Today we’d like to introduce you to Holly Tucker.
In a music genre where a great story is key and a sense of genuineness is as important as an artist’s vocal prowess, 24-year-old Holly is emerging on the Texas Country Music scene as one to watch. Her voice has been described by Blake Shelton as “the most effortless, accurate, and powerful voice” the top-charting country music star has ever heard. That, coupled with Holly’s down-to-earth personality evident in both her lyrics and performances is fast moving Holly’s music onto charts and into hearts in Texas and beyond.
“I may be young but I know who I am and what I stand for, especially when it comes to creating country music,” the Waco native says. “I’m real and it’s important that my music is too.” Perhaps nowhere is that more evident than on Holly’s first full-length album entitled “Steel”, released in early 2016. Songs such as “Knock-off”, “Dallas On Your Boots”, and “Steel”, for which the album is named, unequivocally embody this idea that a young woman today can be both tough and vulnerable.
Holly’s musical roots run deep and wide, her musical story beginning even before she was born. Holly is the youngest of three, born to Johnny and Cheryl Tucker, founders of the eighties Christian band, Revised Edition. Holly grew up singing in the church and performing on various stages and at fairs and festivals around Texas. At age 14, Holly recorded her first full-length CD entitled ‘It’s about Time’. A year later she lent her voice to demos in Nashville, and, by the age of 17, had recorded a second full-length CD. As a freshman, at Baylor University in 2012, Holly was selected as an artist for a student-run record label and recorded an all-original 3-song EP entitled “Something To Be Said.”
In June 2013, Holly entered the national music conversation, when she rose to the Top 6 out of 40-thousand people who auditioned on Season 4 of NBC TV’s hit music reality show, The Voice. Holly, on Team Blake Shelton, was one of only seven contestants to receive an impressive “4-chair-turn”.
Since starring on The Voice, Holly has made over 500 personal appearances in 14 states and 2 countries, including Uganda, where she became the first American Country Music Artist to appear in support of the only country music radio voice on the continent of Africa. In the last three years, Holly has made over fifteen trips to Nashville to record, co-write, and perform with some of the best in the country music industry.
Currently, with her focus on the Texas country music scene, Holly has released three singles to Texas Regional Radio. All have charted in the top 100, including ‘Wax Paper Cups” a duet with popular Texas country artist, Ray Johnston of the Ray Johnston Band, and “You’re In Texas”, which rose to #44 on the TRRR Top 100. Holly’s current single, “Dallas on Your Boots”, is climbing the Texas charts and promises to be Holly’s most successful radio release to date.
Additionally, Holly released the official DOYB music video mid-2017 and it was featured on the Country Rebel Facebook page and Great American Country (GAC). In the last year, Holly has opened for well-loved and respected artists such as Tracy Byrd, Willie Nelson, Neal McCoy, Restless Heart, Linda Davis, Clint Black, the Oakridge Boys, Kevin Fowler, Koe Wetzel, Stoney LaRue, Parker McCollum, Ray Johnston, Hudson Moore, and more. She is currently on tour in Texas and the southern region with her band on the Steel Tour.
Recently, Holly has been blessed to receive several honors in the Texas music scene. She entered the Texas Music Pickers Songwriter Competition and of the 63 entries, she rose to the top as the 2017 TMP Top Pick Songwriter. Holly was also nominated for the 2017 ETX Music Awards in 7 categories and ended up winning four awards for Song of the Year (You’re In Texas), Music Video of the Year (You’re In Texas), Songwriter of the Year, and most special of all, Female Vocalist of the Year. In addition, Holly has most recently been voted the Texas Country Music Association (TCMA) 2017 Female Vocalist of the Year.
In addition to playing venues of all sizes and various types, Holly has a big heart for giving back, in particular as taking on a new role as the spokesperson for a local McLennan County organization, the Community Cancer Association. Holly especially loves sharing her background, experience, and the personal stories that have defined who she is today and who she hopes to be tomorrow with children and young adults at schools, camps, group homes, and hospitals.
Holly is a proud Baylor University alum with a degree in Communications. She resides in Waco, Texas.
“Texas Country Music is a beautiful world,” the Waco, Texas native says. “I happily and proudly invite my family, friends, and fans to join me on this musical journey that I feel so fortunate to be on.”
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Setting my sights on having a career in country music is probably one of the toughest roads I could’ve ever chosen, but it’s also the most rewarding, by far. I love every minute of it, through all of the ups and the downs. That being said, I have definitely encountered some bumps along the way. One of the most obvious struggles that I deal with daily is being a female in this male-dominated industry. It’s just harder for a female to be successful these days.
You hear “reasons” all the time for this: guys sell more tickets and alcohol at live shows, girls don’t play as well on radio, or my personal non-favorite, “it is the way it is”. I think all of these are very real stereotypes created by many driving forces, but I am devoting my life to overcoming and changing this backwards way of thinking, being a hope for other female artists out there who are also working hard every day, and having a lot of fun doing it. Another thing I have dealt with is keeping the momentum of The Voice going post-show. It’s hard to believe that it was 5 years ago I stood on that big Blind Audition stage and got all 4 celebrity coaches to turn for me.
One myth people assume is that the show continues to help every Voice contestant after the show: untrue. That would be pretty impossible considering the show has had 14 seasons in that short amount of time; imagine the number of artists that adds up to! I will always be utterly grateful for the incredible opportunity that is The Voice because it truly gave me my start and the experience I needed to get to the next level. However, after the show, the contract was complete, and I had to figure out how to sustain the level of exposure I had just received.
In the last 5 years, I am so proud to say that I have been very blessed with an amazing team of people, a lot of which includes my family, who believe in me and have helped me stay relevant. The victories I have had in this industry I credit to all of our hard work together and our faith combined.
Holly Tucker – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am a Texas country music artist. My life and business revolves around music, mostly playing live shows in the southern region of the US, going on Texas radio tours, doing media appearances/interviews, writing and recording new music in the studio, and managing all of my own social media accounts.
Like mentioned in the last question, I am most proud of my amazing team that is always working hard to help me grow on a daily basis. My dad is my manager, my tour manager is my brother Shane, my mom organizes my finances, my other brother Travis is an amazing photographer, and I also work with a publicist, Erin Kirwan, radio/digital/video promoters, and my producer in Nashville, Sean Neff. Because of these people, I have gotten to play in all kinds of great venues, obtained sponsorships, written and created new music that expresses my growth as an artist, and been able to support my whole team in the process.
I think what makes me most unique is my voice. What I am truly passionate about is the ability to sing and deliver a song, making my audiences feel something with my own note choices, power and dynamics. This influences everything else I do: the way I write, the way I perform, the song choices in my live shows, etc. It literally makes me who I am as an artist.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success in this industry as reaching as many people as I possibly can. People are the heartbeat of this business for me and I want to connect through my music and who I am. Some of my plans and goals for accomplishing this are having hit songs on radio and Spotify. Being able to have full, excited audiences in the venues I play, connecting daily with people and fans in person and on social media, and being able to support my team financially so that we can always be getting new opportunities.
One of my biggest dreams is to sing on the Grand Ole Opry because country music is, and will always be, near and dear to my heart. This interconnecting web of goals always keeps me going and keeps my career on an upward path.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hollytucker.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/hollytmusic
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/hollytuckermusic
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/hollytmusic
- Other: www.smarturl.it/HollyTuckerSpotify
Image Credit:
Travis Tucker Photography, Alan Mercer Photography, Lance Andrews Photography
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