August 6, 2024 • 41 mins
Welcome back to the Surviving and Thriving After High School podcast! In this episode, we have the pleasure of chatting with Rylee Banks, a fabulous musician and a recent cosmetology school graduate. Rylee shares her journey of balancing her dual passions for music and cosmetology, and how she landed a job straight out of school.
Rylee shares her experiences in cosmetology school, the challenges she faced, and the importance of on-the-job training. She also delves into her songwriting process, the inspiration behind her music, and how her faith has guided her through various aspects of her life.
From opening for major artists like Riley Green to performing at the Longleaf Country Music Festival, Rylee's story is filled with incredible opportunities and testimonies of faith. Tune in to hear her perform one of her original songs and get inspired by her journey.
Don't forget to check out Rylee Banks on all music platforms and follow her on social media for updates on her upcoming performances!
Topics:
- Cosmetology school and a musician
- Experiences
- Challenges
- The journey
- Country and Christian music
- Songwriting process
- Training and influences
- Balancing career and passion for music
- Spiritual growth
- Professional growth
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Music.
(00:05):
Welcome back to the Surviving and Thriving After High School podcast.
Today we have an absolutely amazing guest. I've known her the longest out of
any guest that I've had on here, I guess, pretty much since birth.
Just a couple of weeks after we met at church. Her name is Rylee Banks.
So would you mind saying hi for us, Rylee? Hey, how are y'all?
(00:26):
Thank you so much for having me on. I really appreciate it. Absolutely.
Thank you for coming on. One, Rylee is a fabulous musician and just an even better friend.
And also, she just got out of cosmetology school, right? Yes. Just now.
That's awesome. And you are working full time, right? I am. Music and hair. That's my life.
That sounds awesome. Okay, so straight out of college, you got a job.
(00:50):
Yes. I finished school back in March. And then in April, I got hired at my job really fast.
But I was thankful. I just asked God to show me where exactly I'm supposed
to go. And right after school, He did. That is fantastic!
So tell me a little bit about this because I don't know anything about cosmetology.
What was that whole experience like? Because you said that you did a little
(01:12):
bit of dual enrollment with it as well.
So would you recommend that process for other people or what would you say about
that? I absolutely would recommend dual enrollment.
My senior year of high school, I went to cosmetology school.
It's a two-year program. So I was able to get the first year fully done in high
school and being able to finish it after I got out of high school.
(01:32):
This past year, I did my last two semesters.
Cosmetology school, I mean, it was fun. I loved doing hair, but it's nothing like the real world.
But I feel like a lot of trades, people will say, well, in school,
you don't really learn what's actually in the real world, which is very true.
I did learn that kind of the hard way. I was a little bit in shock when I went
to school and realized that it's not exactly what salon life is really
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like, I mean, it is a little bit, but it really just prepares you for your state
board test that you have to take.
And then after that, everything that you learn is really on-the-job,
which I feel like a lot of jobs are like that, especially in the technical field.
But I did. I really enjoyed it. And I turned 19 in February and now I already have a full-time job.
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So it was a fast track for me and I didn't want to go to school for a really
long time. So it worked for me and I love it.
Now I'm finally learning all the stuff that I wanted to learn a long time ago, but that's okay.
Hey, that's absolutely amazing. And I'm glad that you did that.
You know, like having a job at 19, that's like unheard of. So congratulations to you. Thank you.
(02:37):
I'm just curious. You're talking about how it's different from what you actually
learned in school and that sort of thing.
So what would you say is like the biggest thing that you have learned in the
real world environment on the job compared to school?
Like, is there anything that you can be like, oh, that's one thing that they
never taught us in school, but maybe they should have?
(02:57):
Definitely. I think just people skills and communication is something that they
don't teach you much in school.
And obviously that's a trait that you're not going to have unless you learn it and do it.
You know what I'm saying? Like, you're not going to know how to deal with certain
customers and just anything like any people skills, you're not going to know
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how to do in business world. I guess I should say professional skills,
not necessarily people skills.
So that's definitely one thing. And being on the job, I've learned.
And just by shadowing and watching the other stylists, how do you answer these
questions that people have?
How do you professionally go about this and that?
And then another thing I would say in school, you learn really basic cuts and haircuts is what I mean.
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And in the real world, everything is a lot lot more complicated and technical.
And it's not just - everybody wants a one length haircut or everybody wants
a simple layered haircut.
I mean, there's different things, you know, that you got the stacked bobs that
women ask for and the men's fades and all that stuff is just,
it doesn't go into detail in school and I wish it did.
So that's why I'm doing a lot of on-the-job training so I can learn all those
(04:05):
things that people really do ask for.
So since you're getting on-the-job training and that sort of thing and having
a job at 19, what kind of led you to that job? Did you make a connection at the school?
Like, how did you get to a position where you got a job, like,
straight out of school? Okay, so this is a little bit of a testimony type thing.
(04:26):
So when I was in school, people would ask me all the time, where are you going
to work when you get done?
And it always stressed me out when people would ask me that because I get really...
Anxious thinking about the future and not knowing what's to come.
And that's just something about my personality. And I would just,
I would get so stressed out when people would be like, where are you going?
(04:46):
Where are you going? Where are you going?
Everybody would ask me that. And I would just be like, I don't know.
I don't know. I don't know.
And I would just go home and pray and be like, God, why don't I know what's next?
Would you please show me? Would you tell me what's next? Like,
what is next? Because people ask me and I don't know.
And I feel like I should know because they're making me feel like I should know.
And I just had this peace about me when I was praying. And I know it was from
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the Holy Spirit. And I just heard, 'finish school and I'll show you where to go'.
So I never thought about it again. For the rest of school, I never thought about
where would I go work when I got done.
I just needed to focus on finishing because that's what the Lord told me.
So I finished on a Wednesday.
The following Wednesday, I get a text from my my friend that I went to high school with.
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And she said, hey, I got a job at this salon working the front desk as a receptionist
and they're hiring stylists. Would you be interested?
And I said, well, yeah, I guess. I mean, it doesn't hurt to go talk to them,
you know, just do a little interview.
So I went and I loved it. They're great people. They love the Lord.
They use their salon as a ministry. That's a form of ministry to them. It's a wonderful place.
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And so after the interview, they had told me when we got finished talking,
they were like, well, we're going to pray about it and we'll get back to you.
And I said, well, I'm going to do the same thing.
So I prayed about it and I went home and I just prayed, God,
if this is where I'm supposed to go, will you just tell me this is exactly where I'm supposed to be?
And He said, 'think back to like everything I just said and think back
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to everything that you prayed when you were worried about school or worried
about where you're going to work while you were in school and I told you.
Just finish school and I'll show you.
Well, one week later, your friend sent you a text saying, there's this salon
that's hiring. Would you like to go talk to them?
Look how it's lining up, Rylee, you know'? So I knew that that's where I was
supposed to go when the Lord just showed me, look, this is everything that happened.
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Look back at the timeline of the events and it'll add up. So that's how I knew.
That is, I mean, like, that's an awesome testimony. Yeah. So,
he just showed you. Yes, absolutely!
That is so incredible! And he used an old connection that you had in high school.
Like that... it's so neat to see how God works like that every single time.
Yep! So I'm very thankful. My friend, her name's Katie.
(07:01):
We met when I moved to Trinity and we've been friends ever since.
That's so awesome. Shout out to Katie, y'all. Like, let's go, Katie.
Okay, sweet. Yes. So you're also a musician as well. Yes.
So would you mind explaining to the audience what your genre is?
Country music. And I do a little Christian too. I sing at church and I like
(07:23):
to incorporate the two together.
Not just one or the other. I like to blend them a little bit.
I got you. Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome. Country Christian, if you will.
Yes. Yes. I heard your EP that came out not too long ago. It had like The Dance
and Ninth Grade on it. And those were awesome!
Thank you. Thank you. Yes. So you wrote Ninth Grade, right? I did. Yes.
(07:45):
That was like such a thing. That's the first song I ever wrote,
actually. Really? Yeah. Okay. How old were you when you wrote Ninth Grade?
I was going into Ninth Grade when I started writing it. And I left it alone for two years.
Wow! And then went back to it and finished it.
So, yeah. Or maybe three. Maybe three. I think I was a Senior when I finished
it. Wow! Or almost a senior. Something like that. Two or three years.
