September 7, 2023 • 44 mins
In this episode, Belinda Ellsworth introduces singer-songwriter Delnora Reed Acuff, discussing her career and background in music. Delnora talks about her favorite performances and the importance of her faith in her music. She also discusses her experiences working with musical heroes and her new album, "Blank Page." Delnora shares her superpower of energy and her hands-on approach to engaging with fans. She emphasizes the importance of excellent customer service and staying true to oneself as an artist. The conversation also touches on the challenges of balancing creativity and business, being a mother, and finding joy in pursuing one's passion.
About Delnora:
Delnora is a singer/songwriter, The voice that brought her from West Virginia to Nashville has been recognized with consecutive nominations for ICMA’s Female Vocalist of the Year and she is currently ICMA’s reigning “New Artist of the Year”. She’s released eight studio albums, including three as a member of the critically acclaimed duo Blue Eyed Grass. She is also a member of The Shotgun Rubies on Carl Jackson’s “Orthophonic Joy – The 1927 Bristol Sessions Revisited.” She then received her first #1 on Sideline’s “Return to Windy Mountain” which she penned with the one & only Carl Jackson. Feb-April 2022 her song “Blank Page” went #1 on PowerSource, Christianvoice & Cashbox. In May 2022, she released “Man at the Well” and it debuted at #1 on Christian Music Weekly! Most recently, Delnora’s feel good song “Thankful” hit #1 on Cashbox May 2023.
Connect with Delnora:
https://www.delnora.com
https://www.facebook.com/Delnora.Music
https://www.youtube.com/user/DelnoraReed
https://www.instagram.com/delnora/
https://www.twitter.com/DelnoraReed
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4DTeNsKx2wwYHgT6vgLrOH
About the Host -
Belinda Ellsworth is a Speaker, Trainer, Best-Selling Author, and Podcaster
She has been a professional speaker, mover, and shaker for more than 25 years. Having built three successful companies, she has helped thousands of entrepreneurs make better decisions, create successful systems, and build business strategies using her "Four Pillars of Success" system.
Belinda has always had a passion and zest for life with the skill for turning dreams into reality.
How to Connect with Belinda: Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/workfromyourhappyplace LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/belindaellsworth Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/workfromyourhappyplace/ Website - www.workfromyourhappyplace.com
Join my membership program and discover the art of creating and sharing amazing experiences with like-minded people, all from the comfort of your own home. You get to connect with others online, learn new skills and techniques, and grow your network without ever having to leave your computer screen. To know more, click on the link https://workfromyourhappyplace.com/vip/
About Delnora:
Delnora is a singer/songwriter, The voice that brought her from West Virginia to Nashville has been recognized with consecutive nominations for ICMA’s Female Vocalist of the Year and she is currently ICMA’s reigning “New Artist of the Year”. She’s released eight studio albums, including three as a member of the critically acclaimed duo Blue Eyed Grass. She is also a member of The Shotgun Rubies on Carl Jackson’s “Orthophonic Joy – The 1927 Bristol Sessions Revisited.” She then received her first #1 on Sideline’s “Return to Windy Mountain” which she penned with the one & only Carl Jackson. Feb-April 2022 her song “Blank Page” went #1 on PowerSource, Christianvoice & Cashbox. In May 2022, she released “Man at the Well” and it debuted at #1 on Christian Music Weekly! Most recently, Delnora’s feel good song “Thankful” hit #1 on Cashbox May 2023.
Connect with Delnora:
https://www.delnora.com
https://www.facebook.com/Delnora.Music
https://www.youtube.com/user/DelnoraReed
https://www.instagram.com/delnora/
https://www.twitter.com/DelnoraReed
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4DTeNsKx2wwYHgT6vgLrOH
About the Host -
Belinda Ellsworth is a Speaker, Trainer, Best-Selling Author, and Podcaster
She has been a professional speaker, mover, and shaker for more than 25 years. Having built three successful companies, she has helped thousands of entrepreneurs make better decisions, create successful systems, and build business strategies using her "Four Pillars of Success" system.
