Today we’d like to introduce you to Chaz Marie.
Chaz, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started singing in church as a little girl, I was raised a preachers daughter…explains a lot of my wild/free spirit nature lol. My parents pastored many churches all over the Southeast throughout my lifetime and I learned to sing watching my brothers and sisters. After years of honing my skills locally with my sister Kessie, as The Marie Sisters, we made the move to Nashville in our early 20s. After five years of putting our shoulder to the grind with no luck, we moved back to Texas and got a record deal with Universal/Motown NY. We toured and had a blast with a top 40 single Real Bad Mood written by Texan Leslie Satcher. The label was merging with Nashville and we got booted and decided to part ways peacefully, pursuing our solo careers.
Currently, I am finishing up the final mixes on my new project with my husband and Mesa Boogie Artist Quinten Hope. On this new project, we enlisted the help of our musical friends Dan Wojciechowski (Peter Frampton), Will Lee (Fab Faux, David Letterman), Rob Arthur (Peter Frampton), Milo Deering. (The Eagles), and Carson Wagner (Composer). The first single Like Last Night, co-written with my longtime friend Max T. Barnes, is a fun, upbeat party song. Me and my hubby wrote and produced the rest. The project is being mixed beautifully by Florian Ammon (Rammstein, U2, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Gavin DeGraw) The next single You Lied To Me is a killer ballad that people are favoring over all the tunes, which makes my heart sing because I’ve held this tune for so long waiting for the right moment and the right players. I’m planning my release for 2020, consulting with an all-female management team in Nashville. I couldn’t be more excited to share this with the world.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has never been a smooth road lol. As a female-fronted band in Texas….it’s been a struggle. If you take a look at the charts and the industry here, it’s male-dominated. Frustrating, as that is, I am not one to give up. I love the challenge. I feel as women, we are always competing with others, especially in country music. I’ve actually had program directors in Texas radio tell me “If I can’t play your music between so and so and so and so, I ain’t playing it”. Well, I won’t change my sound to fit, so where does that leave me? Right where I want to be. Keeping my shoulder to the grind and staying true to myself. It motivates me to be better and stronger.
When I was younger, I let things get to me more than I do now. I would compare my success with others and you just can’t do that. Everyone’s journey is different. Some get breaks, some don’t. Some work harder than others. Some were born into money that made the way easier. There is no rhyme, reason or formula to this business. You gotta do you. You have to find your niche. I had to find that spot where I resonated with my audience and it has taken a while to get there. On a more positive note, I love the camaraderie I’ve found with my fellow female artists. I do see things changing. I see women starting to take the spotlight or share it rather. I see more Indie artists kicking butt and taking names and doing it all on their own, like me and my hubby. That makes me smile BIG!
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am a female-fronted band in Dallas and I am proud of the road I’m paving today. Currently, my hubby Quinten and I perform as a duo, However, I also have a five piece band that has been performing all over Dallas for the last ten years, steadily. We perform at public and private events and love it. I have never done well with authority, so I knew early on that I had to be my own boss. I guess you could say people know me as the Hillbilly Aretha, country with a lot of souls. I can’t deny my country roots and influence, but I am certainly not limited to that genre. We keep the vibe upbeat and super positive.
When I’m on that stage, I’m vibing with my guys, but also vibing with my audience. I want to create an experience that people want to see and hear again. It’s not just about getting paid. I am a woman who loves to sing, loves to entertain and loves people. I think my sound and voice (being super raspy) are different. I feel like my writing stands out because I don’t try to make it fit into a formula. I’m kind of anti-formula I guess!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Hmmm that’s a tough one. Honestly, nothing. I truly mean that. If I hadn’t lived the life I have thus far, then I couldn’t write the songs I’m writing, or be the performer I am today. The heartbreak, the bad choices, the good choices, the shitty times in life, they all made me who I am…and that’s working out pretty well for me. I guess if I HAD to change anything, I would’ve gotten serious about it sooner, but hey ya can’t live in regret. You learn and you move on. I feel like my life is playing out exactly as it is supposed to today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chazmarie.com
- Phone: 214-673-2429
- Email: chazmarieband@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaz_marie_official/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Chazzeroni
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaz_marie
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/chazmariemusic/
Image Credit:
Cal Knapp Photography
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