Ashley McBryde

Rising star, Carter Faith, is an artist that leaves it all on the page, and in this episode she talks honestly about being true to the artist you are and not censoring yourself to compete for the most airplay. She also discusses the sound of her ACM nominated album, Cherry Valley, and why she wanted her debut record to be "something you could really sink your teeth into."

If Country songwriting is defined by storytelling, then shouldn’t all stories be included? This week’s guest has made it his mission to combine queer stories with the genre that he grew up loving, without diluting himself in the process. Fancy Hagood has been on a journey of self-discovery since he left his home in Arkansas for the bright lights of Nashville when he was just 17, and as he shares in this episode, it’s been a turbulent ride…Fancy has always taken up space in defiance of school bullies and industry nay-sayers, emboldened by a strong and supportive family and a musicality that feels anointed. Here, he shares many stories from that journey, including what it was like coming out to his Christian family, how pop fame in L.A. crushed his self-esteem, and ultimately, how he turned disappointment into gratitude and found freedom and community as an independent artist.

Heavens To Betsy hitmaker, Jackson Dean, is a man who loves to travel and takes great inspiration from the natural landscapes he finds himself in, so who better to be our guest on Country Roads! Jackson traces this back to his upbringing in Odenton, Maryland, where he grew up exploring the sprawling woods and the east coast. Jackson also speaks a lot about family; his ancestral ties to Germany and Scotland, how he was seeking his father’s approval as a young person, and how being the youngest in the family meant he was exposed to lots of different music in his early years. He also reveals what it was like living in his grandfather’s tack room for two years, then moving from Maryland to Nashville, and how writing songs with other people initially blew his mind.

Angie K joins Ben to talk about how her El Salvadorian roots and her upbringing in Georgia have both influenced her music, and the joy of being an independent artist and growing your audience organically. Angie tells us the stories behind some of her most transportative songs like Laredo, and how living in El Salvador as a child was both beautiful and dangerous. She gets emotional speaking about the full circle moment she had thanks to her choir teacher, and speaks openly and honestly about being a gay artist in Country music. Angie also shares stories from some of the happiest times in her life when she worked on a cruise ship and how that inevitably led to her meeting her wife, as well as what it was like singing in front of her childhood hero on The Voice!

Mae Estes is country through and through, but as she explains in this episode, when she arrived in Nashville she felt too country for country! Fast forward 10 years and all her hard work is paying off, as people are falling in love with her throwback sound, her powerful voice, and her smart storytelling. Here, she tells Ben about her young life in Arkansas, and how some of the tough things she went through ended up being the perfect material for writing country songs. She explains how she learned early on the importance of hard work and how that could be her ticket out of her hometown, but the more she achieves in music, Mae admits that she grapples with what success means to her. Mae also shares one of the best full circle moments when it comes to the Grand Ole Opry, and recounts a real story that will restore your faith in love again.