We were lucky to catch up with Story Slaughter recently and have shared our conversation below.

Story, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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.

I took a risk when I put out my first single “Ranch Water.” It was the summer of 2020, mid-pandemic, and my road to an acting career had come to a halt. I was creatively stifled, the world was in shambles, but I think (like a lot of creatives at the time) I felt the freedom to try something new. It was kind of a, “Well if the world is ending – what do I have to lose?” mentality. So I called up my talented songwriter friend Susie Yankou with an idea of this song, simply as an exercise / something to do in the midst of lockdown. We sat on opposite sides of her yard with a bottle of wine and take-out, and wrote Ranch Water in about an hour. I thought, well that was fun! Glad I can say I wrote a song. Cross it off the bucket list. Onto the next. But a few days later she called me and was like, “Hey the song is catchy as hell and has been stuck in my head. You gotta record it.” So she put me in contact with Matias Mora who is a production wizard of a human and they recorded / produced the song in a single session. It was just an easy, fun, love-of-the-game kinda experience. But when I put the record out, I was terrified. I was 27 when I released it, feeling very late to the game of pop music. I had no management or representation. I had no agenda for its release. All I hoped was that when people listened to it – they liked it. Or at the very least, didn’t hate it. And that tiny risk of just simply sharing something I made – turned out to be the greatest blessing of my creative life to date. This one song, this first song, has opened doors to a new career that I am fully pursuing. And so far, it’s brought me so much joy.

Story, 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 was born and raised in Dallas, Texas and moved to Los Angeles at 18 to attend the University of Southern California. I got my degree in Theatre and was fully pursuing acting until the pandemic. It was about 5 years of working multiple part-time jobs, going on auditions, and doing plays whenever I could. I lived for my weekly acting classes, helping fellow actors with self-tape auditions, attending film screenings, going to short film premieres, etc. But by March 2020 I was working three jobs, burnt out, and frustrated. So the forced break in the world, despite all its calamity, brought me a much needed personal respite. I grew up singing in church and in school musicals, but I never saw myself as a songwriter. I have some very talented musical friends, who I think I put on this pedestal of, “well, they are real musicians who play all these instruments and have so many poignant things to say – I just don’t have what they have.” The pandemic sort of flipped that way of thinking into a less judgmental mindset towards everyone’s right to creative expression. That time in lockdown really made clear just how terribly we need the arts. So it freed me to put out a song for the first time, which otherwise I may have never had the bravery or confidence to do. And so! I am now able to call myself a singer/songwriter, living in Los Angeles, making music that I call “Texas Influenced Pop”. It’s music inspired by my upbringing and early love of 90s country music, but I don’t fake a twang or anything. I’m a city girl through and through.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Connecting with people. This life, this world – it is hard y’all. So when something as pure as a song, or a film, or a painting, or a comedy show, or a podcast, (the list goes on and on of course) – makes you feel a little less alone? Thank God for that. When strangers reach out to me on social media and tell me they relate to my music… that is the most rewarding thing. Cause I know the feeling as a listener! I listen to artists everyday who make me feel seen, sane, inspired, or comforted. So then to be on the giving end of that magic? It’s insane to me. It’s amazing. But it doesn’t happen alone. The other best part of being an artist is the camaraderie, the teamwork. I work with people who are better than me at every aspect of music and yet I am the one getting the DMs because I am lucky enough to be the face of my songs. But I would not have any songs if it weren’t for the beautiful human beings I am surrounded by day to day. Their success is my success and visa versa. That’s rare in a competitive industry / world.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

It’s never too late to start a new career. I learned that firsthand with my pivot from acting to music and there are some major factors I hope people can take away from my switch in mentality. With acting: I was always telling myself that there was this mystical finish line I had to make it to before my career started. Once I got a better agent, once I lost weight, once I got the right haircut, once I booked a couple guest stars, once I got more followers on social media, once I charmed the right casting director, etc. etc. THEN my career would take off. No. The only thing holding me back in my success was myself. I don’t think I ever truly believed it would happen for me because I didn’t feel like I deserved it. And I certainly fell into the trap of coveting “the career”, instead of just falling in love part by part, audition by audition, with the opportunities to play. The dream of success was too precious to me. I let all of that go when I put out my first single because, I had no agenda. I don’t know if that in itself is amazing advice, but I do think it is important to allow whatever you are pursuing to be enough without some worldly “trophy” of validation. Do what you love because you love it. Don’t do it because you want to prove yourself to some kids from your high school, or your parents, or your peers. I have found that to be toxic and silly. The people who matter in your life don’t care if you fail or succeed. They care about your happiness. Your self-worth. Your character. And that leads me back to my first sentence – it’s never too late. I am quickly approaching 30 and am just now putting out my first album. That is ancient by pop music standards. And yet? No one seems to care. I listen to hundreds of artists and have no clue what their actual age is. Why should it be any different for me? Life is short, tomorrow ain’t guaranteed, so try to do the damn thing that brings you joy.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.storyslaughter.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storyslaughter/?hl=en

Image Credits
Black & White Photo: Photography by Sequoia Ziff Hat Photo: Photography by Macksfilms Do512: Courtesy of Do512