different story. Um there's a there's a lot of that going on behind the scenes, probably more than you would think. Um, just people, you know, getting into relationships, connecting. I was just more there to make friends. I enjoyed a great time in Hollywood. What happens in Hollywood stays in Hollywood. Apparently not. It's too late for that. Not if I'm there. What was your favorite part? Um I I would think making the connections, but that's just because I'm a people person. As far as my favorite part of my whole experience, I would say my top 50 performance, because that's when they brought in a live audience. Um and we had, I would venture to say that it was probably about a 12-piece band behind us, you know, three backup singers, the whole shebang. So getting to do that in front of a live audience, I think there's about 300, 400 people there. That, and of course, the judges were there. That was definitely my favorite part, but that's because that's where I thrive, is in front of a live audience.

Jay Franze 30:39

What did you perform?

SPEAKER_01 30:40

I performed Somebody Else Will by Justin Moore. And what was the reaction like? The crowd loved it. They ate it up. I don't know if they were paid actors, I don't know, but I I felt great about it.

SPEAKER_02 30:56

What was the feedback from the judges?

SPEAKER_01 30:59

They were very impressed and they loved the performance, but at the end of the day, they got a TV show to make and they had a big cut from 50 to 25. So that's where I ended up getting cut. And there, but I mean, all throughout the competition, there were people that got cut before me that I was just mind-blowing because they were so talented. There were so many talented people, and that was probably another favorite part of mine, just getting to witness all of the talent that there is out there from all over the country.

Stand Up And Country Values

SPEAKER_02 31:31

Stand up, one of the other songs that you've recorded. It's a very patriotic song. So, can you talk a little bit about how your family has instilled those values in you?

SPEAKER_01 31:43

Yeah, absolutely. So growing up, I lived a very simple country life. Not, and when I say country, I don't mean like I grew up on a farm. I wasn't riding horses and wrangling cows. Um, dear to school. Exactly. Um, when I say country, I like to think of it as meaning a way of life, meaning like who you are as a person. And so I grew up just very simple. We didn't have a lot, but we had love, and we are just, I was raised to be, you know, respectful of others. Yes, ma'am, no, sir. I still get all the time, you know, I'll be in the grocery store and I'll say yes, ma'am, and they're like, you don't have to do that, or they'll be like, I'm younger than you. It'll be like a 15-year-old, and I'm just like, it's a habit. I don't know. I'm sorry, I can't help it. Or sometimes northerners, I come across northerners, they don't like that a lot.

SPEAKER_02 32:39

No, I tried to say it to my dad, and my dad was like, Tiffany, I'm your dad. And I was like, right, but like down here, we just say that all the time.

SPEAKER_01 32:46

Down down here?

SPEAKER_02 32:47

That doesn't make it a lot of that uh but um shh, another song that Steven wrote.

SPEAKER_01 32:52

Yeah, so just to keep on with the stand-up, I mean, my grandparents, my both of my grandfathers, you know, served in the Navy, and some of my uncles were in the Navy, Air Force. So I just was surrounded by people that served our country, and my parents instilled in me those morals and love our country, love your family, love our freedom, and that's been my whole life. I think that is part of what I say when I mean like something that is country, like that's country to me, um, is loving your country. And so that song Stand Up came to life probably in 2020, 2022, I think it was, 2023. Gosh, that doesn't seem like it was that long ago, but I guess it was. And that was a crazy time in our country, as we know, and that's kind of where the inspiration for that song came from, just talking about what what are we doing, where have we gone, and let's get back to you know the premise of what this country was built on family, faith, freedom, and just love one another and come together. Yeah.

Jay Franze 34:07

What was the response from people when you played the song?

SPEAKER_01 34:11

I still get a reaction and a response every time I play that song. I play it at just about every show. And there's a lot of times that I'll be singing it, and wherever I'm singing at, everybody stands on their feet. Everybody will stand up. And that's a really awesome feeling just to know that like my words, my lyrics, my song has that power and that you know effect on other people, and and it gives that sign of hope, like, okay, we have we we're not totally lost, you know. And there's other people out there that are just like me and my family.

