Showcase Artist Feature: Teagan Stewart
The showcase is creeping closer, have you snagged your tickets yet? This week, we’re thrilled to feature another artist from our lineup: Teagan Stewart!
1. What are your top 3 most influential albums?
T: I’ll start with a more recent one: “Dangerous Woman” by Ariana Grande. Anyone who knows me, knows I’m obsessed with Ariana Grande! I love her voice, her prowess, her energy…and that album is produced by Max Martin. It’s really pop and that’s not the kind of music I really make but every time I go into the studio, I’m probably wearing one of her merch sweatshirts and trying to channel the raw, feminine power she has. That’s a big one for me!
Next, I have to say either, Lady A’s “Own the Night” album or “Need You Now”. I was a huge fan, I bought both of those albums. I bought “Own the Night” when I had a CD player and we were all still doing that, so I would sing through the whole album while I was doing my hair. I loved the harmonies they do, and all the different instruments, and how they weren’t trying to make it extra gimmick-y sounding. Also, she’s wearing this beautiful black dress in the cover art, and that inspired the cover art for my “Taste of My Heartbeak” EP, so if you look at them together you can see how they kind of look similar. So, I took a lot of inspiration from that.
For a third album…I feel like there’s a difference between what I want to say as a cool, cultured person and what’s like, the truth. Um, probably one of Carrie Underwood’s first albums, I’ll go with that. I was a huge fan of watching American Idol, and that’s an album she didn’t really do a lot of writing on but I got to know all of the names of these iconic songwriters [on the album] whose careers I’ve since followed. I think it’s one of the best contemporary examples of storytelling country music; which I can’t believe I didn’t put Taylor Swift in one of those, but it is what it is!
2. What is one song you could play (or have played) on repeat?
T: I think of the best new country songs is “Best Worst Ex” by Alexandra Kay and Julia Cole. It’s a girl duet where two girls are having a wine night and saying to each other, “Tell me about how bad your ex is.” It’s so good, I’m such a fan! They’re both gonna be huge stars! That one is a lot of fun. Every time it comes on, I’m like, “I forgot how much this slaps, this is so good!”
3. What was your favorite show/performer you’ve seen live?
T: Man, I was really lucky that we had an amphitheater where I’m from. I grew up in Albuquerque, and every single major country act went through and brought, like, three openers. So, there was a time around 2010 where I’d literally seen every single person who could matter—more than once! [I saw] Luke Brown, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith, Brooks & Dunn. I’ve seen everybody. I’ve also seen Ariana Grande twice, so that makes it hard. Um, I think, actually, JoJo. Do you remember JoJo?
K: Oh, I remember JoJo!
T: Every time she sings, it’s so emotional and you can tell that she’s using the music as [a way to channel] emotion instead of trying to just put on a good show. She’s one of the best performers I’ve ever seen. I saw her last St. Patrick’s Day at the High Watt, right before they shut down Cannery Row. She is awesome!
4. Which artist/genre have you really been into lately?
T: I’ve really been into Kehlani lately, she’s been my number one artist for about two years now. I listen to all her albums on repeat. She’s also one of the best performers ever because she can dance and sing! I was just listening to “Up at Night” when I was getting ready for this [interview].
5. If you could bring back any 3 deceased artists, who would they be?
T: Amy Winehouse would be number one! I guess Elvis is number two. So many of the classic country artists are still alive so…I’d have to say Whitney Houston!
6. Is there any artist or genre that you absolutely CANNOT listen to?
T: I cannot listen to heavy metal and I kind of can’t listen to punk, I feel bad about that. My brother and I had very strong music tastes and opinions growing up, and we were both fanatics and very passionate, and we’d argue about music. Those are his top two genres, punk and metal, and I can’t. I know a lot of albums and artist names because of him but I cannot enjoy it. I can’t get into it, I cannot listen to it.
K: When you say punk, are you referring to bands like Green Day and Lit?
T: He liked old stuff from the 70s and 80s. He did have a big range. He’d be like, “Everything on the radio sucks!”, and he’d buy used CDs from this one store in town. I admire the passion and the drive, but he would play it loudly and I don’t think I will ever really enjoy those genres.
K: That’s fair. So, it’s more your foundational interaction with them?
T: Yeah, it’s a foundational thing.