(08:08):
That's incredible! Okay. So I know nothing about songwriting.
Like it fascinates me, but I just, I know nothing about it.
So do you typically wait a while?
Like, is that when an idea comes to you to finish a song?
Like, do you have an idea of, oh, this is the start of it?
And then you just wait a little while and then it's like, oh,
this is the perfect ending.
So, not really. I had started writing it,
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I was really scared to go to high school for whatever reason,
just had a lot of anxiety about it.
And I had never written music or anything. That's actually like right after
I learned how to play guitar.
I've been singing for a long time, but I learned to play guitar in eighth grade. I taught myself.
And after I had kind of gotten the rhythm and felt comfortable with guitar and
singing, I was like, I'm going to write a song.
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So I decided to write a song and I just wrote it about my emotions,
about how I was feeling so scared to go to high school, just go to a big school
with tons of people and all the older kids and everything else.
So I started to write the song and I just never finished it.
I just wrote like the first half of it, never did anything.
And then a couple years later, I went to a concert with my family and there
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was a guy, he's a country music artist now.
His name's Shane Prophet. He's still up and coming, but he's wonderful.
And he was the first opener. Like before people were hardly even getting in
the crowd. He was out there singing and we were there and we watched him.
And I thought he was so good. And he was so real. His songwriting was so real.
Just from his heart, I could tell that he was just such a great guy from what he was writing.
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And he actually walked out into the audience after he got done.
And I just ran over to him and started talking to him and told him I love to
sing and I'm inspired by him and everything.
And he said, if I could give you any advice, write your own music.
And so I was like, okay. So I remembered that I had written the beginning of that song.
And I said, well, I already got half of a song, so I guess I'll finish it.
(10:02):
So I remembered where I think I wrote it down somewhere and I remembered how
to play it. And then I just finished it from there.
But normally songwriting does not go like that for me. Normally I just go in a quiet room, my room.
That's really the only place I write songs is my room at my house.
I'll either sit on my bed or sit at my vanity with my guitar and my notebook
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and a pen and just go for it.
I don't really come up with the words or the music first. I do it all at one
time. Everybody kind of has their own way.
Some people write the music first and then they come up with the words or some
people come up with the words and then the music. But I just do it all at one time.
I don't know. That's just how it works for me. It's how I've always done it. Wow!
So yeah, that's how songwriting goes for me. And normally I get it done in a day or two.
(10:49):
Wow! One song. Okay. Yeah. Nice! So how many have you written, would you say?
I've written about five or six, but I've recorded three originals and
I've written about three more. So, wow.
Sweet! Nice. So is there an upcoming date for a new release or anything?
(11:10):
No, I haven't recorded anything yet. That's definitely in the works.
Like I said, I've just been finishing school and now I got a job
so things have kind of been pushed back, I guess, or kind of left on the back burner.
But I'm hoping to record them soon. And one of them actually is like some of
my songs are country, but they kind of incorporate faith a lot into it.
(11:32):
But one of them is like strictly about my faith.
And so I'm kind of thinking about doing either an album or just a single of
a Christian song and just seeing how that goes too.
So like I said, I like to do both. So we'll just see.
That's awesome! Yes, for sure. So when you're playing to a crowd,
because you go out and you perform all the time, right? I do, yeah.
(11:53):
So how do they react when you do an original? Do you play originals out in crowds a lot? I do, yeah.
I'll kind of get people's attention and say, talk about the song and say,
this is the song I'm going to sing next. I wrote this.
Tell them when I wrote it, how I wrote it, what it's about.
And then I'll sing it. And then I'll tell them that they can find it on any
music platform after. And people tend to love it.
(12:15):
People will come up to me afterwards and say how much they liked it
and they're going to listen to it on their phone.
And, you know, I just love it because I'm glad to write stuff that people want to listen to.
And they do like it. And they don't just tell me they like it because they're being nice.
Right. No, I completely understand that. Yes.
That's so cool, though. So you go out and you get their attention that way and
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then they respond to it like that's absolutely incredible.
Do you kind of have to read the crowd while you're performing at these venues
and you're like, oh, they're ready for an original?
Or what's that moment when you're like, oh, I know that they're ready for it?
When everybody is locked in and paying attention because I play at places where
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there's food and drinks and people are talking and mingling and they're not
always, a lot of times it's just,
I say background noise, even though they're paying attention,
it is kind of background noise, but they do watch and they do stop what they're
doing and listen and then they'll go back to talking to their friends.
But when I feel like everybody is really engaged is when I'll do an original
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and I'll talk to them about it. So what type of training have you done to prepare
yourself to go out for these live gigs and whatnot?
Because I know that you play probably all the time, right? Yes.
In order to, yeah, just at home?
Do you practice a lot? Yeah, I do practice at home.
I did voice lessons for a really long time. I started when I was around six
or seven in voice lessons.
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And I took them all the way until the end of my Senior year.
I stopped doing lessons just because things got busy and life kind of got in the way.
Oh, yeah. And I didn't really have time for lessons anymore,
but I did them consistently once a week.
For years. And then, like I
said, I taught myself to play guitar in eighth grade. You taught yourself?
(14:01):
Yes. Yes. Oh, I didn't know that. Wow. Okay. Yeah. So I taught myself to play guitar.
I just, I remember I would see the female country artists up on stage playing their guitar singing.
And I just thought, oh, I want to do that.
So I taught myself watching YouTube videos.
And if you want to learn how to do anything, watch YouTube. Seriously, it's like free teacher.
(14:22):
For real. So, yeah, I learned how to play guitar from YouTube and it definitely
took a while to get comfortable.
And I don't know if I would ever teach myself another instrument on YouTube, but it worked for me.
And so, yeah, so I taught myself to play when I was 13.
Now playing is just like second nature to me and singing.
(14:43):
I still practice at home, obviously. But a lot of times I play so much that
that really is my practice, playing all the time, you know. know, for gigs and shows.
I feel like that is my practice. And if it's kind of a slow night and there's
not many people, I'll just practice new stuff and be like, y'all are my guinea pigs.
I'm just going to play some new things I've never played before.
(15:03):
If it sounds bad, just close your ears.
That's awesome. You got to have a good personality when you're a performer.
Yeah. I used to freak out about if I would mess up in front of somebody or anything like that.
But now I just laugh and I just tell them, oh, I'm crazy, you know,
and just keep going on with of it and they just think it's funny.
For real. That's awesome. So you mentioned specifically that the female country
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artists, they really inspired you to do that. And you thought that that was really cool.
So is there one specific country artist that you can like point to and tell
us like, oh, that was the person that inspired me?
I wouldn't say there's one in particular that really inspired me.
One that sticks out in my mind is Carrie Underwood.
I've always been fascinated by her from when I was young.
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I just thought, well, first I thought She was just so beautiful and...
She was a great performer and she always had on pretty outfits and stuff.
But I also just love what she stands for in her music. And she's the same way.
She loves to sing country music, but she also loves the Lord and she sings Christian music as well.
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And she doesn't let that stop her or she doesn't let people's opinions turn
her away from still doing Christian music, even though she's not really a Christian
music artist, if that makes sense.
Yes. That's kind of how I am because I love country music too.
And I don't want to feel like I have to do just one thing, but I also don't
want people's opinions to get in the way either.
(16:28):
And I think that she really doesn't.
And I like that about her. She just, she sings Christian music if she wants
to, you know, and a lot of times in society, people think that's wrong, but it's not.
It's not. Yeah, it's totally not. And I'm glad that you've taken that stand
on it. Like that's absolutely amazing that you found her as an influence.
And that's so cool. Well, yeah, I can see you liking Carrie Underwood.
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That would make perfect sense.
So what's been like a major challenge that you've had to overcome,
whether it be in cosmetology or being a musician out in the world?
I would just say a big challenge that comes with it is the sacrifice of time.
Even though it's just seems like a little three-hour gig on a Friday night or
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a Saturday night, I mean, it takes up a good bit of your day because you have
to drive there, you have to set up, You have to take the time that you are performing.
You have to take the time after to talk to everybody that came.
Then you have to break down. So it turns into a really long day of music and the show.
And so a challenge for me was just as a teenager, a lot of times it's hard to
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feel like you're missing out on whatever your friends are doing.
You know, if they're having a get together or they're all going bowling or whatever
they're doing and, oh, I can't go.