Belinda has always had a passion and zest for life with the skill for turning dreams into reality.
How to Connect with Belinda: Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/workfromyourhappyplace LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/belindaellsworth Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/workfromyourhappyplace/ Website - www.workfromyourhappyplace.com
Join my membership program and discover the art of creating and sharing amazing experiences with like-minded people, all from the comfort of your own home. You get to connect with others online, learn new skills and techniques, and grow your network without ever having to leave your computer screen. To know more, click on the link https://workfromyourhappyplace.com/vip/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to Work from Your Happy Plays, the podcast that equips you with the
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(00:20):
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(00:43):
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(01:06):
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(01:29):
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(01:53):
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going to work from your happy placedot com forward slash vip. Now,
(02:14):
sit back, relax and enjoy today'sshow. Hello everyone, and welcome to
our show today. I'm so excited. It's always fun to have such talented
artists on our show, and todayI have del Nora read a cuff with
me and del Nora, as asinger songwriter, the voice that brought her
from West Virginia to Nashville, hasbeen recognized with consecutive nominations for CMA's Female
(02:39):
Vocalist of the Year, and sheis currently iicma's reigning New Artist of the
Year. She's released eight studio albums, including three as a member of the
critically acclaimed duo Blue Eyed Grass.It is my pleasure to welcome del Nora
to our show today. Hi,THI, thank you so much for having
(03:00):
me. Yeah, of course,of course. So let's just let's fill
in some of these gaps of thespy. Oh, let's get to know
you. Tell us a little bitabout your background, and and then how
you got on this journey, andthen and what you're doing today. That's
going to be exciting and fun.Yeah. Well, to sum it up,
I guess there's no summing it upever with me. I'm sorry,
(03:23):
a short story becomes a long story, but try to make it short.
I come from the Reed family.My great granddaddy was Henry Reid. He
was a master fiddler and the Americanfook left center at the Library of Congress
began with his repertory of old timefiddle tunes. Now, he was just
a regular guy, and it's supercool. The way I view music,
(03:44):
I know comes from that. Theyjust sat around on the porch and play
and they mastered it, and thatwas their craft and it wasn't just a
hobby, it was just part ofthem. I thought every family did this,
so I mean playing just and Ididn't know people couldn't sing and key
either, And so you needn't understandthat that viewpoint kind of taints my I
(04:08):
don't really a lot of people grewup feeling special or odd or whatever.
I didn't think I was special atall. I thought everybody did this because
my whole family did it. Anduh, and so I they knew that
I was a singer very early onand not a musician. So that's I
guess what set me apart. Inmy family. They were all master musicians.
(04:30):
I played the guitar, I play, I can chord, and I
play for myself. But and especiallynow that I live in Nashville, I
know the difference between a musician andmy instrument is my voice. Yeah.
So because you say very quickly,you say I am a guitar player,
I am not a guitarist. There'sa difference. There's a big difference.
(04:54):
So I moved from I knew veryearly I wanted to play my I was
a songwriter, and he wanted hewanted me to have my own songs.
And once they realized that I wantedto go sing, and at like eleven
years old, they started writing forme. And I sat through every one
of those writing sessions. He wrotewith a man named Norman Gotzy and Harold
(05:15):
Huffman, and Harold wrote for atight fitting jeans for Conway Twitter, And
so I didn't realize how much Iwas. I mean, it was a
sponge. I sat through those writingsessions and it's just part of who I
am. I think now. Ididn't realize I was doing songwriting one oh
one, you know, and allthose let me writing a song for me.
(05:36):
So I contributed, you know whereI could, as as much as
eleven year old cant at that point. But Dad's point was there was already
like a Dolly part, and therewas already I was singing their songs,
and he said, you need delNora songs, and so they wanted to
write songs for me and that wereand I could come into my own voice
(05:58):
because he noticed I saw mimicking them. You know Stevie Nicks or you know
Dolly Parton. Reba McIntyre was reallyreally popular when I was a little girl,
and so I was really mimicking allof them, and he said,
you need to come into your ownvoice. So they started writing and for
me and I we recorded my firstalbum and I think we released it before
(06:21):
I turned sixteen years old. Butthrough all those years we just I played
and sang and I just I don'tknow anything different. So know, I'm
in Nashville. I'm outside of Nashvillenow, but I was in Nashville when
my husband found me. My husband'sfrom Cookville and that's where I live now.