Singing The Anthem For The Jaguars

Jay Franze 34:49

But you also play the national anthem and you play it in big events if you performed at the Jags game. So kind of similar thing, but this time they're forced to stand up.

SPEAKER_01 35:00

Absolutely.

Jay Franze 35:02

You play in front of that many people doing something like that. Do you get nervous when you step out on the field?

SPEAKER_01 35:08

Um so I don't feel like I've ever gotten nervous. Uh I like to say I turn my nervousness into more like an anxious, excited feeling. Um, I I feel like it's kind of the same feeling mentally. It's just a matter of how you want to use it. And I choose to use it as excitement. And again, I'm just that type of person. I want to soak in the moment. I want to enjoy it. And when you let the nerves take over, you kind of forget to do that.

Jay Franze 35:41

Well, that's what I wanted to know. When you're singing in front of that many people and you're looking out at a sea of people, do you remember it?

SPEAKER_02 35:49

I well, and that was a playoff game, right?

Jay Franze 35:51

It was.

SPEAKER_01 35:52

We played the Tennessee Titans. Yeah, that was a big game for us. Oh, that's gonna be tough.

Jay Franze 35:57

You're playing against Tennessee and you're wanting to be a country star.

SPEAKER_01 36:00

I I know, I know. Well, I was kind of thinking about is it is that hopefully somebody on their side would see me and maybe I could perform it at their stadium next.

Jay Franze 36:08

Yeah, they don't want you if you're performing, you know, you're kind of like singing against them.

SPEAKER_01 36:12

I know. I was wearing Jaguar colors too. I had to, it's my hometown. Um, I do I do remember that moment, and that's only because I guess I just really soak that in. I will say when I was in front of the judges, I was younger then. I definitely let my nerves take over, and so maybe that's why I don't remember as well. But when I was in that stadium, and I mean it was a beautiful day, and I had been there for hours beforehand because you know you get there early, they serve you food, and they put you in the green room. I got to have my parents with me, I had my bar parents with me, and my best friend Allie. And so it was just the the whole experience leading up to that was, I guess, relaxing in a way because you kind of get there and get settled in, and so all the nerves went away. But yeah, just walking out on that field with the stadium full and knowing that I'm about to sing my favorite song to perform was an amazing feeling for sure. Just real quick, bar parents. Yes, yes, so my friends Jimmy and Lori, they're my parents' age, but I met them at the bar, you know, we were all out listening to live music, and I met them years ago. This was kind of before I was really performing out like I do now, and we were listening to somebody else, another local musician, and we connected, and then they started following me and coming to all my shows, and now we've just bonded and they've basically become family, and so I call them my bar parents.

Jay Franze 37:54

Alright, fair enough. The other thing you said was this is your favorite song to perform. It's not an easy song to perform, so what is your favorite part of the performance?

SPEAKER_01 38:07

Um, well, I would usually say my favorite part of the performance is the flyover, but I've never actually got to have a flyover with the jets, you know, going flying over. Um, and we were supposed to have it that day, and I was so excited for it, but it was too overcast or cloudy, I should say. It wasn't overcast. I mean the sun was out, but the clouds were just hanging just enough too low, and so it wasn't safe for them to do the flyover. So that was a kind of a bummer because I was looking forward to getting my first flyover because that would have been my favorite part.

Jay Franze 38:44

I meant your favorite part to sing.

SPEAKER_01 38:46

Oh, my favorite part to sing. My favorite part to sing is probably the the high note, the falsetto, even though that's kind of the scariest part, because that's really where you're you're you're getting up there in probably the highest part of your range. But I think it's more of the adrenaline. I'm an adrenaline junkie, and that's just like everybody's waiting for that part, and so knowing that and knowing what I'm going to deliver is exciting for me.

Jay Franze 39:17

Do you alter the melody at all?

SPEAKER_01 39:20

Uh I actually try to keep it straight straight to how it you know originally is, and I guess probably the story behind that: less is more, simple is better, but as I have sung the national anthem over the years at different events, I would have specifically veterans when I'm walking around the event or the stadium that I'm at afterwards stopping me and just saying, thank you for staying true to the original song and not doing too much or changing it too much. And so I realize how much people appreciate that. And so I would listen to how other people maybe would do extra runs or or change the melody, and I respected and understood why they appreciated it so much.