I have to sing tonight, you know? And so there's a lot of sacrifices.
And I know for somebody older, they would probably think that's a little silly.
But for a teenager, that is a challenge to feel like you're not a part of what
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all of your friends are doing.
And sometimes I am able to go and do with my friends.
But a lot of times I have to miss because I'm doing music, but it's because
I'm following my heart and I'm doing what I love.
So I feel like the pros outweigh the cons for sure.
That's awesome. So with that, you were talking about how you face those types
(18:17):
of challenges and whatnot.
And I'm just curious, this would seem like a major challenge to me,
but I don't know. Maybe it's not.
Since you're gigging all the time, what advice can you give someone as far as getting more gigs?
Is it making connections with the venue owners or just being friendly with the
audience? How do you get more gigs?
(18:37):
Everything you just said, making connections for sure.
A lot of times in the music industry, it's not always what you know,
it's who you know. And I hear that all the time.
People tell me, make connections, make connections, make connections.
They cannot tell that to me enough.
So making connections, not only with the owners, but just people in general,
like you said, like when, if you're friendly to the audience,
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people like that, and they'll refer you to other places.
They'll just randomly tell people, you know, if they're at a restaurant,
they'll tell the manager, oh, there's this girl, you should get in touch with
her, you know? Riley Banks.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So like in the audience, for example, I've made a connection
with people in the audience before and they've gotten me other gigs and some
of the best opportunities that I've ever had.
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So that's what I would say for sure. That's how I get other gigs.
So how have you grown spiritually during this?
Because we were just talking about faith and I'm just curious,
how would you say that the Lord has guided you and grown you spiritually?
I've definitely learned to lean on the Lord through all of this for sure.
He's really shown me that you have to put all of your trust in Him because when
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your future is unknown, you have to walk by faith and not by sight.
When you cannot see what's in front of you, He is your guide. He is your light.
And He will light up the path that's in front of you when all you can see is two feet ahead.
And He will show you the rest. You just got to take that step and that leap
of faith. So I would say that he's really shown me that I'm not the one in charge.
(20:07):
I'm not the one guiding my steps, but he is. Amen to that. Yes.
Guiding your steps. You've seen that countless times, even through like the
whole connection to the salon and everything.
He guided your steps and he just said, wait, and then he had the coolest opportunity for you.
So personally, how have you grown?
I've really learned a lot about myself. self. I know my boundaries and when
(20:32):
to say yes and when to say no, when to step back from something or when to really
go full force into something.
For example, like when to say no to a certain gig if I already have so many
in one week or so many already lined up for the month.
I know my boundaries and when I get a little bit overwhelmed and when I can
(20:53):
say yes and I can do it and I know oh, I'll be okay.
Because I kind of have a tendency to get overstimulated and overwhelmed when
there's a whole lot going on.
So I've learned that about myself. I didn't really know that before I did music.
So I actually took a little break.
I started doing gigs in July of 2022. So almost two years ago.
(21:15):
And I did take a little two-month break back in December till February of this past year.
I took just a little break because I was like, I just need a mental break.
I need to regroup and I'm going to, you know, not start over,
but just have a little break.
And it was really helpful. And it's because I used to play a whole lot more than I do now.
And I got very overwhelmed and I realized it really quick how much just how
(21:38):
I couldn't handle as much as I was doing.
So now I've scaled back and I don't play multiple nights a week.
I'll just play once or sometimes I will play multiple. Like I said,
sometimes I know when I can say yes. Yes.
But to protect myself and I've learned myself, I know when to say no and when to say yes.
So I think that's a lot of what I've learned about myself is just my boundaries
(22:00):
and when I can and when I can't.
That is very insightful. It's so important to have boundaries going into anything.
So yeah, especially in the job and everything, you know, you have to know your
limits. So thank you for pointing that out. That's very good insight.
Yeah. Yes. And professionally, how have you grown like in cosmetology and in music?
(22:20):
How have you grown professionally since having those jobs?
Just how to professionally carry yourself and have conversations with people
and how to handle certain situations, I would say is how I've grown professionally.
And like I said, you don't know how to be professional, how to walk professionally
(22:42):
and talk professionally until Until you're thrown in and you learn as you go.
Because nobody has that in them just naturally.
No one knows how to be professional in certain aspects of their life until they're
thrown in and they have to learn and figure it out.
So I would say I've definitely matured in that way.
So in the professional industry, you know, like working in music and that sort
(23:06):
of thing, the entertainment industry and being professional there,
what entertainment professionals have you worked with that you would like to
share about or like what's been a cool moment that you've just had there where
it's like, oh, this is like how I've made it. Like my dream is coming true.
Like what's been a moment that's happened like that with an industry professional?
That's a really good question. I'm glad you asked because I love to talk about this. Yes.
(23:30):
Back in December, I was able to open for and sing with The Voice 2019's Guy
Thrigdon and country music star Riley Greene.
I was able to play with them and open for them.
And it was such an incredible experience. It was a private event.
And like I said, when I had met somebody at a show and I had a great opportunity from them,
(23:51):
somebody that was just watching me sing and he has a lot of connections in the
industry and he He just really gravitated toward me and he liked what I did.
And he said, I'm going to help you.
And I was like, OK, I'll take any help I can get. You know, I mean, I'm new in this for sure.
He was able to give me that opportunity at that private concert to be able to
(24:11):
open for them and sing with them. And they just gave me so much advice.
And it was just the coolest thing to be able to sing with two people that do
it for a living fully, professionally,
know the ins and outs and go on tour and all the stuff that's,
I say that musicians want to get to that point, you know, but obviously you
(24:35):
have to start somewhere.
They've been where I am and they understand that and they, I'm just so grateful
that they were willing to give me the opportunity that they did being such a
young artist and new in the industry.
And I'm learning as I go. But yeah, that's something so far that's been the
coolest thing I've done.
(24:55):
That, I mean, I completely understand that you got to sing with Riley Greene. Oh, yeah.
That is so cool. Congrats. Oh, thank you. Nice.
So are you going on tour with him at any point? No, he didn't ask me.
I was kind of hoping he would. Okay, gotcha. But he didn't.
You know, you always have that hope, but you can never get your hopes up for sure.
(25:17):
But no, I'm not going on tour or anything. That would be cool, but no.
I am going to be performing next weekend at a country music festival that they're
having in Gay, Georgia. It's called the Longleaf Country Music Festival.
It's headlining Alabama, the country band, I'm sure you've heard of them.
And then there are other bands too, Diamond Rio, Marshall Tucker Band,
(25:42):
John Langston, Tracy Lynn, just people that are super duper well-known.
And I'm going to be able to perform not with them, but before them at the concert.
So they're having a local stage and I'll be one of five different bands that
are going to be performing for the local side.
So the stages are right next to each other. So it'll bounce back and forward,
(26:02):
then go from a headliner to a local. And it's really cool.
I'm glad that they asked me to be a part of that as well. I'm very excited.
I hope I get to meet everyone too. I think that'll even be the cherry on top.
If I get to meet everyone, even if I don't want to be super fun, and I'm really excited.
And there's going to be thousands of people there. So that will definitely be
the biggest audience that I'll have ever played for.
(26:23):
But I'm really excited and looking forward to it. So that will be after next
weekend. I'll get to say that's been my biggest opportunity.
So I'll have two after next weekend that I'll be able to talk about.
That is so awesome. Wow. Okay.
Playing for Alabama. That's a lot of pressure, but you know,
like that's... I'm looking forward to it.
(26:44):
I'm going to have a band and normally I just play solo when I go and play gigs,
but I'm going to have a band.
So that makes it even more exciting and takes more pressure off me and more
I can just have fun and interact with the crowd and not have to think so much
about just, I'm a little girl by myself up here.
So I'm very excited. That's so awesome. So are these people that you knew from
(27:08):
like high school or like, how did you get connected with the band?
So they, I grew up and I live in Brooks, Georgia.
I think you do too, right? Yes. Yeah. So the guys are my dad's age.
So there's some buddies of my dad's and they do music and stuff on the side,
not full time, but they're They're very, very good instrumentalists and singers as well.
(27:28):
And so I knew that I wanted to not do this by myself for this concert.
And I reached out to them and I'm like, hey, don't feel pressured to.
But if you want to, I really would love for you to be a part of this with me.
And they were like, oh, yes, absolutely. We'll do it in a heartbeat.
