Becoming a country artist is not something that happens overnight. It’s a journey that takes grit, determination, and strength. Holly Tucker’s latest single “Rose in the Red Dirt” reflects this well.
Tucker had the title in her phone for a couple of years, waiting for the right time to bring it to life. While in the writing room, she recalled the note in her phone and pitched it.
The title resurfaced at the perfect time. Holly explained, “I said, ‘Wow, this is really hitting me today. For some reason, I’m just thinking about the struggle of how it is to sometimes be an artist – the ups and downs of that.’”
It’s easy to get caught up in the stresses of life and negative things that come along. Tucker’s advice with this song is to have perseverance and determination in order to bring yourself up. The rose in red dirt is the perfect imagery for this song. They push through and are hard to kill. The sentiment can apply to anyone with a dream – don’t give up and just keep going.
The Texas Country Music Chart recently featured “Rose in the Red Dirt” as their song of the week. “That’s an amazing feeling,” she shared. “That’s really validation that the Texas world is holding me as one of their own.”
Choosing Genres
Growing up in the world of Christian music, Tucker could have easily taken that path. Her earliest memory of singing was when the senior adult choir at her home church in Waco asked her to sing along with them and her father. Tucker said, “I will never forget that moment. It was just a feeling of ‘Wow, I want to keep doing this.’”
Singing in front of an audience was a natural fit and she struggled with the genre choice initially. Tucker felt a pull toward country music for a couple of reasons. First, she always felt something in her heart that has drawn her to try and be a light in a dark world.
As we all know, secular entertainment has its share of problems and being a positive influence is really important to Tucker. “I want to show people that there are amazing things in store for people who just give their lives over to Jesus.” She wants to reach people that she may not have reached it she performed solely in the Christian genre.
She reminisced about the women she looked up to growing up: Martina McBride, Faith Hill, and Sara Evans, to name a few. “I was always inspired growing up by artists that put that light out there,” she said.
The Voice
Tucker joined “Team Blake” on The Voice’s fourth season, earning a four-chair turn and making it to the top six contestants. “It was a really great time for me,” she recollected.
She spoke very highly of her coach. “Blake is a really cool guy,” she began. “He’s a great coach, very encouraging, loving, and hilarious, too.” Blake Shelton taught her about the entertainment aspect of performing and just to get up there and have fun. He also advised that she try not to worry about what anyone might think.
Previously, she auditioned for countless competitive singing shows and this was going to be her last attempt. She received a call-back after the initial audition and things escalated from there. Tucker stated that she learned so much from the experience and throughout her journey, she’s continued to persevere. Tucker definitely personifies the rose in her song.
What’s Next for Holly Tucker
Holly Tucker continues to add shows to her tour schedule, which consists of a unique experience of a Texas country cruise in September. She expects big things in 2022, including her album release and wedding!
On her next album, you can expect several love songs written about her fiancé, along with songs from before she met him, that depict heartache and struggles.
For more information on Holly Tucker, visit https://www.hollytucker.com/.