But I've just been doing it.I've been through a couple of record
(06:42):
deals and I don't know if thatanswers your question. Yeah, I just
we just want to get to knowyou a little bit, and so there
is really no question in there.It's just like love that background. I
think that while you know, it'show eyes of them to realize that at
that age, I don't think everyonedoes that. I don't know if you
(07:06):
can a little bit hyper. IActually I've often wondered, as I look
back now, where they trying tochannel some energy as they saw, you
know, I was entering my teens, I got past and I was the
size I am now at by thetime I was thirteen and yeah, and
(07:27):
I spoke like an adult of course, of course what I was doing in
music and I was listening. Ispoke like I listened back to some interviews
on radio stations and I was talkingabout my music career. Oh, I
was so serious. And I lookedback and I was I talked like an
adult. I learned how to talk, you know. I think I was
mimicking, you know, just likewith the music, like what I was
(07:48):
supposed to say and do. Butbut I think they wanted to channel this
energy into a positive place and itwas very wise of them because now we
all know about things like ADHD andI totally have that, and they completely
channeled all of that energy into somethingthat I absolutely loved. So that's great.
(08:11):
So then we're going to dive intosome of your favorite performances or things
that you've done, but like,take us up to speed now. So
that was kind of like your youthand then we're things out today and what
are you doing and how are youstill living out your passion? Well,
after a few record deals, whichI hold no bitterness in my heart,
(08:31):
things did not work out during thattime, but I made relationships and friends,
and I went through OURCA and DreamWorksand a lot of people have some
negative, you know, things tosay about that, and I have nothing
negative. I mean, obviously there'sa whole bunch of people that get records
deals, and I really thought that'swhat everyone did, because when I moved
(08:52):
to town, I got one,and it just seemed like when one ended,
I got another one. And Ijust thought people did that. And
manager was Kenny Chesting's manager, andwe just he took me from one building
to the next build and we justokay, and I sang for them and
they were like, okay, wewrote a record deal and signed a record
deal, and and I just thoughteverybody did that. But that's apparently not
(09:16):
as easy as I did not knowthat. But I learned so much from
all the people. The first thingthey did was get me in writing rooms
with writers that were number one hitwriters and I've learned so much and I
just appreciate that experience. But overtime, you know, we parted ways
(09:39):
because I'm doing this independently now.I wanted to start a family and I
Movedville, and I knew that I'mwhen God gives you something, I just
I relaxed in knowing that this iswhat I have to do for the rest
of my life and I you don'thave to strive. What's very odd is
(10:01):
the success that came in my lifewas when the striving stopped. I'm talking
about like, really, I've webeat our heads against the pavement in our
music row trying to pitch stuff andget get my album to take off.
Even though we were you know,I had a record deal and I I
guess they could have pushed it ifthey wanted to, but I it didn't
(10:24):
happen, and it happened in God'stime. And so just really, when
you're personally okay with that, Iwas okay with just hey, it's not
my time. The business folks andNash Vegas were not as comfortable as I
was, and just waiting on God'stime and so as as it's crazy,
(10:48):
as soon as I went out independentlyyou know, some of the I call
it success when when God's words gettingout there. So that's the songs that
I've been writing have been just sodifferent once I've stopped trying to do it
on my own. Well, thatis awesome. That's what I'm going now,
that's what I'm doing now. That'sgreat. So so let's talk about
(11:13):
one of your favorite or memorable performances. And you can give one of each
if you have different experiences there oneof each from times they're one and the
same and sometimes for people they're not. Their favorite performance was different than a
memorable performance, if you will.Yeah, I get to work with some
of my heroes. When Carl Jackson, I met Carl Jackson, He's won
(11:37):
a bunch of Grammys, and there'sjust a whole bunch you could go name
dropping all the people and Dolly Partonand that was part of this project called
Orthophonic Joy, and it was thehistory of country music. And this is
where my past, you know,we went to my artist's name just being
del Nora because I got kind oftired to bring in my granddaddy into it.