It's cool to see how God always places those connections in your life.
(27:48):
Even if, you know, he placed them in your dad's life, I'm sure for this very
purpose, You know, he prepared them for this and playing at the festival like that.
So what's the name of the festival again? The Longleaf Country Music Festival.
That is so cool. OK, so what are some goals that you still have?
Because, you know, you're constantly reaching these new goals of first Riley
Green now playing to thousands of people.
(28:10):
Honestly, I have no idea. Like I said, I used to get super overwhelmed when
I would think so much about the future and especially with school.
And that's how I really realized that I would get super overwhelmed thinking about the future.
And I am just taking it day by day and letting God show me the steps to take.
I sort of just have this mentality where it's like, if an opportunity is presented
(28:33):
to me, I'll take it and run with it.
I'm really not sure what my next goal is, but I know the Lord will show me what's
next. So that's just kind of where I am right now.
So if it came down to it, music or salon?
You know, people ask me that and it's like, I can't give, I guess,
a direct answer. her. I always want to do both.
(28:55):
And I think right now it's kind of half and half, but whatever opportunity may
be presented to me in the future, it might change and I'd be okay with that. So we'll see.
So if you could perform with any artist, who would it be? And would it be Carrie
Underwood? I really would like to sing with her.
(29:16):
Probably. I think I would, I would probably pick her okay or you know Dolly
Parton or Reba or all the all the classics but probably Carrie Underwood I probably
would love to sing with her okay would you want to ever write a song with her,
Well, yeah. That'd be cool. Anybody that would want to write a song with me,
(29:36):
I'd write a song with them.
Okay. So if you could describe songwriting for you in just one word,
what would that one word be? I would say sincere.
Sincere. Okay. Because songwriting is something that really comes from the heart.
And that's sincere to me when you're just real and raw.
(29:56):
All right. So how do you continue to grow and improve as a songwriter?
I would say just doing it, just writing songs.
You're going to write songs that are not good and they're terrible and they
need to be crumbled up and thrown in the trash and start over.
You're going to write songs that are not the best. And I would say just practice.
(30:17):
That's how you get better.
And surrounding yourself with people that also songwrite. So co-writing with
people and you can learn from them and they can learn from you and you can bounce
back ideas from each other.
I think the best songs are written with more than one person.
You know, co-writing because then you can bounce ideas off. And it's not just
one brain. It's a bunch of them together to create one thing.
But like I said, just practicing and doing it a lot is how I would say you could get better.
(30:42):
Okay, nice. So co-writing with that, I'm just curious, what songs have you co-written with people?
Like, are there any out that we could listen to that you've co-written with somebody?
Yeah, absolutely. So My Number One in Ninth Grade, I wrote those by myself.
And the song called Worthy that I have on my album, that song I did co-write.
I had the idea. I started it myself.
(31:05):
And then I sat down with the guy that produced all my music. His name's Jason Hoard.
He's a wonderful guy, wonderful Christian guy, strong believer,
and also the worship leader at my church that I go to.
And he is a wonderful, wonderful songwriter and singer as well.
And the three of us sat down together. And I had the idea and we just took it
(31:27):
and run with it. And that's how the song Worthy came to be.
That's so cool. Nice. So did y'all songwrite at his studio or like,
how does that whole process work?
Yeah. So we, Jason Hoard has a studio, a recording studio up in his house,
actually, just a cozy little room.
And then they have a closet where, you know, you do the vocals,
but there's a couch and all of his TV and his board and all that.
(31:53):
All that's foreign to me because I don't know how you work any of that,
but I just sing and write and play guitar.
So we just all sat down in there together with our guitars and a piece of paper.
So Rylee, speaking about songwriting, what is some advice that you can give a young songwriter?
I would say, if you want to write
(32:13):
a song, just go for it. If you have an idea, write it down, go for it.
It might be terrible the first time you write it. You can switch around.
If you have a base, you have something to work with. If you have a good start,
then you can change words around, you can change the music
but don't give up if you really have
a great idea and you want to write a song do it anybody can
(32:34):
I think but it might just take a few times it
might not be perfect right away okay cool so where do you find the greatest
inspiration in songwriting because I remember at the beginning you were talking
about how you wrote ninth grade with just your emotions and how you were feeling
going into ninth grade and later polishing that and you said your senior year
correct somewhere around okay Okay.
(32:56):
So how do you find like a typical because you don't like go into ninth grade every single day.
How did you find so like Worthy and my song?
My Number One. My Number One. How did you get inspired to write those?
So I really like to write about my life and my faith and my love story and everything else.
(33:17):
So really, I'll just get an idea in my head about a broad topic.
And I just, this is what I'm going to write about.
And then I kind of narrow it down to the specifics. So for Worthy,
I wanted to talk about just trusting the Lord and His path for your life and
living a life worthy of the calling that He has called you to.
(33:38):
Ephesians 4.1 says to live a life worthy of the calling that you have been called
to. And I really do live by that.
And so I wanted to write a song about it. And then for My Number One,
my boyfriend Carter, we got together right after we turned 16.
And we've been together for three and a half years.
And our love story is my favorite. And so we just, I love to write about us
(34:03):
and the things that we love to do together.
So I think I just get a topic and
then I think of the specific things that I want to mention
in the song and then I just go for it so that's
so cool that you incorporate your love story like that's so inspiring how you
get inspiration thank you for sharing that and like how you start broad and
then go narrow so it's kind of like writing a paper right like how you had to
(34:24):
do in like ninth grade in school yeah yeah in ninth grade that's so neat so
how How would you define success for a songwriter?
Well, I guess for me, success in songwriting is writing a song that people love
and that people can relate to and that they want to listen to.
I just feel like I've done something right if I've inspired them or they can
(34:48):
relate to it or I've pointed them to the Lord.
Because in all honesty, doing this, I just want to bring glory to the Lord,
whichever way I can. So writing music is a form or a way that I can do that.
And so any way I can bring glory to him or people can be inspired or anything
like that, it doesn't matter to me how many listens the song gets or how much
(35:12):
money I make from the music. That doesn't matter to me at all.
I just want people to love it and be inspired by it. That is so incredible!
And I love that you have incorporated your faith so much into music.
Like, that's very inspiring to hear how you've done that.
So I'm curious for any Christian songwriters that are wanting to get into the
music industry, because the music industry can take anything and they can turn
(35:35):
people fast. Absolutely.
So what can you tell them to prepare themselves for getting into the music industry? Absolutely.
Well, God tells us in His Word that we are just in the world and we are not of the world.
And so we just have to stand firm in our faith and not conform to the things
that society tells us that we should and that society says is right when we
(35:57):
really, we have the truth and we know what is right.
So don't let anybody tell you
different because you know what's true and you have that in your heart.
Amen. That's so awesome that you just have that sort of mindset and you're sharing
that with people that are interested in this, you know, whether they be young
or older, it's a real deal to stand your faith.
Like I'm sure that you've seen like since graduating high school or even in
(36:20):
high school, you've seen people step away from the faith and it's sad to see,
but I'm glad that you're standing your ground and that's so awesome.
So real fast before we go, would you mind possibly playing for us one of your
originals? Yeah, absolutely.
So I will play the song that I was telling you about earlier that I co-wrote
with my producer and worship pastor at my church.
(36:41):
This is called Worthy. I wrote this song just about some things I was going through in my life.
And I sort of just felt like God was taking me out of one thing and preparing me for another.
So this song is called Worthy and I hope you like it.
Music.
(39:51):
Wow! That was absolutely incredible. You can tell that you've been playing the
guitar for just a little while, you know. Just a few minutes.
Yes. Yeah. Such a beautiful song, too. Like the lyrics and everything. Wow. Just amazing.
All right. Perfect. Well, thank you so much for joining us and sharing about this, Riley.
Y'all go check out Rylee Banks on any and all music platforms.
(40:15):
Yes. So yes, go and check her out and be sure to check out and see where she's performing.
You know, you have an Instagram. Yes. So I post on Instagram and Facebook, Rylee Banks Music.
And I spell my name R-Y-L-E-E. I always have to tell people or else they won't be able to find it.
But anyway, so Instagram, Facebook, you can find, I post all sorts of stuff.
(40:37):
And then I also have a website. If you're not on social media,
you can go, you can Google RyleeBanks.com.