Jay Franze 40:09

I definitely prefer when it stays traditional.

SPEAKER_01 40:12

Yeah, it's I I think it's

Landing Country Fest In Jacksonville

SPEAKER_01 40:14

better.

SPEAKER_02 40:14

Like I said, less is more now on June 13th. You are gonna be at Country Fest at the Seawalk Pavilion, opening up for Ashley Cook. I am super excited. That's one of my favorite events that happens in Jacksonville. Tell us a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_01 40:32

First of all, I'm so stoked for that because I've wanted to play this event for years now.

SPEAKER_02 40:38

It's gonna be hot.

SPEAKER_01 40:39

Oh gosh, I know. I haven't even I gotta figure out what I'm gonna wear. I don't even know. I haven't made it that far. Top and shorts and flip-flops. I'm probably gonna wear jeans and boots, but I'll figure out a comfortable, cool top to wear. Like I said, I'm super excited about it. This is gonna be my first time. And there's actually a really awesome artist, Fuller, that is coming from Nashville, who's also playing. And he's somebody that I had just discovered when I moved to Nashville and had been living there for the past year. So I'm like really excited that our paths are gonna cross again here in Florida and in my hometown. I actually messaged him the other day and was like, hey, when are you getting here? Like, I have a show the night before if you and the boys want to come hang out, or if you want to come jump up and do a couple songs, you're more than welcome to.

SPEAKER_04 41:31

Oh yeah, cool.

SPEAKER_01 41:32

So um, I'm I'm really looking forward to it. I think it's gonna be an awesome event, and I think it's gonna be a good time.

SPEAKER_02 41:39

How did that opportunity come to be?

SPEAKER_01 41:43

Somebody just told me, um, well, I say somebody, Amadeus from 99.1 Gator Country, he told me that he had connections with the people that do the booking there. So he connected me with them. I sent an email, and then we got on a call. And unfortunately, they had already kind of had everything set up, the the lineup. Yeah, um, so they didn't have time to fit me in as a full band. He was like, We can fit you in next year, whatever. And I was like, is there any way you can squeeze me in this year? I just really want to perform. Yeah, and so she said, We can do an acoustic set. And I said, Perfect, whatever, I'm there. I I just want to be there.

SPEAKER_02 42:26

That is so cool. When you posted that, I was like, no freaking way.

SPEAKER_01 42:31

It's all about who you know.

SPEAKER_02 42:33

Oh, for sure. Love

Gratitude For Velvet And Final Words

SPEAKER_02 42:35

it.

Jay Franze 42:35

That is awesome, sir. Well, we like to do this thing here. We give you the opportunity to thank somebody who works behind the scenes or somebody who may have supported you along the way. Is there anybody that you would like to thank or shine a little light on?

SPEAKER_01 42:50

I would love to really shine a light for Velvet, my voice coach. I mean, I know we talked about her a lot in this interview, but she is uh she's changed my life, changed my career, and she's someone that will be there till the end. I know that in my heart, and she wants, she just wants to see me succeed. She has believed in me, and I am very appreciative for that. She I say she's more than a just a voice coach, she's sometimes my therapist. Sometimes I just go in, we won't write or work on vocals or anything. We'll just sit there and talk. Sometimes it's good to have somebody that's been, you know, in my shoes, because she's she was a singer, she lived in Nashville, she's been through it all. So it's it's nice to have someone in your corner that un really understands everything.

Jay Franze 43:42

Very nice.

Closing And Where To Connect

Jay Franze 43:44

All right. Well, we have done it. We have reached the top of the hour, which does mean we have reached the end of the show. If you've enjoyed the show, please tell a friend and Miss Tiffany if you have not.

SPEAKER_04 43:52

Tell two.

Jay Franze 43:54

You can reach out to all three of us tonight over at jforenzy.com. We will keep this or any other conversation going. Steve, my friend, you are our guest. We would like to leave the final words over to you.

SPEAKER_01 44:06

Thank you so much for having me and check out my music anywhere that you listen to music.

Jay Franze 44:12

All right, folks, on that note, have a good night.