Our family is growing fast. I admit that it is getting hard to keep up with all the messages and emails coming my way. Normally, I could spend a month or more getting to know the ins and outs of an artist. This year I had to reduce the time to two weeks to keep up with the growing list. I am not complaining by any means. It warms my heart to know so many people want to be part of our family. I’m merely having to find a way to adapt while still providing an in-depth perspective of each artist. Country music artist Tori Martin is my first interview after these changes. The most significant difference between her and the artists before her was her introduction came through a publicist.

Having such an introduction is not groundbreaking. It is how things are done in the music business. I have worked to avoid this as much as possible. As an interviewer, you want to know an artist in their raw form and not filtered through someone else. I never want to see anyone fail. I just want to see the whole person. The good, the bad, and the ugly. We all have these qualities, and knowing all sides helps me connect the artist to you. Taking them off a pedestal and putting them in the chair next to you has always been my goal.

What does Tori Martin have to do with all of this? At first, my worries felt validated. I read all the press releases, watched the YouTube videos, and went over the emails from the publicist with a fine-toothed comb. Tori Martin was squeaky clean, and polished. There was literally a wall of sequins I was trying to find my way through. I finally found an opening during our first interview. It did feel a little rushed, but that first phone call was perfect. Tori was in a parking lot in between meetings and a little rushed herself. She had no other choice but to open up and be direct. So I got to dig deeper than I initially thought was going to be possible. There were a few things I pulled from that conversation.

First thing’s first. The glitz, glam, over-the-top pink, and sequins are 100% Tori. The difference between her and some other artist I have come across is that’s for her. She is not trying to overcompensate or be someone else. Secondly, Tori Martin is confident, but at the same time one of the most humble artists I have ever met. She knows how to reach for the stars while keeping her feet rooted to the ground. Having her feet rooted enables her to resist the one-off trends and lose herself chasing someone else’s shadow.

When I first listen to “What Would Dolly Do?”, Tori’s latest single, I thought she was trying to chase a shadow, and I was wrong. After listening to it more times than I can count, I realized the title, which also serves as the hook, was a little deceiving. The song is  more about Tori Martin reflecting on her own life and career. This single is Tori looking at what her hero has done. Then looking at her own path and finding her own magic to success.

Anything negative about Tori is subjective at best, but I do have one gripe. I hope Tori forgives me for going off-script. It’s a fact that I have interviewed a ton of female artists. By doing so, I have had the opportunity to interact with many of them and their fans. There is a topic that comes up in many of those conversations. It’s hard for me to describe the situation as a guy, but Tori does a fantastic job at it. “Loney Boy” is a song that I know is going to resonate with so many women. It may not be a song that you will jam out to going down the road, but it’s going to pull at your soul.  It should have been one of the first singles released from her album “Lucky.” That’s just my humble opinion. I think more women need to “go there” and discuss uncomfortable topics. Hitting a nerve is sometimes what it takes to get people to feel the way you do. Let’s get to the interview!