And on there I have all my upcoming events and I
even have photos and music and all sorts of stuff so you
can go check it out perfect well yes please go
and check her out support her she is an absolutely
amazing young lady and thank you so much for joining us thank you for having
(40:59):
me anytime yes I'm glad we got a chance to catch up like this is fun and be
sure to follow us on Instagram and we will catch you next time with another
amazing episode so thank you for joining us.
Music.
Music.
(00:05):
Welcome back to the Surviving and Thriving After High School podcast.
Today we have an absolutely amazing guest. I've known her the longest out of
any guest that I've had on here, I guess, pretty much since birth.
Just a couple of weeks after we met at church. Her name is Rylee Banks.
So would you mind saying hi for us, Rylee? Hey, how are y'all?
(00:26):
Thank you so much for having me on. I really appreciate it. Absolutely.
Thank you for coming on. One, Rylee is a fabulous musician and just an even better friend.
And also, she just got out of cosmetology school, right? Yes. Just now.
That's awesome. And you are working full time, right? I am. Music and hair. That's my life.
That sounds awesome. Okay, so straight out of college, you got a job.
(00:50):
Yes. I finished school back in March. And then in April, I got hired at my job really fast.
But I was thankful. I just asked God to show me where exactly I'm supposed
to go. And right after school, He did. That is fantastic!
So tell me a little bit about this because I don't know anything about cosmetology.
What was that whole experience like? Because you said that you did a little
(01:12):
bit of dual enrollment with it as well.
So would you recommend that process for other people or what would you say about
that? I absolutely would recommend dual enrollment.
My senior year of high school, I went to cosmetology school.
It's a two-year program. So I was able to get the first year fully done in high
school and being able to finish it after I got out of high school.
(01:32):
This past year, I did my last two semesters.
Cosmetology school, I mean, it was fun. I loved doing hair, but it's nothing like the real world.
But I feel like a lot of trades, people will say, well, in school,
you don't really learn what's actually in the real world, which is very true.
I did learn that kind of the hard way. I was a little bit in shock when I went
to school and realized that it's not exactly what salon life is really
(01:56):
like, I mean, it is a little bit, but it really just prepares you for your state
board test that you have to take.
And then after that, everything that you learn is really on-the-job,
which I feel like a lot of jobs are like that, especially in the technical field.
But I did. I really enjoyed it. And I turned 19 in February and now I already have a full-time job.
(02:17):
So it was a fast track for me and I didn't want to go to school for a really
long time. So it worked for me and I love it.
Now I'm finally learning all the stuff that I wanted to learn a long time ago, but that's okay.
Hey, that's absolutely amazing. And I'm glad that you did that.
You know, like having a job at 19, that's like unheard of. So congratulations to you. Thank you.
(02:37):
I'm just curious. You're talking about how it's different from what you actually
learned in school and that sort of thing.
So what would you say is like the biggest thing that you have learned in the
real world environment on the job compared to school?
Like, is there anything that you can be like, oh, that's one thing that they
never taught us in school, but maybe they should have?
(02:57):
Definitely. I think just people skills and communication is something that they
don't teach you much in school.
And obviously that's a trait that you're not going to have unless you learn it and do it.
You know what I'm saying? Like, you're not going to know how to deal with certain
customers and just anything like any people skills, you're not going to know
(03:19):
how to do in business world. I guess I should say professional skills,
not necessarily people skills.
So that's definitely one thing. And being on the job, I've learned.
And just by shadowing and watching the other stylists, how do you answer these
questions that people have?
How do you professionally go about this and that?
And then another thing I would say in school, you learn really basic cuts and haircuts is what I mean.
(03:43):
And in the real world, everything is a lot lot more complicated and technical.
And it's not just - everybody wants a one length haircut or everybody wants
a simple layered haircut.
I mean, there's different things, you know, that you got the stacked bobs that
women ask for and the men's fades and all that stuff is just,
it doesn't go into detail in school and I wish it did.
So that's why I'm doing a lot of on-the-job training so I can learn all those
(04:05):
things that people really do ask for.
So since you're getting on-the-job training and that sort of thing and having
a job at 19, what kind of led you to that job? Did you make a connection at the school?
Like, how did you get to a position where you got a job, like,
straight out of school? Okay, so this is a little bit of a testimony type thing.
(04:26):
So when I was in school, people would ask me all the time, where are you going
to work when you get done?
And it always stressed me out when people would ask me that because I get really...
Anxious thinking about the future and not knowing what's to come.
And that's just something about my personality. And I would just,
I would get so stressed out when people would be like, where are you going?
(04:46):
Where are you going? Where are you going?
Everybody would ask me that. And I would just be like, I don't know.
I don't know. I don't know.
And I would just go home and pray and be like, God, why don't I know what's next?
Would you please show me? Would you tell me what's next? Like,
what is next? Because people ask me and I don't know.
And I feel like I should know because they're making me feel like I should know.
And I just had this peace about me when I was praying. And I know it was from
(05:09):
the Holy Spirit. And I just heard, 'finish school and I'll show you where to go'.
So I never thought about it again. For the rest of school, I never thought about
where would I go work when I got done.
I just needed to focus on finishing because that's what the Lord told me.
So I finished on a Wednesday.
The following Wednesday, I get a text from my my friend that I went to high school with.
(05:29):
And she said, hey, I got a job at this salon working the front desk as a receptionist
and they're hiring stylists. Would you be interested?
And I said, well, yeah, I guess. I mean, it doesn't hurt to go talk to them,
you know, just do a little interview.
So I went and I loved it. They're great people. They love the Lord.
They use their salon as a ministry. That's a form of ministry to them. It's a wonderful place.
(05:54):
And so after the interview, they had told me when we got finished talking,
they were like, well, we're going to pray about it and we'll get back to you.
And I said, well, I'm going to do the same thing.
So I prayed about it and I went home and I just prayed, God,
if this is where I'm supposed to go, will you just tell me this is exactly where I'm supposed to be?
And He said, 'think back to like everything I just said and think back
(06:17):
to everything that you prayed when you were worried about school or worried
about where you're going to work while you were in school and I told you.
Just finish school and I'll show you.
Well, one week later, your friend sent you a text saying, there's this salon
that's hiring. Would you like to go talk to them?
Look how it's lining up, Rylee, you know'? So I knew that that's where I was
supposed to go when the Lord just showed me, look, this is everything that happened.
(06:40):
Look back at the timeline of the events and it'll add up. So that's how I knew.
That is, I mean, like, that's an awesome testimony. Yeah. So,
he just showed you. Yes, absolutely!
That is so incredible! And he used an old connection that you had in high school.
Like that... it's so neat to see how God works like that every single time.
Yep! So I'm very thankful. My friend, her name's Katie.
(07:01):
We met when I moved to Trinity and we've been friends ever since.
That's so awesome. Shout out to Katie, y'all. Like, let's go, Katie.
Okay, sweet. Yes. So you're also a musician as well. Yes.
So would you mind explaining to the audience what your genre is?
Country music. And I do a little Christian too. I sing at church and I like
(07:23):
to incorporate the two together.
Not just one or the other. I like to blend them a little bit.
I got you. Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome. Country Christian, if you will.
Yes. Yes. I heard your EP that came out not too long ago. It had like The Dance
and Ninth Grade on it. And those were awesome!
Thank you. Thank you. Yes. So you wrote Ninth Grade, right? I did. Yes.
(07:45):
That was like such a thing. That's the first song I ever wrote,
actually. Really? Yeah. Okay. How old were you when you wrote Ninth Grade?
I was going into Ninth Grade when I started writing it. And I left it alone for two years.
Wow! And then went back to it and finished it.
So, yeah. Or maybe three. Maybe three. I think I was a Senior when I finished
it. Wow! Or almost a senior. Something like that. Two or three years.
(08:08):
That's incredible! Okay. So I know nothing about songwriting.
Like it fascinates me, but I just, I know nothing about it.
So do you typically wait a while?
Like, is that when an idea comes to you to finish a song?
Like, do you have an idea of, oh, this is the start of it?
And then you just wait a little while and then it's like, oh,
this is the perfect ending.
So, not really. I had started writing it,
(08:30):
I was really scared to go to high school for whatever reason,
just had a lot of anxiety about it.
And I had never written music or anything. That's actually like right after
I learned how to play guitar.
I've been singing for a long time, but I learned to play guitar in eighth grade. I taught myself.
