We were lucky to catch up with Elizabeth Mary recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Elizabeth thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” A midnight toast on New Year’s Eve 2018 set my solo music career in motion. At this time, I was currently working for my career job at the National Mississippi River Musuem & Aquarium as the Retail Manager/Buyer. The retirement of my 9 year run with my cover band, Zero 2 Sixty gave me the opportunity to revisit my years of songwriting. In April 2018, I recorded and released my six- track debut EP Album, “Dance with the Fear”. My single, “Mirror, Mirror” was picked up by regional radio and began steaming nationwide.
I followed my own advice of “Dancing with the Fear” and decided to resign from my job of 14 years. At the time, this was a huge leap of faith. I was absolutely terrified to make the jump into music. I made the decision and just went for it. One month later, I was opening for 90’s country star, Collin Raye. After the success of my first EP, I decided to head back to the studio and record a new single, “Breathe in Girl”. Breathe in Girl was an instant success and prompted me to record a 14 full length album. My album released November of 2019 and had 5 singles in rotation on regional country radio.
While releasing new music, I decided to use my retail background and create a clothing line around my lyrics and song titles. My clothing line has become a huge success and accompanies each new single I release. It embodies positive messages with a very loyal following of repeat customers.
To this day I continue to dance with the fear, constantly dreaming and pushing myself with my life of music. My music has been streamed and downloaded all over the world. I fill my schedule with 150+ shows per year performing as a solo act, duo with my fiancé and with my full band. Over the past 4 years I had the privilege of sharing the stage with legends including Clint Black, Lorrie Morgan, Jordan Davis, LANCO, Air Supply, Lonestar and many others. I made the leap, followed my dreams and have never looked back.
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
My name is Elizabeth Mary! I am a full-time musician living a life of music in Madison, Wisconsin playing 150 shows a year. I am mom by day and a performer by night.
Raised on a dairy farm in rural Iowa, music has always been a constant in my life. I got my first taste of performing in local choirs and talent shows in my community. At age 22, I became lead singer for the local well-known, cover band. During the 8-year run with the band, I earned a loyal fan base and refined my craft of performing at local venues and large festivals.
“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” A midnight toast on New Year’s Eve 2018 set my solo career in motion. The retirement of the cover band gave me the opportunity to revisit my years of songwriting. In April 2018, I recorded and released my six-track debut EP Album, “Dance with the Fear”. My single, “Mirror, Mirror” was picked up by regional radio and began steaming nationwide.
In September 2018, I had the opportunity to open for national country act Collin Raye. Building on that success, I set out to record a new single in the fall of 2018. “Breathe in Girl”, released in October 2018, touched many listeners with its honest and vulnerable lyrics — “I hate to spoil the ending but you’re going to be ok.”
Following the success of “Breathe in Girl”, I went right back to the studio to begin work on my full-length album. My highly anticipated 14 track, all original album, “Meet Me in Madison” released in November 2019. My lyrics now reach farther than just the music. With a background in retail merchandise and design, I released a clothing line featuring her lyrics and positive messages from my music. My apparel is featured online and in local boutiques.
After becoming a mom in early 2021, I added author to my resume turning my newest acoustic single, “Share Your Shine” into a children’s book. I self-published my book and have sold close to 800 copies. Eager to get back out on the road in 2021, my band qualified to perform in the Hodag Country Music Festival in July 2021 in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. The band took first place and won the competition earning the title of “2021 Wisconsin’s Best Country Band”.
Since 2018, I have had the pleasure to open for artists including Clint Black, Black Hawk, Lorrie Morgan, Air Supply, Joran Davis, LANCO, Thompson Square. I am so blessed to live this musical life. Whether I am performing solo, as a duo or with my full band, I leave my heart out on the stage at every performance.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
One the most rewarding aspects of being a singer-songwriter is connecting with my fans through my lyrics. My songs are real, raw and relatable. I receive many messages and emails per week from someone who shares their story with me about how my music has helped them or how they can relate to my music. To be able to relate to a wide demographic is so gratifying.
I am able to share my music and my life through social media. I pride myself of being organic and real. My fans have seen me go through the ups and downs of life including a public divorce, falling in love, becoming a mom. Being able to take my fans along the ride give my them context to relate to my music.
This past year I added author to my resume. I released my first children’s book, “Share Your Shine”. This book came from the lyrics of my newly released single “Share Your Shine” written for my son Elliott. I wrote the song while feeding Elliott in the middle of night when was about 6 weeks old. The song is filled with affirmations and things I want him to remember as he navigates through life. I aways say that I will never be able to solve the world’s problems but I can share my shine by making people smile through my music. Since the release of the song and the book, I have gone into daycares, libraries and schools to sings and read to the kids. Making an impact on the littles is so important to me.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
2020 proved to be challenging year for many artists. I turned a dark year for the music industry into a time to connect with fans across the country on another level. After the cancellation of over 100 shows, I decided to host a live virtual show via Facebook Live on Tuesday nights called “Sweatpants and Wine” named after my song, Sweatpants and Wine from the album.
My debut show reached over 36,000 viewers making local and regional news. Sweatpants and Wine continued into 2021 with over 50 episodes and won Silver in Best of Madison Virtual Performance of 2020 through Madison Magazine. The silver lining of it was I was able to watch my music spread across the world!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.elizabethmarymusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmarymusic/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/musicbyelizabethmary
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPHsgB4ZEK7tz8C3KwS8dPw