Women in country music are making a point to support each other more than ever before in 2019, and it’s created a movement that will hopefully lead to more opportunities and radio play for females in the recently male-dominated genre. ‘I’m so excited about it,” rising star, Tenille Townes, told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY at the 2019 CMT Music Awards on June 5. “It’s an honor to be part of this season. I look around at the sisters coming up with me and there’s so many incredibly talented women and it just makes me so pumped. That’s what I grew up listening to — so many powerful female voices as a little kid in the backseat. So it’s really cool to get to be part of maybe the next wave of that.”
We got the chance to catch up with Tenille, as well as plenty of other up-and-coming female stars, who told us all about how inspiring it’s been for them to be part of the group of women working in country music right now. Plus, we got their take on the conversation about women not being played on the radio and SO much more about what it’s like to be a female in this crazy industry:
Tegan Marie: “As a 15-year-old woman in country music, being here with all the other artists is so amazing. I just feel like we all need to work together and stick to each other’s sides and help each other, and I feel like that’s how we’er going to rise!”
Clare Dunn: “It’s an honor to be a part of it. There’s so many talented women — not only great female artists, but so many great female producers and songwriters and engineers out there making great music. We have a perspective and tehre’s half of us on the planet who are chicks, so it’s cool to just be around it, be part of it and cheer everyone else on. It’s important to have a spirit of comradery and I really feel that.”
“I just hope that more and more women want to make country music. I hope a lot of young girls out there are still encouraged to come and make country music — I don’t want the next Loretta Lynn or Tanya TUcker to be discouraged from coming to town. I hope we just continue to get more and more females.”
The Sisterhood Band: “Being a female in country music, I remember listening to Faith Hill, Reba McEntire — those were my girls! I listened to them every day on the radio going to school. I want that to happen again in country music and I honestly think it is happening. All of these girls are making incredible music and you just have to create and support each other, and when you do that…magic happens.”
“There’s a conversation about women not writing compelling music and females not listening to females, but going on tour with Jessie [James Decker] has proved that wrong for me. I’m like…look at all these girl that showed up! They’re listening. The rise is happening and we’re going to come up together.”
Leah Turner: “If we just keep pushing, we can link arms with one another and not see our differences as competition, but see them as what makes us. If we link arms, we can really take over.”
Jillian Cardarelli: “It’s so tough for females but the country music community in Nashville is amazing. The women have banded together and we just live each other up and I think that’s what we need in this day and age.”