And after I had kind of gotten the rhythm and felt comfortable with guitar and
singing, I was like, I'm going to write a song.
(08:50):
So I decided to write a song and I just wrote it about my emotions,
about how I was feeling so scared to go to high school, just go to a big school
with tons of people and all the older kids and everything else.
So I started to write the song and I just never finished it.
I just wrote like the first half of it, never did anything.
And then a couple years later, I went to a concert with my family and there
(09:15):
was a guy, he's a country music artist now.
His name's Shane Prophet. He's still up and coming, but he's wonderful.
And he was the first opener. Like before people were hardly even getting in
the crowd. He was out there singing and we were there and we watched him.
And I thought he was so good. And he was so real. His songwriting was so real.
Just from his heart, I could tell that he was just such a great guy from what he was writing.
(09:39):
And he actually walked out into the audience after he got done.
And I just ran over to him and started talking to him and told him I love to
sing and I'm inspired by him and everything.
And he said, if I could give you any advice, write your own music.
And so I was like, okay. So I remembered that I had written the beginning of that song.
And I said, well, I already got half of a song, so I guess I'll finish it.
(10:02):
So I remembered where I think I wrote it down somewhere and I remembered how
to play it. And then I just finished it from there.
But normally songwriting does not go like that for me. Normally I just go in a quiet room, my room.
That's really the only place I write songs is my room at my house.
I'll either sit on my bed or sit at my vanity with my guitar and my notebook
(10:25):
and a pen and just go for it.
I don't really come up with the words or the music first. I do it all at one
time. Everybody kind of has their own way.
Some people write the music first and then they come up with the words or some
people come up with the words and then the music. But I just do it all at one time.
I don't know. That's just how it works for me. It's how I've always done it. Wow!
So yeah, that's how songwriting goes for me. And normally I get it done in a day or two.
(10:49):
Wow! One song. Okay. Yeah. Nice! So how many have you written, would you say?
I've written about five or six, but I've recorded three originals and
I've written about three more. So, wow.
Sweet! Nice. So is there an upcoming date for a new release or anything?
(11:10):
No, I haven't recorded anything yet. That's definitely in the works.
Like I said, I've just been finishing school and now I got a job
so things have kind of been pushed back, I guess, or kind of left on the back burner.
But I'm hoping to record them soon. And one of them actually is like some of
my songs are country, but they kind of incorporate faith a lot into it.
(11:32):
But one of them is like strictly about my faith.
And so I'm kind of thinking about doing either an album or just a single of
a Christian song and just seeing how that goes too.
So like I said, I like to do both. So we'll just see.
That's awesome! Yes, for sure. So when you're playing to a crowd,
because you go out and you perform all the time, right? I do, yeah.
(11:53):
So how do they react when you do an original? Do you play originals out in crowds a lot? I do, yeah.
I'll kind of get people's attention and say, talk about the song and say,
this is the song I'm going to sing next. I wrote this.
Tell them when I wrote it, how I wrote it, what it's about.
And then I'll sing it. And then I'll tell them that they can find it on any
music platform after. And people tend to love it.
(12:15):
People will come up to me afterwards and say how much they liked it
and they're going to listen to it on their phone.
And, you know, I just love it because I'm glad to write stuff that people want to listen to.
And they do like it. And they don't just tell me they like it because they're being nice.
Right. No, I completely understand that. Yes.
That's so cool, though. So you go out and you get their attention that way and
(12:38):
then they respond to it like that's absolutely incredible.
Do you kind of have to read the crowd while you're performing at these venues
and you're like, oh, they're ready for an original?
Or what's that moment when you're like, oh, I know that they're ready for it?
When everybody is locked in and paying attention because I play at places where
(12:58):
there's food and drinks and people are talking and mingling and they're not
always, a lot of times it's just,
I say background noise, even though they're paying attention,
it is kind of background noise, but they do watch and they do stop what they're
doing and listen and then they'll go back to talking to their friends.
But when I feel like everybody is really engaged is when I'll do an original
(13:19):
and I'll talk to them about it. So what type of training have you done to prepare
yourself to go out for these live gigs and whatnot?
Because I know that you play probably all the time, right? Yes.
In order to, yeah, just at home?
Do you practice a lot? Yeah, I do practice at home.
I did voice lessons for a really long time. I started when I was around six
or seven in voice lessons.
(13:40):
And I took them all the way until the end of my Senior year.
I stopped doing lessons just because things got busy and life kind of got in the way.
Oh, yeah. And I didn't really have time for lessons anymore,
but I did them consistently once a week.
For years. And then, like I
said, I taught myself to play guitar in eighth grade. You taught yourself?
(14:01):
Yes. Yes. Oh, I didn't know that. Wow. Okay. Yeah. So I taught myself to play guitar.
I just, I remember I would see the female country artists up on stage playing their guitar singing.
And I just thought, oh, I want to do that.
So I taught myself watching YouTube videos.
And if you want to learn how to do anything, watch YouTube. Seriously, it's like free teacher.
(14:22):
For real. So, yeah, I learned how to play guitar from YouTube and it definitely
took a while to get comfortable.
And I don't know if I would ever teach myself another instrument on YouTube, but it worked for me.
And so, yeah, so I taught myself to play when I was 13.
Now playing is just like second nature to me and singing.
(14:43):
I still practice at home, obviously. But a lot of times I play so much that
that really is my practice, playing all the time, you know. know, for gigs and shows.
I feel like that is my practice. And if it's kind of a slow night and there's
not many people, I'll just practice new stuff and be like, y'all are my guinea pigs.
I'm just going to play some new things I've never played before.
(15:03):
If it sounds bad, just close your ears.
That's awesome. You got to have a good personality when you're a performer.
Yeah. I used to freak out about if I would mess up in front of somebody or anything like that.
But now I just laugh and I just tell them, oh, I'm crazy, you know,
and just keep going on with of it and they just think it's funny.
For real. That's awesome. So you mentioned specifically that the female country
(15:25):
artists, they really inspired you to do that. And you thought that that was really cool.
So is there one specific country artist that you can like point to and tell
us like, oh, that was the person that inspired me?
I wouldn't say there's one in particular that really inspired me.
One that sticks out in my mind is Carrie Underwood.
I've always been fascinated by her from when I was young.
(15:45):
I just thought, well, first I thought She was just so beautiful and...
She was a great performer and she always had on pretty outfits and stuff.
But I also just love what she stands for in her music. And she's the same way.
She loves to sing country music, but she also loves the Lord and she sings Christian music as well.
(16:06):
And she doesn't let that stop her or she doesn't let people's opinions turn
her away from still doing Christian music, even though she's not really a Christian
music artist, if that makes sense.
Yes. That's kind of how I am because I love country music too.
And I don't want to feel like I have to do just one thing, but I also don't
want people's opinions to get in the way either.
(16:28):
And I think that she really doesn't.
And I like that about her. She just, she sings Christian music if she wants
to, you know, and a lot of times in society, people think that's wrong, but it's not.
It's not. Yeah, it's totally not. And I'm glad that you've taken that stand
on it. Like that's absolutely amazing that you found her as an influence.
And that's so cool. Well, yeah, I can see you liking Carrie Underwood.
(16:49):
That would make perfect sense.
So what's been like a major challenge that you've had to overcome,
whether it be in cosmetology or being a musician out in the world?
I would just say a big challenge that comes with it is the sacrifice of time.
Even though it's just seems like a little three-hour gig on a Friday night or
(17:10):
a Saturday night, I mean, it takes up a good bit of your day because you have
to drive there, you have to set up, You have to take the time that you are performing.
You have to take the time after to talk to everybody that came.
Then you have to break down. So it turns into a really long day of music and the show.
And so a challenge for me was just as a teenager, a lot of times it's hard to
(17:34):
feel like you're missing out on whatever your friends are doing.
You know, if they're having a get together or they're all going bowling or whatever
they're doing and, oh, I can't go.
I have to sing tonight, you know? And so there's a lot of sacrifices.
And I know for somebody older, they would probably think that's a little silly.
But for a teenager, that is a challenge to feel like you're not a part of what
(17:55):
all of your friends are doing.
And sometimes I am able to go and do with my friends.
But a lot of times I have to miss because I'm doing music, but it's because
I'm following my heart and I'm doing what I love.
So I feel like the pros outweigh the cons for sure.