And yet this is where my pastcollided with my present. I got
(12:01):
to Orthophonic Joy was when back innineteen twenty seven, the Bristol Sessions was
where country music began. I meanit was they took it off of the
porches. People were playing it onthe porches, like my granddaddy, my
great great granddaddy. Sorry, butthey took it off the porches and they
they some folks came down from NewNew York and they were like, let's
(12:22):
let's let's record these hillbillies, youknow, And that's where Jimmy Rogers and
and and just what's what's crazy isthat they always call it the birth of
country music, but it was thebirth of blues. It was the birth
of blue grass. It was thebirth of rock and roll, because that's
where I mean, we're talking aboutthe Carter family right, and we remember
(12:43):
when Johnny Cash came along, justjust learning the history, and I got
to be on this project where werevisited the project nineteen twenty nineteen twenty seven
Bristol Sessions revisited it was called OrthophonicJoy and Carl Jacks Carl Jackson produced it
and Marty Stewart, Emmy Luke,Harris, Brad Paisley, Cheryl Crowe.
(13:07):
I mean, we could keep goingdown the list of all the artists that
were part of this project. Oursong was one song right after Steve Martin
and the Step Canyon Rangers. Inever would have thought I'd been on a
project like that. But then wegot to perform at well a couple of
different places in Houston fest because itwas part of the Maid in Tennessee and
(13:28):
Virginia is for lovers, the endof the tourism, and so we did
a little tour and and I gotto be around those characters like Marty Stewart
is a historian. He is trulya country music historian, and he can
tell you about all of these things, and and it just married all of
it to me. I was like, Wow, this is why I like
(13:50):
good music. Is good music BecauseJohnny Cash and all these folks were on
Elvis, they were all on atour together before where there were genres,
you know, he broke out wasdoing rock and roll and it was just
good music and everybody was and theywere artists in their own right, and
they created genres out of their ownartistry. If you think about it,
(14:15):
then people started mimicking them. SoI think as a performance, I enjoyed
being part of that, but againit was a collaboration. As a songwriter,
I have a whole different favorite becausethen my new album blank Page is
absolutely It's not just because it's mynew album and I'm like, I gotta
plug it, but it is.It was totally my heart. I thought
(14:41):
it was more personal. I didn'tknow I was going to share it with
the world. You know, ifI were a blank page, I'd want
you to be the pen. Thatwas a prayer with God and I sat
down with with Corey Lee Barker andit kind of came out in a way
where I was trying to pull upa blank page on my screen. So
as a performer, it's when Iget to perform that song. Anytime I
(15:01):
get to perform it, and it'sit's not really a performance. So that's
kind of I say that tongue incheek because it's it's truly my heart and
a vulnerable place when I get todo my artistry where I don't have to
perform, you know, because Iwill go into a major performance, you
know, if any other songs.But the songs that I enjoy performing are
(15:22):
the ones that I can just layout my artistry and not have to perform
them just be overall and real andand people are blessed by it and they
feel the healing of it because Ijust want them to know that we all
can have a blank page if wewant it, you know. And and
yet I formed it in a waywhere it's a question and God's okay with
(15:45):
those questions. You know, I'dlike to be a blank page again.
Wouldn't we all like like to takeback what I said yesterday? You know
whatever. So that's so I thinkmy new album. That's that's like,
I know, that's two different thoughts, but those are two very fantastic That's
why I frame the question the waythat I do, because you know,
(16:07):
I've talked with people about a favoriteperformance that they've had, but then there's
sometimes just something really memorable that happenedat one of those performances that was so
touching and so unique that it mightnot ever happen again, but it might
not have been when they were playingthis huge arena with a whole bunch of
really incredible people. So they arevery different, and that's why we ask
(16:32):
it. So I love that.So everybody's got their superpowers and their skill
sets that really make them you strong, unique, successful, whatever you want
to call it. And what haveyou identified as your kind of superpower?
