We were lucky to catch up with Sadie Bass recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sadie , looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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.

Risk. I would say with the career that I’ve chosen to pursue in order to “make It” requires risking everything. For me, starting off just singing in front of anyone besides my family and close friends was a risk. Singing at a little dive bar in my hometown to raise money for my school was a risk. Trying to learn guitar online, using my voice correctly, and writing songs when I saw the skills other players had was risky. Quitting college softball after one year was VERY risky. Each year that goes by without a major record label, a publishing deal, or number one hit as an artist is a risk. AND even signing anything whether you think it is a good deal or not is a risk.

I get asked a lot how I keep doing what I am doing. I have spent most of my life with little money. Luckily, I’ve been able to pay all my bills but I’ve had to be very frugal to do so. Once I had to choose between new tires before winter hit and releasing a new song right after I got off The Voice with only $16 in my bank account. I didn’t want to lose momentum so I took the risk and put out the song.

Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if I finished school, got a good paying job, had a reliable vehicle, and saw my friends and family more. But every time I go home I remember that that place will always be right where I left it and even though I may not be able to stay long I always have good stories to share and new songs to sing.
I do believe that I am where God wants me to be and there is always a chance I never “make It” in the country music industry, play on the radio one day, get nominated for a CMA or write a hit song. However, the experiences I’ve had, things I’ve learned, and progress I’ve made…have definitely been worth the risk so far.

There are some really amazing things happening this year, and I can’t wait to share them all!

Sadie , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I grew up in Bath Michigan, a small town right in the middle of the mitten. I played sport my whole life and I have been singing ever since I was a little girl. I watched American Idol and dreamt about what that would feel like. I would sing along to the TV and wonder but never had the guts to really try. I would only ever sing in the car, shower, or at church. Than when I was 19 years old, after one year playing college softball at LCC, I decided to quit school and try to pursue music.  I didn’t know what I was doing but figured I was young enough to figure it out. Social media was starting to become popular and I would post videos of me singing without my face in it and they did really well. Then I finally put my face in a video singing “Hurricane” by Luke Combs and my page grew. If I wasn’t posting music it was just normal everyday life, my outdoor hobbies also helped my page gain traction.

This opened a lot of doors for me in the hunting world. I was able to film seasons 4 and 5 of the Outdoor Shannel’s For Love or Likes as well as a fishing show on the Discovery channel. While these TV opportunities came, so did performance opportunities. I slowly but surely made my way around Michigan. I started to release my own music. I wasn’t an amazing performer and I was so early on in my craft but the opportunities kept coming and even though I was scared, I always tried. My band and I won 4 contests in Michigan allowing us to open for some big names which just continued opening more doors for me.

I had a full year of shows booked but then Covid hit. I took a break and worked on my writing while I was working side jobs at a tree removal company, as a cleaner, and a caregiver. I finally saved up enough to move to Nashville in December of 2020.

I was a little fish in a big sea and I sucked at first and hated it. I would try to get into writes and wasn’t able to. I played writer’s rounds and didn’t stand out in a good way but little by little I got better and better. Learned so many lessons just kept putting in the work while I was waitressing at a breakfast place. Then one day I got asked by producers to audition for season 22 of The Voice. I was scared to death but decided to try it anyway. Even though I only made it to Battles on The Voice the experience forever changed me and gave me the confidence I needed in this next phase of my journey and career.

After The Voice aired in November of last year it has all been uphill. In 2023 alone I played 80 shows across 20 different states and went on 2 independent tours. It’s been so great meeting more fans and traveling around the country!

How did you build your audience on social media?

With social media I treat it like a business promoting upcoming shows and music. However, I also love sharing my personal interests and hobbies too. We like to post our perfect selves on social media and I do think it’s important to spread positivity, but it’s also inspiring to share the ups and downs of what you’re doing or trying to do. I have always shown the real me, not scared to show the kind of cars I drove, or my constipation problems from being on the road, gaining weight, videos without makeup, etc. Just real life. Real life and imperfection is relatable and helps to connect with other people. I like to think of it like a little photo album online of things I want to remember, and things I have learned from. Knowing there is weight in what I post and the things I say with maybe little girls just like me watching.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

A book that changed me for the best is “Battlefield of the Mind” by Joyce Meyer. She also has an app called “Enjoying Everyday Life” with 20-30 min shows daily I like to listen to while I do my hair or makeup or drive. She talks a lot about our mind and the thoughts we think. It gave me such a positive attitude because life really is what you make it and how you see it. So the lows don’t have to be lows if you look at the bright side of things. One really big lesson it took till this year to learn was. If God would have given me the success I asked for in the music industry earlier I wouldn’t have gone through what I did or learned what I did. I wouldn’t be the person I am or be able to write the songs I’ve written today. So I thank God for not giving me something I wasn’t ready for. Patience. Patience. Patience. And the day I started believing in myself and talking to others about future plans with the passion and confidence I had really helped other people believe in me too. LOOK AT THE GLASS HALF FULL. Be thankful for the hard times and lessons learned.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sadiebassmusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sadiebass__/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SadieBassCountryMusic/

Image Credits
I own them all