That's awesome. So with that, you were talking about how you face those types
(18:17):
of challenges and whatnot.
And I'm just curious, this would seem like a major challenge to me,
but I don't know. Maybe it's not.
Since you're gigging all the time, what advice can you give someone as far as getting more gigs?
Is it making connections with the venue owners or just being friendly with the
audience? How do you get more gigs?
(18:37):
Everything you just said, making connections for sure.
A lot of times in the music industry, it's not always what you know,
it's who you know. And I hear that all the time.
People tell me, make connections, make connections, make connections.
They cannot tell that to me enough.
So making connections, not only with the owners, but just people in general,
like you said, like when, if you're friendly to the audience,
(18:59):
people like that, and they'll refer you to other places.
They'll just randomly tell people, you know, if they're at a restaurant,
they'll tell the manager, oh, there's this girl, you should get in touch with
her, you know? Riley Banks.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So like in the audience, for example, I've made a connection
with people in the audience before and they've gotten me other gigs and some
of the best opportunities that I've ever had.
(19:21):
So that's what I would say for sure. That's how I get other gigs.
So how have you grown spiritually during this?
Because we were just talking about faith and I'm just curious,
how would you say that the Lord has guided you and grown you spiritually?
I've definitely learned to lean on the Lord through all of this for sure.
He's really shown me that you have to put all of your trust in Him because when
(19:45):
your future is unknown, you have to walk by faith and not by sight.
When you cannot see what's in front of you, He is your guide. He is your light.
And He will light up the path that's in front of you when all you can see is two feet ahead.
And He will show you the rest. You just got to take that step and that leap
of faith. So I would say that he's really shown me that I'm not the one in charge.
(20:07):
I'm not the one guiding my steps, but he is. Amen to that. Yes.
Guiding your steps. You've seen that countless times, even through like the
whole connection to the salon and everything.
He guided your steps and he just said, wait, and then he had the coolest opportunity for you.
So personally, how have you grown?
I've really learned a lot about myself. self. I know my boundaries and when
(20:32):
to say yes and when to say no, when to step back from something or when to really
go full force into something.
For example, like when to say no to a certain gig if I already have so many
in one week or so many already lined up for the month.
I know my boundaries and when I get a little bit overwhelmed and when I can
(20:53):
say yes and I can do it and I know oh, I'll be okay.
Because I kind of have a tendency to get overstimulated and overwhelmed when
there's a whole lot going on.
So I've learned that about myself. I didn't really know that before I did music.
So I actually took a little break.
I started doing gigs in July of 2022. So almost two years ago.
(21:15):
And I did take a little two-month break back in December till February of this past year.
I took just a little break because I was like, I just need a mental break.
I need to regroup and I'm going to, you know, not start over,
but just have a little break.
And it was really helpful. And it's because I used to play a whole lot more than I do now.
And I got very overwhelmed and I realized it really quick how much just how
(21:38):
I couldn't handle as much as I was doing.
So now I've scaled back and I don't play multiple nights a week.
I'll just play once or sometimes I will play multiple. Like I said,
sometimes I know when I can say yes. Yes.
But to protect myself and I've learned myself, I know when to say no and when to say yes.
So I think that's a lot of what I've learned about myself is just my boundaries
(22:00):
and when I can and when I can't.
That is very insightful. It's so important to have boundaries going into anything.
So yeah, especially in the job and everything, you know, you have to know your
limits. So thank you for pointing that out. That's very good insight.
Yeah. Yes. And professionally, how have you grown like in cosmetology and in music?
(22:20):
How have you grown professionally since having those jobs?
Just how to professionally carry yourself and have conversations with people
and how to handle certain situations, I would say is how I've grown professionally.
And like I said, you don't know how to be professional, how to walk professionally
(22:42):
and talk professionally until Until you're thrown in and you learn as you go.
Because nobody has that in them just naturally.
No one knows how to be professional in certain aspects of their life until they're
thrown in and they have to learn and figure it out.
So I would say I've definitely matured in that way.
So in the professional industry, you know, like working in music and that sort
(23:06):
of thing, the entertainment industry and being professional there,
what entertainment professionals have you worked with that you would like to
share about or like what's been a cool moment that you've just had there where
it's like, oh, this is like how I've made it. Like my dream is coming true.
Like what's been a moment that's happened like that with an industry professional?
That's a really good question. I'm glad you asked because I love to talk about this. Yes.
(23:30):
Back in December, I was able to open for and sing with The Voice 2019's Guy
Thrigdon and country music star Riley Greene.
I was able to play with them and open for them.
And it was such an incredible experience. It was a private event.
And like I said, when I had met somebody at a show and I had a great opportunity from them,
(23:51):
somebody that was just watching me sing and he has a lot of connections in the
industry and he He just really gravitated toward me and he liked what I did.
And he said, I'm going to help you.
And I was like, OK, I'll take any help I can get. You know, I mean, I'm new in this for sure.
He was able to give me that opportunity at that private concert to be able to
(24:11):
open for them and sing with them. And they just gave me so much advice.
And it was just the coolest thing to be able to sing with two people that do
it for a living fully, professionally,
know the ins and outs and go on tour and all the stuff that's,
I say that musicians want to get to that point, you know, but obviously you
(24:35):
have to start somewhere.
They've been where I am and they understand that and they, I'm just so grateful
that they were willing to give me the opportunity that they did being such a
young artist and new in the industry.
And I'm learning as I go. But yeah, that's something so far that's been the
coolest thing I've done.
(24:55):
That, I mean, I completely understand that you got to sing with Riley Greene. Oh, yeah.
That is so cool. Congrats. Oh, thank you. Nice.
So are you going on tour with him at any point? No, he didn't ask me.
I was kind of hoping he would. Okay, gotcha. But he didn't.
You know, you always have that hope, but you can never get your hopes up for sure.
(25:17):
But no, I'm not going on tour or anything. That would be cool, but no.
I am going to be performing next weekend at a country music festival that they're
having in Gay, Georgia. It's called the Longleaf Country Music Festival.
It's headlining Alabama, the country band, I'm sure you've heard of them.
And then there are other bands too, Diamond Rio, Marshall Tucker Band,
(25:42):
John Langston, Tracy Lynn, just people that are super duper well-known.
And I'm going to be able to perform not with them, but before them at the concert.
So they're having a local stage and I'll be one of five different bands that
are going to be performing for the local side.
So the stages are right next to each other. So it'll bounce back and forward,
(26:02):
then go from a headliner to a local. And it's really cool.
I'm glad that they asked me to be a part of that as well. I'm very excited.
I hope I get to meet everyone too. I think that'll even be the cherry on top.
If I get to meet everyone, even if I don't want to be super fun, and I'm really excited.
And there's going to be thousands of people there. So that will definitely be
the biggest audience that I'll have ever played for.
(26:23):
But I'm really excited and looking forward to it. So that will be after next
weekend. I'll get to say that's been my biggest opportunity.
So I'll have two after next weekend that I'll be able to talk about.
That is so awesome. Wow. Okay.
Playing for Alabama. That's a lot of pressure, but you know,
like that's... I'm looking forward to it.
(26:44):
I'm going to have a band and normally I just play solo when I go and play gigs,
but I'm going to have a band.
So that makes it even more exciting and takes more pressure off me and more
I can just have fun and interact with the crowd and not have to think so much
about just, I'm a little girl by myself up here.
So I'm very excited. That's so awesome. So are these people that you knew from
(27:08):
like high school or like, how did you get connected with the band?
So they, I grew up and I live in Brooks, Georgia.
I think you do too, right? Yes. Yeah. So the guys are my dad's age.
So there's some buddies of my dad's and they do music and stuff on the side,
not full time, but they're They're very, very good instrumentalists and singers as well.
(27:28):
And so I knew that I wanted to not do this by myself for this concert.
And I reached out to them and I'm like, hey, don't feel pressured to.
But if you want to, I really would love for you to be a part of this with me.
And they were like, oh, yes, absolutely. We'll do it in a heartbeat.
It's cool to see how God always places those connections in your life.
(27:48):
Even if, you know, he placed them in your dad's life, I'm sure for this very
purpose, You know, he prepared them for this and playing at the festival like that.
So what's the name of the festival again? The Longleaf Country Music Festival.
That is so cool. OK, so what are some goals that you still have?