7. What is your favorite memory from one of your performances?
T: The first thing that comes to my head is my first band show I did after I moved to Nashville in 2019. I had written this song called “Good Intentions”, which I’d put on my EP as the final song, but it has this kind of weird song structure, it’s more power ballad-y and not really country. I knew it was going to be a risk [to play it] because nobody would know the song, not even my friends. I thought it might be harder to follow because it doesn’t follow the usual verse/chorus format, and it was a little harder for the band to learn. It kinda felt like this big risk. I wasn’t sure if anyone would get it, or if it would just be a ramble-y power ballad that just throws off the vibe. I played it at the end of the show, I think, so my voice was tired by then, but I really felt it, and the band did! I mean, everybody did. I think we all really connected!
I had a friend that had been living with her boyfriend at the time, and she got very emotional after the show. She told me, “I have to break up with him. I think I’ve been dragging this out, and I think we need to break up.” That was really wild to have inspired that kind of level of emotion in somebody. It felt like the risk paid off, and it was a really cool moment with everybody.
8. For people who may not be familiar with you or your music, how would you describe your sound?
T: I would say it is confident country-pop, mixed with sometimes a little blues or rock. I feel like a lot of my music is for the gals! I do have a pretty 50/50 listener split, so maybe I shouldn’t say that. But songs of mine like, “The Least You Could Do” or “Unsay It” talking about me shooting my shot, I feel like those are fun country songs that include other influences, and they’re for the gals.
9. When you’re writing a song, what’s your process? Where do you derive inspiration?
T: It definitely feels a little bit different to cowrite vs. writing alone. I’ve been doing a lot of cowriting, and I’ve been trying to still be diligent about writing alone. But I feel like everything you’re supposed to do, you know: start with a hook, write the chorus first, then write everything else around that, I’ll do that sometimes. But [when I write alone] I feel like I always try to start from “what kind of emotional nuance am I going for?” first. So, instead of picking the phrase or chord progression, or starting to play guitar, I’m thinking about which flavor of emotion I’m trying to get across. Then, depending on that, I might start playing some chords and word vomit something, and see if I like that. Then I might turn that into a verse or a chorus.
When I’m with someone else, I do a better job of finding the hook first but I still try to write from whichever feeling we’re feeling or emotion we’re trying to instill.
10. Do you remember the first song you ever wrote? How old were you/what prompted it?
T: Yes, I do! I was twelve. It was called, “Ice Blue Eyes”, and it was about a crush I had on my dad’s friend’s son. He was my age, and we were on this lake trip together. It was very Taylor Swift’s first album-esque. It was like, “look at how cute he is, and his blue eyes”, that was kind of the whole thing.
11. Given that as performers and artists we tend to give the most deep and vulnerable parts of ourselves to our art, and subsequently our audience, how do you re-charge and fill your cup other than songwriting or performing?
T: I mean, honestly, I feel like maybe I’m not doing a good job of that right now.
K: That’s a really honest answer, I appreciate it.
T: Yeah, I don’t think I’m doin’ it!
I try to go on walks. There’s a park nearby that has a little creek, and I feel like every time I do that I feel more re-charged and creative, and better about everything. But it’s hard to get there.
And I guess, reading? I try to read one book at a time, and sometimes it takes me a long time to finish that one book. I listened to this one podcast that was talking about how, with our lack of attention span and social media, we need to increase our expression and output. Because we’re consuming and intaking so many hours of social media, or what other people think, or podcasts or whatever, that we all need to try to make more time to be not just creating but writing, or talking to someone else, and putting something out, instead of always intaking all the time.
K: Wow, that’s really thought provoking, interesting! That actually kind of leads into this next question…
12. With the oversaturation of content in today’s market (not just on social media but with the general overflow of artists and their music), how do you cope with the act of staying relevant and building momentum, all whilst maintaining authenticity for yourself and your work/music?
T: I think that’s been my biggest challenge, and something I haven’t figured out for sure. When I have songs coming down the pipeline, or a music video, or something big that I’m about to promote or working towards, I feel a lot more structured and energized. But there’s also an in-between part where you still should be promoting your stuff but you don’t have anything that’s coming up next exactly, except maybe some shows or something, and that is where it’s hard.
I have had a hard time feeling authentic on TikTok and creating something that’s not maybe the highest quality but still something that will help me stay relevant. And that’s kind of been my hardest thing. But, as of recently, I’m going to be working with a small team to focus on short form content. So, not just TikToks but things other than maybe one high-produced music video. And that’s maybe where our world has kind of changed. A lot of people adapted to that quickly and figured that out, but I think I was still more in the mindset of trying to create some really, really good things. And you can’t. You have to do that but you also have to create a bunch of really mediocre clips, or videos, or reels, or whatever. And I think that’s something that I’m finally fully figuring out, but I will soon have a small team to help me do that.
