[piano music] - Hello, I'm Nido Qubein.

Welcome to Side by Side.

Rolling Stone Country has called my guest today an artist you need to know.

She's gone from the big sky country in Montana to the big stages of the world, like the Grand Ole Opry.

Her name is Stephanie Quayle.

Stay tuned.

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[upbeat rock music] [uplifting piano music] - Stephanie, welcome to Side by Side.

You came from Montana and you played the grand stages of the word, like the Grand Ole Opry.

Why are singers so infatuated with appearing on the Grand Ole Opry?

- There's no greater stage in country music.

It's- when you get to the Grand Ole Opry, that means you are exactly where you're meant to be, and you've earned that place.

So it's one of those benchmarks in our genre that's just- It doesn't get better than that circle on that stage.

- And why is that?

Is it because of legacy?

History?

Is because the great artists played there?

Is it because it propels someone's career?

What is it about the Grand Ole Opry?

I've been there.

- Everything.

[Stephanie laughs] - All of the above?

- Everything that you just shared.

Yes.

I mean, you can feel the artists that have played there before.

You can just sense that legacy and also the responsibility that comes with it.

You know, I remember when I made my debut, I knew in that moment that only great music was going to follow.

That I was going to move myself into those next stages of music, because it was such an establishing moment.

- So it commands of you your-your very best, and so You started playing piano at age four?

- Yes.

- Was it in your home?

- My mom made us.

- [Nido] She made you play piano.

- It was in our little farmhouse underneath the stairs.

It was an upright piano and it just- it's where it all began.

- Really?

Tell us about that.

So you, you grew up in Bozeman, Montana.

- Yes.

Grew up in a farm in Bozeman, Montana.

My grandmother was a piano teacher and a farmer's wife, so she was tough as nails.

So I could only really get away with anything with her during recitals.

Because she couldn't stop me.

Because there was an audience.

- I see - I learned- I learned those boundaries early.

[Stephanie laughs] - Yes, yes.

- And then from there I just, you know, I was writing poetry all the time and you know, push comes to shove.

You just start singing while you're playing.

And I became a little song.

- When was the first time that you actually played the piano and sang a song?

Was it when you were four and you just sang a little?

- Little ditties?

Yes.

I remember writing my first song, that I actually sang acapella, when I was 12 years old for one of my best friends.

Because young love, you know, it's very inspiring as a 12 year old to, you know, share.

So I, I, I sang for her.

- Do you remember the words?

- Yes, and no one will ever hear them.

[Stephanie laughs] - Oh, I see.

It was one of those private songs.

- I was a 12 Year old, you know, watching young love.

So, you know.

Yeah.

- I see, I see.

How does one write a song?

Is it a- Is it, is it poetry first?

Is it the, the tune in your head first?

What is it?

- Well, first of all, I'm a professional eavesdropper.

I'm always listening to everything that everyone's saying because they might say something that will inspire something.

A lot of my music is slice of life.

It's right out of my own life and it can start many different ways.

Sometimes a lyric will happen.

I was at soundcheck last week and I was, you know, I, I- a lyric idea came to mind.

I immediately put it in my phone and then a melody.

So then I, you know, ran to a little corner and just sing it into my phone.

And then from there wrote the song.

And it, you know, can happen from anyway.

- But I thought that typically a song is written by a songwriter and then another person puts the music to it.

- Sure.

It depends on the songwriter.

There's some songwriters who are only lyricists or only musicians.

I'm a hybrid of all things.

So it can come lots of different ways.

And sometimes, in my case, you know, the best song wins.

So for example, the song Drinking With Dolly, which was my very first song to ever go to country music- country radio.

And that's what got me on the Grand Ole Opry stage.

That wasn't written by me.

But I, I knew that I had to record it and share it with the world.

So sometimes it can come from other writers as well.

- So, um, that was the first song that took you to the Grand Ole Opry?

- [Stephanie] To- Yeah, country radio.

- And put you on radio?

And that's important.

How does one get on radio?

If you're a musician.

- How much time do we have?

- It's tough, isn't it?

- It's a wild business.

I think, I think a lot of times, you know, when we think about playing music or listening to music, we forget that it's a business.

And so, you know, when you think of even the grand old Opry, how it started, you know, radio was for advertising and for businesses.

So it's kind of this interesting, you know, animal.

But yeah, it just takes a ton of relationships, a ton of resources.

So with, you know, major labels and independent labels like my own, you know, you just find a way and- Then what happens is a song will catch fire and there's, there's no rhyme or reason.

You can think a song is a hit, that's not a hit.