Oh, my super power. Ihave a lot of energy. I had
(16:55):
a lot of my my dad andmom, bless them. Now I'm getting
paid back. I have a sevenyear old. I have a lot of
energy, and it's both my blessingand curse. I think the the energy
that sometimes I just want to calmdown. I'm like that little dog,
you know, when the little dogthat you that you greet you at the
(17:18):
doors like I would, jumping aroundand I'm so excited. I'm kind of
like this interview. About the time, about the end of it, I'll
probably be calm Okay, we canactually have a discussion now. I'm just
so excited. I'll think about everythingafter it. Probably oh yeah, that's
right. But I think it's itgives me a lot of energy. I
spend my life now trying to channelthat energy appropriately so that I can accomplish
(17:42):
things and organize a little bit better. As you've witnessed, we've tried to
do this this call a couple oftimes. I'm trying to get the time
straight and the details straight, becausethe details matter. But yeah, I
think that my superpower would still bemy energy, because I have a ton
of it, and if people canjust hang on for the ride I'll get,
(18:04):
I'll get us there. It mightbe a little spastic, but we
we have fun. And I thinkthat at my shows a lot of my
songs are are calming because of that. And so the superpower that comes from
all of that energy is that mysongs calm me and hopefully others too.
(18:25):
So I might be this ball ofenergy and we can have fun between the
songs, but then the songs willbring you to the breathing place, you
know, where you can just fashand and uh and and often. I
know that that has been the purestform of therapy that I ever could have
had, is to just write asong that is calming to the soul,
(18:48):
that's beautiful. So, especially nowthat you are independent, I think that
this is even more of an importantquestion. But Okay, what are ways
that you know, in today's world, it is more important than ever that
you're the one that's driving that buildingyour fan base or curating that fan base,
and so what are some ways thatyou sort of engage with your fans
(19:12):
and continue to grow your fan base? It's just me. And when I've
had people do it for me,and I think that that I have to
do it myself, and that's notme being a control for you, as
(19:33):
much as it is, it justseems not more natural to me. And
I think my fans know that.It's like they know when they hear from
me, they know I'm not ignoringthem or whatever, because we're all in
this kind of together. And that'show I view it, because I wouldn't
be doing this or have anybody tosing too if they didn't like me,
you know, if they weren't myfriends. So I don't treat my fans
(19:56):
like fans. I treat they're myfriends, you know, because I and
so I care about what they're goingthrough. And it's not just one sided.
We're all going through some stuff andso a lot of times, you
know, I'll pray with them andtalk to them and just just like I'm
talking to you right now. Andwhen I had other people doing it for
(20:19):
me, I'm like, I missedit. Hey, guy, there was
a writing lull for a long time. I was like, I've got to
talk to people. And and sono matter who's at my show, I'm
going to stand and talk to you. Now, it's a little annoying,
and I've lost some I know I'velost some sales because they've been standing in
line and they're like, hey,she's still talking to this person. But
(20:41):
I mean, I'm I'm gonna fullyengage when I'm there, and so I
do it online, I do itin person anyway that I can. I'm
one hundred percent where I'm at,wherever I'm at, and it's not always
Again, that's another superpower. It'snot always a good thing because you need
to kind of set some boundaries.I was just going to say being present
(21:06):
is a superpower, and then yousaid it, So that's another superpower because
it really truly is. And yes, but then you forget about there are
other things going on like that needyour attention and I'm but I'm there.
You know, I'm engaged, doyou know. I think it's really interesting.
