We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Payton Howie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Payton, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

When I was 5 years old my mom took me to my very first concert. It was at an outdoor venue and as the show went on I was dancing out in the middle of the aisle of seats. As the lights were panning across the audience, one of them stopped on where I was standing and the singer on stage stopped to tell the security guard to bring me up on the stage. I remember getting to stand up on that stage and look out into the faces of the people in the crowd as everyone sang along to the music. I remember think then that this is what I wanted to do, I wanted to be able to share music with people. The girl that brought me on stage was Carrie Underwood and forever remember that being a pivotal moment for me.

Payton, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

With backwoods bathed vocals and bona fide southern swagger, recently nominated Texas Regional Radio’s New Female Vocalist of the Year and 2023 Texas Country Music Awards Emerging Artist of the Year, Payton Howie is on the rise and one to keep your eye on. This Texas trailblazer and Nashville recording artist is branded as the ultimate ‘All American Girl’ by Scenes Media, and is gaining nationwide notoriety with features from CMT, Guitar Girl Magazine, The Boot, Country Rebel, Fox News, and repetitive seasonal invites to NBC’s The Voice and American Idol from executive producers. Payton unapologetically embodies the untamed tradition that country music was built on, and she’s hellbent on bringing her own grit to the honky tonk. Not many can say they’ve shared the stage with Carrie Underwood, and Howie is one of even fewer who can say they were handpicked to do so at the age of 5. She has multiple songs featured on several of Spotify’s sought after editorial playlists and her debut EP, “Youngblood”, has attained over 1.5 million streams. The accompanying music video for “Never Go Home” shows off her non-stop party attitude and the music videos for “Keep Her Breathing” and “Freedom” bleed red, white, and blue. Payton is honored to have shared stages with & provided support for Lainey Wilson, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Chris Janson, Clay Walker, William Clark Green, Pam Tillis, Aaron Watson, Bret Michaels, The Bellamy Brothers, Ian Munsick, The Band Perry, Warren Zeiders, Billy Ray Cyrus, Hunter Hayes, Kevin Fowler, Roger Creager, Walker County, Gary Allan, Jack Ingram, Coffey Anderson, Josh Ward, Laci Kaye Booth, Casey Donahew, Janie Fricke, Tyler Farr, Chayce Beckham, Tracy Byrd and many more. With her latest singles, Orange and Pink Whitney, Payton Howie is scorching country music with a brand that’s hers alone.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

One of the best books I’ve ever read is a Johnny Cash biography called CASH that I found at a side-of-the-road gas station while on tour. He talks about his experiences and the kind of life he lived. I recall him saying something along the lines of looking back on his life and how far he comes he sees how he lived his life from jail to Jesus and that definitely stuck with me. That specific line inspired one of my original songs and getting to read through his journey really influenced my outlook on how important it is to keep your head down, stay on the grind, and focus on what’s best for your art and your brand.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I love getting to play live shows across the country and bringing kick-ass energy to live performances is what I’m known for. There’s honestly nothing that compares to sharing your art with people in a way that’s moving and exhilarating.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.paytonhowie.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paytonhowiemusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paytonhowiemusic/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/paytonhowie?lang=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCa06R5ppgbF4NiEQGX1Z2g/featured

Image Credits
Jess Kyla Photography Bailey Lamar