Big City Cowgirl is a songwriter, vocalist, and entertainer who was born on Long Island and raised in Brooklyn, New York. You might ask, how did a girl from New York develop a love and appreciation for Country Music? Her passion for Country Music was instilled in her through her mother, who has always been a huge Country Music fan. Big City Cowgirl grew up with it and has always had country music in her heart.
Big City Cowgirl states,
Country Music is meaningful. It is pure and real…Music is empowering and I want to reach people on all levels. Nothing is more important than connecting with others. It will please me to know that I can touch even one person in a special way through my music.”
In this interview spotlight, we chat with Big City Cowgirl about her new project, her influences and much more.
Full Q&A along with links and streams can be found below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I am girl who was born on Long Island, who grew up in Brooklyn, then moved back to Long Island but works in Brooklyn. Under my unique set of circumstances, my music incorporates a little urban and a little country together. I can’t escape my city upbringing or my love of all things country so I think I would call my style of music “New York Twang.”
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?
My parents were both into music, but I always had an intense connection to it. I felt like it was in my soul. When I was a pre-teen with insomnia, I would stay up writing music and lyrics. A private school choir director heard me and stalked me into joining the choir. It was a good thing that I joined because that choir director inspired me and gave me confidence about my abilities. Writing music is a form of stress relief so I look forward to doing it. I dream about music and lyrics – sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and jot them down – sometimes I don’t and they are gone by morning. The bottom line is that motivates me to keep going because I feel like it’s in me and it’s part of my path, whether or not I ever achieve mainstream acclaim. Also, I know that I have talent and I have the support of many wonderful people – friends, family, fans – and that makes me continue doing what I love to do.
How is your new release different than previous ones? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific?
The newest song is a ballad that has strong adult contemporary vibes to it incorporated with country music. I guess it’s kind of like the way country music has become which I call “Country Plus” – country plus rock, country plus pop, etc. I write what I write and stay true to myself. If in the production stage, and it sounds a certain way, I just go with it. The song was written on the guitar, but when I would play and sing it, I could hear a piano song so that’s how I produced it – piano forward – which I think it different than most of the stuff I’ve written. I set out to write a song that would affect people – people who are going through a tough time in love – to give them hope. At the end of the video, there are credits and I dedicate the song to anyone out there who has put their all into a relationship and gotten dealt a bad hand, telling them to keep the faith.
Do you face any challenges as an indie musician in a digital age? On the flip side, how has technology helped you (if it has)?
I think there is an upside and a downside to being a musician in the digital age. I think the upside is that social networks have made it easier to connect with possible fans and to get music my music heard by the masses. There is a downside; in that, there is so much music available for the masses that I think it’s hard for fans to choose what music to give a chance. I never really considered myself an indie musician because I strive to be mainstream, but I guess right now I am!
Where can we follow you online and hear more music?
Readers can check me out on bigcitycowgirl.com, which is my website, as well as SoundCloud, ReverbNation, iTunes, Amazon, YouTube Music Key, Spotify, Googleplay, Beats/Media.Net, Tidal, Deezer, Rdio, Shazam, Apple Music, and Microsoft Groove. My videos are playing on YouTube.
Anything else before we sign off?
I just want to thank all of the amazing people who support me – including Lydia Toscano, Jeff Toscano, Susan & Herb Mendelson, Mimi Rossi, Lindsay & Joan Anderson, and Mike Epstein, Hillary Epstein and Andrew Nadien who work with me at Dare Studios, and of course, my fans – who are just wonderful – I am grateful for them.
