We were lucky to catch up with Becky Denton recently and have shared our conversation below.
Becky, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I was in college/grad school when things began to stir about being in music and becoming a singer on a bigger scale. I was attending college in Columbia, MO (Mizzou), when a former boss gave me an old guitar; I think he had heard me singing. I played around with it a little, and then in graduate school at Warrensburg, MO (UCM), I took my first guitar lesson. I wasn’t good, but I was interested. One of my first ‘live gigs’ was at a bar in Columbia; a friend let me come and sing a few songs w/ his 2-piece band. Several of my friends and family came and supported me; that night was a lot of fun, and I felt happy and loved. I remember it was December, 2002, when I realized the feeling of wanting to pursue a music career was not going away. Soon after I finished grad school, I started working full-time in the field of Speech Pathology, but I was intent on pursuing my dreams, so any spare time I had, I would often work on music. For the next two years, I traveled a lot in my car to see clients. I would put in a CD (often a karaoke track), memorize lyrics, and sing my heart out in between stops. After doing several solo gigs with karaoke tracks, I decided I was going to learn how to actually play that guitar, so I bought a VCR tape and book and really made myself learn the basics, so I could accompany myself for gigs.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I love to sing and perform. My parents said I sang before I spoke my first words. I took piano lessons when I was younger and had vocal lessons in high school. I was also active in band, theatre, and choir. I was a cheerleader in middle/high school and one year in college, so I got a lot of “performance training” in that way as well. I wrote my first song and made my first trip to Nashville in 2005. I put my first band together in 2006. For many years, I worked extensively in the field of Speech-Language Pathology, while also building a career in music. In 2019, I released my first full-length album, Fire & Grace. I have been making the trip back & forth to Nashville from northeast Missouri for several years.
In September of 2023, I released a 4-song EP — It Feels Good. I’m proud of the work everyone has put into it, and I have a second batch of songs that I’ll be releasing this year. I’m looking forward to sharing the new music!!
As far as discipline, there are some things I try to maintain daily to help support my career as a singer and performer.
Things like eating healthy, staying active/exercising, getting enough rest, taking time to read, and going through vocal scales are things I try to do each day. When I have a live performance coming up (especially if it’s a 2-3 hour acoustic set), I ramp up on rehearsing the songs. I like to have playlists on my phone, so I can pull them up at any time and rehearse. I recently got some wireless earbuds, and I love them because I can multitask so much better, haha! :) I can cook dinner, have one earbud in listening to a track, and still hear what’s going on with everybody at home. I try to stay connected online with my fans as much as I can through my social media sites and mailing list.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
For me, I can say these are some of the biggest ways that people have supported my art.
1. Came to a live show. 3. Bought a CD or downloaded my music. 3. Bought merchandise. 4. Used a song of mine w/ a social media post or for advertising purposes. 5. Participated in a crowd-funding campaign (I did one of these for my EP and am still blown away that people supported me in creating a record). 6. Joined my mailing list. 7. Liked and/or followed my media pages. 8. Streamed my music. 9. Took the time to leave a comment on a post. 10. Shared a post. 11. Shared w/ me how my music has impacted them; when people come up to me after a show or write to me saying how my music made them feel something, that means everything.
I am incredibly grateful for all of these things.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My goal is to make a real connection with people and help them feel something w/ my music. My passion is singing and performing, whether it’s solo or with a full band. I think God gave each of us a unique set of skills and desires, and it’s up to us to figure out what those things are, develop them, and share them with others.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.beckydenton.com
- Instagram: @beckydentonmusic
- Facebook: @beckydentonmusic
- Linkedin: Becky Denton Music
- Youtube: @beckydentonmusic