K: It’s interesting how easy it is to get bogged down the kind of mass production that we have to do, so it’s great that you have a team who can help you through that! Some people really pride themselves on being an independent artist who does it all alone. Like, there’s almost a layered shame or stigma around getting a team unless you’re a huge, multi-platinum selling artist.
T: It does almost feel silly because that stuff should be low budget, you should be able to do it on your own. And it’s like, “Okay, well, looking at my last six months, I can’t do it on my own because I’m not!” So, either I get people to help me do this, or it’s just not gonna work. And me saying to myself, “I’m just gonna decide that somehow it’s gonna be different”, just hasn’t been working. So, it’s being honest with myself about it. Maybe after I work with this team for a few months I’ll grow in confidence, or a skillset, or things that I didn’t have before to do this on my own. But I just don’t have that right now.
K: Just the fact that you’re able to recognize that, and own up to it, is huge. And with that, you may have actually answered a bit of my next question…
13. Independent artists are frequently in charge of managing our socials, promoting our work and shows, and building and maintaining artist and venue connections, in addition to the actual musical aspect of our careers. Where do you feel the most challenged, and where would you like to learn/grow more in these areas? Is there anything you’re excited to get better at?
T: Yeah, definitely I struggle with the challenges of the marketing side of those in-between song cycles, or that expectation of having [my] foot on the gas every single day with content.
But what am I excited to learn? I think the control is still really cool. I have appreciated that, even though I’m not a graphic designer, I have done all my own cover art for the last four years. And I have done logos for myself, and that has been a new skill that I learned. I’ve co-directed all of my music videos, I’ve still had a videographer, but we do all the shot listings together; I figure out the venue and how it’s all gonna happen, and I feel a lot more comfortable. I think being able to try to make space for doing those things that you are better at and that you like is fun.
What is cool is it’s this new game where everybody’s playing, so it makes it harder, but there’s also no rules. With that, everything has kind of opened up and been more creative, and there’s so many different ways you can grow an audience. And I think once I kind of lock in to something, that it’s really just gonna go for me, and I just have to find what that thing is. Also, making sure I’m fully connected to that. Then the resistance, I think, for myself will fall away.
14. Do you have any music coming out or that was recently released? What would you like us to know about it?
T: The most recent song I released was back in November, called “Country Dealbreaker”. I am meeting with a new producer for two songs we’ll start working on next week, which is exciting. I am also starting on a music video for a song that’s already out but deserved it’s own music video, called “Unsay It”.
K: What’s that song about?
T: That song is about the time I walked up to my crush in a bar and said, “What’s your deal? ‘Cause I think you’re really hot.”
K: Ballsy! Wow!
T: I know! That song has a lot of minor chords and it’s my most pop/country-pop song I have. I’ve always felt very strongly about that [video] being dark purple and sparkly, and I have a lot of imagery in mind for it. Recently, I met a videographer through a friend, not for any business reason, and we were talking. I think he’d listened to some of my stuff while we were there, and he was like, “We have to make this music video!”
And that’s the good thing, kind of, about TikTok and where we’re at right now because there’s new space for your previous catalogue to find a new life and come alive again! So, even though I put that song out over a year ago, [sharing this video] will help create a whole new wave of it coming to life. So look out for that!
15. What is one thing you want the MOTM community to know about you? It doesn’t have to be music related.
T: That I really hope we stay connected, and that we continue to grow as a community of women. I feel like everybody says that because we’re building this awesome event so that will happen, but I really hope that after that day passes that we continue to get to know each other, and songwrite more or share things we’re doing, or just hang out as creatives and build upon those relationships.
16. What compelled you to submit to play the Music on the Move showcase?
T: I was in a zone of, “I need to be shooting more shots”. I came across Erin’s showcase application posts on Facebook, and I was like, “Oh, that sounds cool, that’s something I need to do.” You know, sometimes there’s things that you know you need to do but you still don’t want to do it and it’s like you have to trick yourself into doing it? I had to trick myself into clicking the link and fill it out before I decided I wouldn’t be good for it or talk myself out of it. So, I’m so glad I did it!
Teagan will be featured on this Friday’s New Music Friday playlist and blog, so you can expect more about her and her music later this week!
To get your tickets to see Teagan and our other showcase artists, click the link below!