Then another song you don't think a hit becomes a hit.

It's- There's this divine magic in music.

I think that's what's so intoxicating about it for me.

And it makes its way.

- And now you travel around the country and the world and you have concerts and you play in different places and people buy to come hear you and so on.

Take us to one of those concerts.

How does it work?

How do you prep for it?

How does your, your adrenaline work?

- [Stephanie] Absolutely.

- How much preparation do you make?

What happens?

What- what makes you think the audience is really into it?

Or they're not intuitive and so on?

- Absolutely.

Well, those are great questions.

I think mindset is such a huge part of anyone that's on stage for anything.

And there's tons of preparation, rehearsal.

I rehearse in order to rehearse.

And those, I mean that's every day.

Hours and hours.

Be it singing.

Be it playing.

When I get up on stage, like right before, I don't know if you do this, but I get in that mindset of what the end looks like.

The faces.

The smiles.

That connection that happens through a live experience.

There's nothing else like it.

And especially with little kids.

I'm, I'm really blessed because I cater to families.

So I get to see the whole entire family from the stage.

So then it's, you know, again rehearsed, it's that mindset that this is going to be an exceptional, extraordinary show, and then you go out there and you put it all on the line.

- And you feed off the audience, right?

- Oh, absolutely.

- That's why a live audience is very important.

They clap more, they laugh more, or they-.

- Even the hecklers.

- Yeah, even the hecklers.

- What I'll do sometimes is if I see someone distracting or, you know, I had this one guy, he was just, he was just a riot and I just made him part of the show.

I just, and then everyone thought he was there on purpose.

- Yes, they thought it was planned.

- Yes, exactly.

You know, my main thing is that I know if I'm authentically me and enjoying what I do and connecting because music is so healing and so powerful, then, then it, it just all kind of comes together.

- [Nido] What happens after the show?

So you, you prepped for it.

Your mindset is there.

You're all excited.

You perform the audience applauds.

You're on a high.

And then?

- I get to them as quickly as I can.

So I can get that, you know, one-on-one conversation, get to meet the kids that were in the front row.

I had one little girl that I, I wasn't, you know, as I was signing autographs and she just crawled right up my leg and all of a sudden she was in my arms and I'm like, okay, well, I'll just put her on my hip and kept signing.

I love that.

- Yeah.

- You know, I love people.

I think-.

- Do you always have a chance to interact with the audience?

Or sometimes you're in a high and you get to go home and all of a sudden there's.

- Yeah.

The low of the high?

- [Nido] Yes.

- Well, hopefully.

And most of the time I get to spend that time with the fans.

It is a really strange thing coming off the stage, isn't it?

You're like, all right.

And then you go to your hotel room or wherever you are, and you're like, well, what do I do now?

- [Nido] Exactly.

- Yeah, no.

It's, you know, you have to earn that high.

Yeah.

- So take us to a song that you wrote.

- [Stephanie] Okay.

- And, and get us in that zone.

- [Stephanie] Okay.

- Were you aware what inspired the words of the song?

How you actually wrote the music with the song?

And where's the song today?

Did it play on radio?

Did it do well?

- [Stephanie] Sure.

- Just sort of draw that stage for us.

- Absolutely.

Well, I'll, I'll go to the first song that charted for me on the billboard country charts, because that's again a benchmark, right?

That's a big, a big thing.

So speaking about country music, being so slice of life, and you're familiar with my husband, we were, you know, recently engaged, married, and I just couldn't get enough of him.

And he's very busy, like we all are.

And so in this particular writing session, myself, Andy Wills, and Tori Tullier.

So it was a three, a three person co-write I just went in, Nido, with my hand on my hip, just saying, I'm feeling selfish.

I just want more time with him.

I just love him so much.

And it just snowballed from there.

- The words or the music?

- [Stephanie] The words.

The music.

Everything.

- Really?

- [Stephanie] Yes.

Absolutely.

- The words and the music?

- [Stephanie] Yes.

And it's a, it's a very empowering song for, you know, women to be able to say, you know.

I want all my time with you.

And so that song-then we got it recorded.

Now here's something that happened that a lot of people don't know about when we originally recorded it in the original key, it was missing something.

So we scratched it and we started over and we rerecorded it in a different key.

And that's when it took on- - What does that mean, for someone who doesn't know music?

- So let's say we start in the key of C, right?

On the piano that's like middle C, it might be a half, half step higher or a whole step higher.

So from like a C to a C sharp or C to a D. So there's just, there's something, when you hear it, that you feel something differently.