Because, you know, you're constantly reaching these new goals of first Riley
Green now playing to thousands of people.
(28:10):
Honestly, I have no idea. Like I said, I used to get super overwhelmed when
I would think so much about the future and especially with school.
And that's how I really realized that I would get super overwhelmed thinking about the future.
And I am just taking it day by day and letting God show me the steps to take.
I sort of just have this mentality where it's like, if an opportunity is presented
(28:33):
to me, I'll take it and run with it.
I'm really not sure what my next goal is, but I know the Lord will show me what's
next. So that's just kind of where I am right now.
So if it came down to it, music or salon?
You know, people ask me that and it's like, I can't give, I guess,
a direct answer. her. I always want to do both.
(28:55):
And I think right now it's kind of half and half, but whatever opportunity may
be presented to me in the future, it might change and I'd be okay with that. So we'll see.
So if you could perform with any artist, who would it be? And would it be Carrie
Underwood? I really would like to sing with her.
(29:16):
Probably. I think I would, I would probably pick her okay or you know Dolly
Parton or Reba or all the all the classics but probably Carrie Underwood I probably
would love to sing with her okay would you want to ever write a song with her,
Well, yeah. That'd be cool. Anybody that would want to write a song with me,
(29:36):
I'd write a song with them.
Okay. So if you could describe songwriting for you in just one word,
what would that one word be? I would say sincere.
Sincere. Okay. Because songwriting is something that really comes from the heart.
And that's sincere to me when you're just real and raw.
(29:56):
All right. So how do you continue to grow and improve as a songwriter?
I would say just doing it, just writing songs.
You're going to write songs that are not good and they're terrible and they
need to be crumbled up and thrown in the trash and start over.
You're going to write songs that are not the best. And I would say just practice.
(30:17):
That's how you get better.
And surrounding yourself with people that also songwrite. So co-writing with
people and you can learn from them and they can learn from you and you can bounce
back ideas from each other.
I think the best songs are written with more than one person.
You know, co-writing because then you can bounce ideas off. And it's not just
one brain. It's a bunch of them together to create one thing.
But like I said, just practicing and doing it a lot is how I would say you could get better.
(30:42):
Okay, nice. So co-writing with that, I'm just curious, what songs have you co-written with people?
Like, are there any out that we could listen to that you've co-written with somebody?
Yeah, absolutely. So My Number One in Ninth Grade, I wrote those by myself.
And the song called Worthy that I have on my album, that song I did co-write.
I had the idea. I started it myself.
(31:05):
And then I sat down with the guy that produced all my music. His name's Jason Hoard.
He's a wonderful guy, wonderful Christian guy, strong believer,
and also the worship leader at my church that I go to.
And he is a wonderful, wonderful songwriter and singer as well.
And the three of us sat down together. And I had the idea and we just took it
(31:27):
and run with it. And that's how the song Worthy came to be.
That's so cool. Nice. So did y'all songwrite at his studio or like,
how does that whole process work?
Yeah. So we, Jason Hoard has a studio, a recording studio up in his house,
actually, just a cozy little room.
And then they have a closet where, you know, you do the vocals,
but there's a couch and all of his TV and his board and all that.
(31:53):
All that's foreign to me because I don't know how you work any of that,
but I just sing and write and play guitar.
So we just all sat down in there together with our guitars and a piece of paper.
So Rylee, speaking about songwriting, what is some advice that you can give a young songwriter?
I would say, if you want to write
(32:13):
a song, just go for it. If you have an idea, write it down, go for it.
It might be terrible the first time you write it. You can switch around.
If you have a base, you have something to work with. If you have a good start,
then you can change words around, you can change the music
but don't give up if you really have
a great idea and you want to write a song do it anybody can
(32:34):
I think but it might just take a few times it
might not be perfect right away okay cool so where do you find the greatest
inspiration in songwriting because I remember at the beginning you were talking
about how you wrote ninth grade with just your emotions and how you were feeling
going into ninth grade and later polishing that and you said your senior year
correct somewhere around okay Okay.
(32:56):
So how do you find like a typical because you don't like go into ninth grade every single day.
How did you find so like Worthy and my song?
My Number One. My Number One. How did you get inspired to write those?
So I really like to write about my life and my faith and my love story and everything else.
(33:17):
So really, I'll just get an idea in my head about a broad topic.
And I just, this is what I'm going to write about.
And then I kind of narrow it down to the specifics. So for Worthy,
I wanted to talk about just trusting the Lord and His path for your life and
living a life worthy of the calling that He has called you to.
(33:38):
Ephesians 4.1 says to live a life worthy of the calling that you have been called
to. And I really do live by that.
And so I wanted to write a song about it. And then for My Number One,
my boyfriend Carter, we got together right after we turned 16.
And we've been together for three and a half years.
And our love story is my favorite. And so we just, I love to write about us
(34:03):
and the things that we love to do together.
So I think I just get a topic and
then I think of the specific things that I want to mention
in the song and then I just go for it so that's
so cool that you incorporate your love story like that's so inspiring how you
get inspiration thank you for sharing that and like how you start broad and
then go narrow so it's kind of like writing a paper right like how you had to
(34:24):
do in like ninth grade in school yeah yeah in ninth grade that's so neat so
how How would you define success for a songwriter?
Well, I guess for me, success in songwriting is writing a song that people love
and that people can relate to and that they want to listen to.
I just feel like I've done something right if I've inspired them or they can
(34:48):
relate to it or I've pointed them to the Lord.
Because in all honesty, doing this, I just want to bring glory to the Lord,
whichever way I can. So writing music is a form or a way that I can do that.
And so any way I can bring glory to him or people can be inspired or anything
like that, it doesn't matter to me how many listens the song gets or how much
(35:12):
money I make from the music. That doesn't matter to me at all.
I just want people to love it and be inspired by it. That is so incredible!
And I love that you have incorporated your faith so much into music.
Like, that's very inspiring to hear how you've done that.
So I'm curious for any Christian songwriters that are wanting to get into the
music industry, because the music industry can take anything and they can turn
(35:35):
people fast. Absolutely.
So what can you tell them to prepare themselves for getting into the music industry? Absolutely.
Well, God tells us in His Word that we are just in the world and we are not of the world.
And so we just have to stand firm in our faith and not conform to the things
that society tells us that we should and that society says is right when we
(35:57):
really, we have the truth and we know what is right.
So don't let anybody tell you
different because you know what's true and you have that in your heart.
Amen. That's so awesome that you just have that sort of mindset and you're sharing
that with people that are interested in this, you know, whether they be young
or older, it's a real deal to stand your faith.
Like I'm sure that you've seen like since graduating high school or even in
(36:20):
high school, you've seen people step away from the faith and it's sad to see,
but I'm glad that you're standing your ground and that's so awesome.
So real fast before we go, would you mind possibly playing for us one of your
originals? Yeah, absolutely.
So I will play the song that I was telling you about earlier that I co-wrote
with my producer and worship pastor at my church.
(36:41):
This is called Worthy. I wrote this song just about some things I was going through in my life.
And I sort of just felt like God was taking me out of one thing and preparing me for another.
So this song is called Worthy and I hope you like it.
Music.
(39:51):
Wow! That was absolutely incredible. You can tell that you've been playing the
guitar for just a little while, you know. Just a few minutes.
Yes. Yeah. Such a beautiful song, too. Like the lyrics and everything. Wow. Just amazing.
All right. Perfect. Well, thank you so much for joining us and sharing about this, Riley.
Y'all go check out Rylee Banks on any and all music platforms.
(40:15):
Yes. So yes, go and check her out and be sure to check out and see where she's performing.
You know, you have an Instagram. Yes. So I post on Instagram and Facebook, Rylee Banks Music.
And I spell my name R-Y-L-E-E. I always have to tell people or else they won't be able to find it.
But anyway, so Instagram, Facebook, you can find, I post all sorts of stuff.
(40:37):
And then I also have a website. If you're not on social media,
you can go, you can Google RyleeBanks.com.
And on there I have all my upcoming events and I
even have photos and music and all sorts of stuff so you
can go check it out perfect well yes please go
and check her out support her she is an absolutely
amazing young lady and thank you so much for joining us thank you for having
(40:59):
me anytime yes I'm glad we got a chance to catch up like this is fun and be
sure to follow us on Instagram and we will catch you next time with another
amazing episode so thank you for joining us.
Music.
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