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

Alright, Mary thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Something that’s crazy about the music industry is that no two stories about people “making it” look identical. But I have found a trend between the top people in the music world: They have a ton of resilience. They work super hard and just keep going, no matter how many people doubt them, tell them “no”, and no matter how many times they have to pivot. In my own life, if I hadn’t put my blinders on and worked as hard as I could, there’s literally no way I’d currently have two songs on the Billboard Charts as an independent songwriter. That’s a dream come true for any songwriter, let alone one who is unsigned. God definitely opened so many doors for me and I wouldn’t be where I am without people giving me a shot to write with them, but if I hadn’t stayed super determined to keep going, the dreams wouldn’t be coming true.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a singer/songwriter based out of Nashville — grew up in Springfield, Kentucky and when I graduated from school, I was playing different shows around the area to make ends meet. I got offered a job to host a weekly music variety show on a TV/Radio station right outside of Louisville, and that’s where my Nashville journey began.

I’d have different artists and hit writers on the show where they’d perform and I’d interview them. Several of the show guests found out I did music and they invited me to write with them in Nashville. Just like most things, the music industry is a super small world and as I started writing with people, I’d get connected with other writers I was told I should work with. Before I knew it, I was coming back and forth to Nashville 2-4x a week for writing sessions.

Finally moving to Nashville on the tail end of 2017, I started hosting writing rounds in the local music scene. I remember the last show I hosted, within 10 months, I had just under 500 different artists perform on the show. It was a HUGE eye opener to me, seeing how everyone in Nashville is talented, but being “good” would never be good enough. It was a crash course on songwriting and how to write songs that could cut through the noise of all the “good” in town.

When Covid hit, I immediately switched to zoom writing. Since live shows were non-existent and the industry was essentially paused, I realized that the only thing I had control over was how many sessions I could be part of and what I actually created in the room. In 2021 I had 397 sessions…and this year, some of the seeds I planted started sprouting.

This year has been a whirlwind in the best way. I’ve had music placed in movies, TV Shows, commercials… I’ve had music I’ve written hit #1 on iTunes Charts, had music on every single editorial playlist on digital streaming platforms, 2 dozen songs I’ve written have went viral with different artists on social media…and I currently have two songs on the Billboard Charts, which is crazy because I’m still an unsigned writer. That’s a dream to have a single song on the charts, but to have TWO is just a dream. And my artistry has had its fire LIT this year, with three releases happening after the songs went viral on TikTok. I know it’s still just the beginning of my career, but wowzers, I am so grateful for this ride.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I first moved to Nashville, I had two separate meetings with two very powerful male executives in the music industry. One of the men told me “girls can’t write country music” and the other said with my “level of talent” I should “just move home” — I remember calling my Dad after the second meeting crying. In my mind, these two guys had done some pretty big things in the industry and surely they would know what they were talking about, right? But in my gut, I could sense some serious sexism, which I didn’t realize was even still such a thing.

I told my Dad what happened on the phone and he very calmly replied, “Mary, this is what you’re going to do: You’re going to roll up your sleeves and work harder than anyone else in town. And you are going to prove them wrong. And who knows, maybe one day you’ll be able to thank them for pushing you to work hard and reach your dreams.”

And I really took Dad’s words to heart. I put blinders on, decided to ignore any naysayers, and worked my very hardest. And it’s been really cool hitting different milestones this year — a couple months ago I hit 50 million streams as a songwriter, now have hit the charts with two different songs, and I’m really grateful for my Dad flipping a moment in my life that could’ve been a dream breaker into a pivotal moment in my life.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Right before the pandemic, my world was really picking up with some huge business doors opening. I had been told I was having a song going to country radio that I had written, I was in talks with different publishing companies in town, and then the pandemic hit…and every single business thing in the works went cold.

I realized that a lot of things I had been banking on weren’t going to be happening anytime soon and the only thing I had control over was how many writing sessions I could be part of and what I actually created in the sessions. So, I booked writing sessions every single day (including weekends) during the pandemic and it was during that period that I wrote some of the songs that changed the trajectory of my career.

I’m sure I’ve made a lot of wrong turns in my career and I’m sure I’ll make more because at the end of the day I’m human. But, the biggest thing to me is that no matter what, I keep moving, because momentum is everything and pivoting can actually be one of the most exhilarating things in this industry if you let it be.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.marykutter.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/marykutter
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/marykutter
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/marykuttermusic
• Other: www.tiktok.com/marykutter.