Hailing from Kingsport, Tenn., Amy Dalley will roll onto MSU’s campus Tuesday to show students why she’s a rising star in the country music industry.
Dalley, who now resides in Nashville, will perform songs such as “Men Don’t Cry” and “I Would Cry” from her forthcoming self-titled album Amy Dalley.
Born in the music-rich, eastern region of Tennessee, Dalley made herself familiar with music early on.
“There’s a lot of music in the area, especially bluegrass, so I was around it all my life,” Dalley said. “It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for me; it was just a part of life.”
It was this part of Dalley’s life that she said led her to write music at a young age, thus shaping the path of her life from early on.
After growing up singing in weddings and at school talent shows, Dalley eventually made her way to a revue in Dollywood. However, after feeling stifled from the creativity she knew she could offer, she eventually landed in Nashville.
It was in Nashville that Dalley became a waitress and joined the leagues of other hopefuls trying to make it big in Music City.
However, like all ladders to success, there are a few rusty rungs, and they’re all named rejection.
“I was facing rejection all the time,” Dalley said. “I was always performing for labels and always getting rejected. You have to be persistent and have a real tough skin in [the music industry]. I would get my feelings hurt every day.”
But instead of quitting, Dalley kept pushing.
“You just have to keep being creative and keep coming up with something new to ask for,” she said. “If they say ‘no’ to something, then ask for something else.”
Dalley eventually received some requests from acquaintances to record some demos for them and everything took off from there. She signed a publishing deal (and penned some songs that were picked up by such artists as Martina McBride and Reba McEntire), a recording deal with Curb Records and management by Kane Entertainment.
It’s the transition from singer to singer/songwriter that allowed Dalley to stand out among the Nashville crowd.
“It’s just a personal preference of mine,” she said. “I like to write songs for people and even sing other people’s songs, but I just don’t have the same internal connection as I do when I sing my own songs.”
This familiarity with her own material also allows Dalley to reach out beyond the typical country music crowd.
“I have people coming up to me all the time saying ‘I don’t really listen to country music, but I like you,'” she said. “I think it’s because I just write what happens to me in everyday life, and I believe people can relate to that.”
It also helps that her music goes beyond the usual country riffs with twangy steel guitars.
“There’s no doubt I’m from the South,” she said. “I can’t hide my accent, but I like to have a rock band and for the music to be really energetic.”
After releasing four singles and having a legion of loyal fans, what’s next for Amy?
“I hope to have the album out as soon as possible,” she said.
Until then, Dalley will be doing small tours (she keeps them short so she can get home to her daughter often).
“I just have to keep playing shows and stay energetic,” Dalley said.
In keeping up with the Joneses, Dalley will also ramp her Podcasts, as well as maintain a MySpace profile, which are popular forms of networking.
Amy Dalley will perform Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in The Union Dawg House. The band Brittonjack will open for Dalley.