Carolina Country Music Fest, aka CCMF, is the hottest place to be in Myrtle Beach. Literally! The festival, which ran June 7-10, featured country artists such as Craig Morgan, Brett Eldredge and Luke Bryan and on Friday afternoon, The Coors Light Main Stage welcomed rising country artist Stephanie Quayle.
Originally from Boseman, Montana, Quayle has been living full-time in Nashville for the past seven years and has recently been crisscrossing the country on her summer tour promoting her album Love The Way You See Me. The night before she hit the stage in Myrtle Beach, she played her seventh CMA Fest in Nashville. We sat down with her after her CCMF performance to find out a little more about this vibrant young lady who can hold an audience of thousands with her artistic storytelling.
First on the agenda: making her Opry debut. “There are no words yet there are so many words to describe the feeling of stepping into The Circle,” she paused, trying to capture just the right way to define what that moment was like on April 7th of this year. “That moment changes you as an artist. It is so coveted and special. I dreamed for years about being invited to play there and the validation that comes with that invitation changes you.”
Quayle toured the Opry a few hours prior to her debut. She recalled standing on the stage, in The Circle and just ugly crying at the enormity of the moment and what it would mean when she returned the next day to perform. She took the time to live in that moment, soaking in the magnitude of those that had performed there before her; the men and women who paved the way for artists like her to live their dream. She performed “Drinkin With Dolly” of course and her newest release, “Selfish.”
Written by Quayle, Andrew Scott Willis and Tori Tullier, “Selfish” is personal for Quayle.
“I believe that people can relate to being selfish with their time for their loved ones. I’ve learned that I need to be selfish with my husband and kids. I’m really a homebody when I’m not touring.” Quayle describes the song as feeling different when she performs it and her fans love it.
“I remember when it was all about working and what’s coming. Not really living in the present. I missed a lot of moments. Drive is great and ambition is beautiful but being smacked in the head with love makes you see what it really means and what life is really all about. So now I’m selfish.”
While Quayle enjoys being selfish with her family, she is also selfish with her Flock of Quayle fans.
“When you are an entertainer it’s all about how your fans feel when they walk away. What did they get from your performance, the words, the music. You want that experience to be a great memory for them.”
Quayle says that she loves that the country community is so inclusive. “The comradery is real, it’s a family. Being at the CMT awards, seeing everyone and experiencing that. Everyone wants to win, they want the number one but it is so gratifying to see one of your friends win.”
Quayle also discussed her first time seeing Garth Brooks in concert. “There was this woman who was in the second tier. She had a sign that read “My 100th Garth Brooks Show”. And in that moment when Garth looked at her, they had this moment that was undeniable. And he knew who she was and it was so authentic and real. And I said, that’s what I want. I want that.”
You can catch up with Stephanie and join the Flock of Quayle on her website www.stephaniequayle.com.