And there's parts of my voice, you know, I've been doing this a hundred years.

So I know the places in my voice that, you know, can sometime not have the impact that I want them to have.

So really, you know, taking the time to adjust that so that it has the power.

- You're used to singing usually with a, with a band, you have a, you have a group with you and so on.

Today, you don't, - It's just me.

- But I'm glad you got the guitar.

Can I talk you into- - Playing a little?

- A little bit of that Selfish?

- Yeah, absolutely.

I'd love to, I'd love to.

I'm just going to give you a little bit of the chorus.

I hope it's uh, - That'd be good.

- Suitable for all audiences.

[gentle guitar strumming] ♪ I'm selfish when it comes to you boy ♪ ♪ I can't help it ♪ ♪ I'm like a kid with a toy ♪ ♪ I ain't sharing ♪ ♪ Feel them staring ♪ ♪ Let me spell it out ♪ ♪ I want you and no one else ♪ ♪ I'm selfish ♪ - Wow.

That's cool.

How does your voice work like that?

Were you born with that voice?

Did you train that voice?

- Yes.

And yes.

My mom will say don't-aren't moms the best?

My mom will say that I, my mom will say that I came out singing, you know, I was, I was a loud child.

I'm not very much of an introvert.

And then it was, you know, really you have to train it.

You have take that time.

- How do you train it?

- So from voice lessons, to exercises, before every interview I do, before- if it's singing or speaking, you know, really just working on my different exercises.

A singing straw is really incredible.

- Give me an example of how you, you, you, you prep your voice for a concert.

- Sure.

So I have this little singing straw that, you know, from a regular sized straw, that, to this one, that's very small.

I should have brought it with me.

- The straw that you drink with?

- Draw that you drink with.

Now, this one is specifically for singing.

And what you do is you sing into it.

What it does is it pulls your tone, very, just precisely so that when it comes out of your mouth, it just is so much stronger.

So it's kind of like that straw just takes your voice and goes like this.

So it really can project.

- I was interviewing Josh Groban once.

And I asked him to tell me about a time when he was in front of an audience on stage and something happened that was not good.

And, and then I asked him, how did the overcome it?

Do you recall such an incident in your life?

- There, there've been many.

[Stephanie laughs] I think one of the ones that was, you know, I think you have to use those moments, you know, audiences love when they realize that we're all just humans and you have these authentic moments of just things falling apart.

I think one of my most recent was I was thinking about what I, I was thinking about this little, we sometimes call the mashups, well, we'll take two songs, my song, and then someone else's song and mashed them together.

While I was so focused on the other song that I forgot my own words.

And I just call myself out and you know, my audience knows me well enough to know that I'm very self-deprecating.

- So then what did you do?

Did you have words written somewhere?

- You just, you just don't do it again.

- Oh, you don't do it again?

- Yeah.

Yeah.

It's good.

It's good training - So I, I watch, I watched a very accomplished singer one time when they do the National Anthem.

- Yes.

Oof.

And as, as this person began to sing the National Anthem, they mumbled and jumbled the words and had to stop and start again.

And It didn't work.

- Yeah.

- [Nido] And had to go off and bring back the card with the words.

Josh Groban told me that he was doing a concert in Wisconsin and he was beginning to sing and all of a sudden his voice went out, - Just gone.

- Just gone like that.

- It happens, we're humans.

- And he said, he just went backstage.

- [Stephanie] Yeah.

- And sat there for 10, 15 minutes.

- [Stephanie] Yeah.

- And slowly and gently, the voice came back and the audience was patient and he came back and finished the concert.

- Yeah.

I think that, you know, we, our instruments, you know, as you speak all over our, our instruments are we have to take care of them.

And I think a huge part is nerves.

Right?

And how, you know, when you start to feel that pressure in your throat, it can be really detrimental.

So really, you know, going out there like this is going to go great.

Only good will come of.

This is what my mom always says.

And when you lead with that, with it being a positive experience, you know, we can get in between our ears.

- Yes.

It's an attitude.

A mind set.

- Oh, and especially with the National Anthem.

That's the most, I think every American should have to sing that in front of 20,000 people.

Acapella.

- To understand how-.

- To understand the pressure and the responsibility that comes with that song.

- I see - Yes.

- And it's a complex Anthem to sing.

- Absolutely.

That's one I practice every day, every day in the shower.

Without fail.

- You practice?

- Every day.

The National Anthem.

- Really?

- Yeah, just muscle memory.

- Every day you sing the National Anthem out loud?

- Out loud.

My poor husband.

[Stephanie laughs] - Why, why?

