Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Leah Marie Fuls . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Leah Marie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

If I could go back in time, I wish that I had started my music career a little earlier. I have been singing since I was a little girl and I started playing guitar when I was in high school. I wish I would have started playing guitar at an earlier age, but I was still finding the right instrument for me. I wish that I had recorded songs in a recording studio sooner because that would have given me the experience and confidence that I needed. I tend to be a perfectionist, so a lot of practice and experience makes me feel comfortable. I didn’t start performing out or playing shows until I was in my early 20’s because I had major stage fright. I practiced by playing in front of friends, family, and family-friends, but I wish I would have put myself out there in front of unknown audiences sooner.

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 introduction to the music industry was first by playing at open mics and by winning first place in a singing competition at my County Farmer’s Fair. After this, I started recording songs that I had written and I released my first EP titled “You’re Never Gone.” After this, I started performing more often and at many different venues with just me and my guitar. I finally put a band together and we played bigger shows and got more of a following.

I more recently recorded some songs in Nashville with producer Bill Warner and I worked with his wife Kirsti Manna (who wrote Blake Shelton’s “Austin”). I worked with Kirsti one on one learning more about songwriting and the artist I wanted to be, as well as attending her songwriting camp. The three songs I recorded with Bill Warner are my most recent released songs and they are titled: “Louisiana,” “Heartbreak Hangover,” and “Sinning on Sunday.”

I also am proud that I took home two Josie Music Awards. This award show is for independent artists from all over the world and it’s the largest award show out there. I am still honored that I was not only nominated alongside many other talented artists, but that I won. Hearing your name being announced as the winner is an amazing feeling and being honored for your hard work is indescribable. Independent artists have it tough because we don’t have the support that signed artists do. I am so grateful for Josie Passantino, Tinamarie Passantino, and the rest of the Josie Music Awards family for giving independent artists a chance and a place to be recognized. And I’m grateful that I am nominated in a couple of categories this year!

I think what I’m most proud of is the work I have put in as independent artist and learning along the way. As I previously mentioned, independent artists don’t have sponsors or an agent. I book the shows, I write the songs, and I come up with the ideas for promotion. Even with all of this, I can’t say I do this all on my own. I have great support from my family. My dad taught me how to play guitar and I would have never been able to record those songs in Nashville without my mom. My husband helped inspire the title of my most recent song and my aunt does my PR and some photography for me and she’s great at it. I think that in itself is unique, the support from my family to help me along my musical journey. Some families don’t support this dream at all and some families are right there performing on stage along eachother. Mine are in the background cheering me on, but never forgotten and always greatly appreciated by me for what they have done.

What also makes me unique and proud is that I have a great support system and fan base that I’ve had for a long time! These fans are the most supportive people and have become friends and extended family. I would have never met them if it weren’t for playing so many different shows. I am always happy when they take the time to say hello and for their kinds words about my voice and music. I also am proud of how I have developed my artistry and voice over the years. I have a sound that doesn’t box myself into just one genre, but multiple genres that I love such as Country, Pop, Folk, Americana, Rock, and Blues.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think that non-creatives struggle to understand creatives and their journey. I think that non-creatives don’t understand entirely the want and the hunger for a dream. There’s nothing wrong with it, but sometimes people cannot understand unless they are truly experiencing something themselves. I think a non-creative could accept failure and move on a little more quickly than a creative person could. We put all of ourselves into our art and we want to see it reach a certain level, and if that doesn’t happen right away or at all, it could really break the spirit of a creative person. So we just keep creating our art that we love and hope that others will love it too.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Building your audience on social media can be really tough. And I feel like it has been slow, but surely for myself personally. I think the most important piece of advice I could give is to put yourself out there on all of the social media platforms. Get rid of that “stage fright” I mentioned that I had earlier on in life. You never know which social media platform will be the most successful for you, so you might as well try them all. For instance, you might think you’ll have a bigger following on YouTube, but it turns out your biggest following is on Instagram. Also, if you don’t understand how a social media platform works, you should take the time to learn it so that you can utilize it to help you get to the level you want to be at. Technology is a tool that we all need to know and learn today. Since it is something we cannot avoid, we might as well use it to our advantage.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.leahfuls.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leahmariefuls?igsh=dWJqcDV6MjVqbXZz
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/JojSASrqrM4yB4NM/?mibextid=qi2Omg
• Twitter: https://x.com/leahmariefuls
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCFX1mL_ns6uYqw8AB5rPEtg?si=wYYV4HasiF0jdmJh

Image Credits

Carly Weaver

Rachel Peri