Because it has certain modulations that you're trying to accomplish, or?

- Because- - Why, why the National Anthem?

why not something else?

- I get asked to perform it often and I always want to be ready.

Always want to be ready.

And again, muscle memory is such a gift.

You know, preparation is the key to success.

- So, Steph, do you, do you also do any gospel music?

So many country musicians do gospel music.

- [Stephanie] Absolutely - Why is that?

- I, I just think that they're, they're just, there's a very fine line.

You, when you think back to the hymns and you think back, you know, how I grew up in church with, you know, we had this amazing singer-songwriter that would just play.

And I just remember watching her and just wanting to be like that, you know, like want it-to be able to play your own instrument and sing.

I just think, you know, God's in music.

And I think that country very much is that slice of life as is gospel, you know, it's all, it's all very similar.

- So, Gospel music, sorry, country music has changed tremendously, right?

Over, Over the years- - [Stephanie] It is wide open.

- Yes.

It's all kinds of music really.

Sometimes you don't realize that's a, that's a country singer.

- [Stephanie] Yes.

- Why did it do that?

Is it adjusting to the marketplace or the demand of audiences?

Is it that musicians got bored with one form of music?

And then wanted another one?

- I think that so many factors, I think that sometimes with, with the tradition of country music, the three chords and the truth, I think so many things have changed, you know, as people said in the 90s.

- What does that mean, the three chords and the truth?

- It's a saying in country music is: It only takes three chords and the truth to write a great country song.

- [Nido] I see - So, three chords on the guitar, three chords on the piano and just the truth.

I mean, I think that's, what's so beautiful about country.

I think, yes, we're an ever-changing industry.

For so long when I first got in the business, we didn't have YouTube, American Idol, all those things.

Now we have TikTok that is making artists overnight sensations.

So I think that, you know, people are just trying to figure it out and they're finding their version of their version.

I call myself a modern traditionalist, you know, I blend the modern, but I love the tradition.

Yeah.

It's, it's a wild, the music industry is going to be very fascinating over the next five years.

- I've often wondered people who are in the public eye as musicians who have a song or two that just go crazy and stays on the charts.

And they become very famous.

And they're doing all the concerts and selling all the, all the CDs and all the rest, but they don't last for long.

Very few musicians really have longevity in terms of fame, in terms of being in demand, that I've watched many of them over the years and not just country music, but any.

They started with these big concerts and then you see them doing a small venues and so on.

Is that a reflection on our country?

Is that a reflection on the musician?

What is the reflection on?

Why does that happen?

- That's a great question.

I've seen it happen a lot.

I think a couple things happen.

I think that when it comes too quickly and you haven't earned it, you don't know how to respect it and build it into a business.

I think that a lot of times when you're sprinting, that sprint can end very quickly.

Versus this is a marathon.

Life is a marathon.

Building a legacy is a marathon.

And really building that foundation that is unbreakable, right?

I think also people underestimate the amount of work it is, and it's, it's not balanced from the front, so they can't find that balance and they just, they throw their hands up.

- [Nido] Yes, yes.

And I've also wondered about the fact that so many musicians, so many artists, period.

Actors, musicians, sometimes even athletes, their lives are managed by other people.

- [Stephanie] Yes.

- Right?

They have a manager who puts them up, you know, I read the biography of Elvis Presley.

How he had a manager who said, you be here, you'd be here, you do this, you do that.

And, and um, is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Not from a business perspective, but from a control perspective.

In other words, does a manager really make a difference of taking an artist who's quite talented and make them truly famous, or can they also suppress that and keep you out of the venues and off of radio and those opportunities disappear somehow.

- Absolutely.

I think with anyone you're doing business with there's so many variables, having someone that has leveraged and relationships can absolutely propel your career and someone that might not see the same things that you see can, can hold you back.

You know, I've been really focused on everyone.

We all have to have a common goal.

We have to have the common desire and have to be building that common leverage so that we're always leveling each other up for that same goal.

- In your concerts, do you only use your guitar or do you also use piano?

- Well, you know, every now and then I get to break out that keyboard, but when we're traveling, you know, on airplanes I just, I can't- I wish I could also take a key tar, maybe.

You know, like a little one I can put in my guitar case, but mainly guitar on stage.

So once we're on a more, you know, heavy schedule of touring then I'll have the keyboard as well.

- You were named the first female country music ambassador by Bass Pro Shops.

- [Stephanie] Yeah.

- What did that do for you?

- What I think is so fun about these partnerships with brands where there's that common I won't say- common friend, right?

When it comes to who listens to my music and who likes to go camping and fishing and hiking and hunting.

It was just one of those relationships that I was so excited about because it's so authentic.

And we've been able to do really exciting things together and bring more people outside, right?

I think we all experienced that last year, the outdoors is never canceled.

And so how to really spend that time with your family and it's a family organization, and that's been really fun to watch it unfold.

I also got to go fishing with Bill Dance, the one and only.

My very first bass fishing trip, you know?

And that was one of my favorite moments because- - Did you catch anything?

- I caught so many fish.

- Really?

- He's, he's like the fish whisper that one.

And what was so fun about that is that, you know, people ask me, well, how did you get that opportunity?

And I said, well, I asked, you know, and I think that again, we have to ask, right?

- Ask and you shall receive.

- [Stephanie] Sometimes you'll get 'no's, but 'no's are just next opportunity.

- And you're life has been a full, full circle, really.

You were born in Bozeman, Montana.

And then now you and your husband own a beautiful ranch in Bozeman, Montana, where once- I think it was built by Dennis Quaid, is that right?

- Yeah, Dennis Quaid's old house.

- Do you play in Bozeman, Montana?

- I do.

As often as I can, every time I go home, I try to incorporate some, some work.

So I, oh, I have to go home to Montana for a week.

No, it's incredible.

We've recorded in Montana.

I've played all over the place and we're going to do some filming up there very soon.

It's, it's a, it's just, it's my home.

It's what made me.

And so it's an honor to represent the state.

- So what's next for you, Steph?

What, what, what are you, what are you working on now?

What do you hope to happen in the next period of time?

- The next period of time, I just finished writing a new album.

I was up in Montana with one of my co-writers and it just, it just came out, you know.

I think my whole life has been preparing me to write these songs.

And so they'll come out sometime next year and I'm working on some other projects as well, starting to dabble in some TV, which is really exciting.

And I've been doing a lot of hosting, which is a lot of fun.

- Hosting?

- [Stephanie] Hosting.

- What does that mean?

- Hosting on the red carpet.

interviewing different people.

- Oh I see.

- Absolutely.

- Like award shows.

- Absolutely.

Yes.

And so really incorporating all those different facets of my personality to, you know, share the music at the end of the day.

And so we have more music coming out this year and then early next year, and then we'll take a little, take a little moment and then the album will come out.

- I look forward to getting a copy of that.

When you say album, do you really mean album?

- Yeah, like an album, album.

Yes.

Vinyl.

I'll have the whole nine.

- And what do people do with that?

- Well, vinyls they usually put on the wall.

[Stephanie laughs] - Yes, exactly.

- Right?

Some people play- actually, it's funny, I have an easier time selling a $35 vinyl than a download for 99 cents.

- Is that right?

- It's fascinating because the music's become so free.

- Yes.

- Yeah.

- And, and because it's, it's unique, it's special.

It's, you know.

- The vinyl business has just exploded.

- Name us, a country musician who is living, who is someone you look up to.

Your idol, your best mentor, et cetera.

- I would say Dolly and Reba.

Absolutely.

I mean, Dolly Parton is Dolly Parton.

You know, she is when you hear her name, for the most part people smile and that's powerful.

That's the kind of legacy I wanna leave.

When people hear my name after I'm long gone, that they still think of all the joy and then Reba McEntire, of course, you know, she's, she's a tough cookie.

And she grew up in cattle as well, and, and I've had the, I've had the honor of getting to spend some time with her.

And it's just been uh, she's been an incredible mentor.

- How about someone who's not living?

- Ooh, well, I've got so many idols outside of music too, but music that's not living.

I would love to have a conversation with Tammy Wynette.

- Who lived a good life and had a very, very rich- - She, she lived it and she wrote it and she shared it.

- But Steph it's so wonderful to have you here today.

- Thank you for having me.

- You have accomplished so much in your life and yet you've only just begun.

- Only just began.

- And your fans are growing in the multitudes.

And we're proud that you have found both Montana home and North Carolina home.

I wish you the very best.

And I thank you for being with me.

Side By Side.

- [Narrator] Funding for Side By Side with Nido Qubein is made possible by: - [Narrator] Here's to those that rise and shine to friendly faces doing more than their part.

And to those who still enjoy the little things you make it feel like home.

Ashley HomeStore.

This is home.

- The Budd Group is a company of everyday leaders making a difference by providing facility solutions through customized janitorial, landscape, and maintenance services.

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[upbeat rock music] Thanks to our teams.

We are Coca-Cola Consolidated your local bottler.

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