I know, I know for myself, I have a team that assists
(21:26):
with my social media creating posts orcreating things. But as far as like
commenting and going in and actually youknow, having conversations, that is the
piece I still like to do myselfbecause otherwid I was talking about now in
the world? Do you really know? And one night I had a lady
(21:49):
I just happened to be going tobed super late. It was like one
am, and she was upset aboutsomething to do with her order, and
so she's just firing off the nastiestcomments to me and I and I read
them and so then I answered herback pretty quickly, I'm so sorry that
you and she goes, this isa bot and then I was like,
(22:11):
no, this is really me,sitting in my bed late at night and
wondering how I can help you.And then this woman to completely change,
Oh my gosh, I had noidea it was really you and I'm so
sorry, and she completely changed herwhole demean here. I'm like, I'm
here to help you. I'm hereto serve you in any way that I
(22:32):
can get this, make this betterfor you, because certainly I don't want
you to be this unhappy. Andit completely turned that whole situation around and
she'll probably always then be a superfan still, do you know what I
mean? Even though she was upset, it's that whole paradigm of you know,
the what do they call that serviceparadox or the it's like where you
(22:56):
can turn a negative situation into asuper positive and then people like you better
than they did even before they hadthe negative situation. Right. So yeah,
covering paradox, that's what it's called. But the I mean, they're
the you have to also be okaywith if you did from that person they
yeah, because there's just people.You're not going to please everybody, you
(23:18):
know, And but that is Yeah, that was what I was talking about.
As far as posters and photos allthat that, I do not do
that. There are people that dothat for me. But I like the
commenting is the engaging one on one. That's what I was talking about.
I'm glad you brought that around.Thank you. Yeah, that was problem.
(23:48):
So one of the things for artiststhat have always been sort of challenging
for a lot of them. Theyalways say, oh, yeah, that's
been the challenging piece. But it'slearning to navigate the business side of your
business with the creativity piece of yourbusiness, that piece that you just throw
your soul on to the music inyour heart and then so how have you
(24:08):
learned to sort of balance that asfar as the creativity and the it's a
business, right. I think wetouched on it before the overlaps are astounding,
you know, as far as like, oh wow, I have to
navigate both the business and now theartistic side of this right And I think
(24:30):
the hardest part as an artist isjust that I in recognizing those overlaps.
We it can get a little awkwardfor me when I just shared that with
you, the things that come natural, like sharing what's coming from my heart
or just being able to be me. If I'm trying to do the formula,
(24:56):
you know, the formula you shoulddo this mini posting, It's gonna
come off awkward and they know it. The fans feel it, and so
and the friends and in all ofyour followers. I mean, they're following
you for a reason, and it'sbecause you're you. And if you try
to follow somebody else's pattern of howto do it exactly and it don't get
(25:18):
me wrong, there are certain timestoday I guess that are better than others.
But then you have to figure outwho your friends and your fans,
like when are they on most often? And if you're not doing it yourself,
you don't really know, but whenare they on the most And because
I don't know these algorithms, they'rejust the algorithm says it. And sometimes
(25:41):
my own husband cannot see some ofmy posts sometimes, like what is happening?
Are they trying to split up marriages? Because it's so we don't know.
But so I just say, justpost what's on your heart, and
the people who it will find theright people. But like what I mean
I guess is do you do youset aside time? Okay, now this
(26:06):
is my writing time? Do youset aside time for? This is my
promotional time? This is so we'relike, how you're going to treat it
more like a business than sort ofjust flying by the seat your pants.
Sometimes there's that and sometimes flying bythe seat of pants that there's a lot
of that in this house. Okay, especially after I it's been it seems
(26:29):
like it's been a seven year learningcurve since I had my son. So
every as you know, with children, things change, Like just when I
got one season down, he wasin diapers and then and you know,
and then all of a sudden wewere body trained and as soon as I
had at times that just being flexibleis actually a superpower. And what I
(26:49):
do, I think that you haveto be a little bit flexible and being
able to navigate that it is strengthenedmy husband and I's relationship because also I'm
dealing with, hey, can youtake the baby? I've got this and
that I've got But he's seven now, so I can't keep calling him a
baby. But but still, youknow, can can I? When I
(27:11):
wanted to do as a mom,I think that it's not as easy for
me to compartmentalize as it as myhusband. You know, I'm still doing
this interview. But I've got onebrain. Half of my brain is on
him. So I thought Adhd wasbad pre having a child, but after
that, now half of my brainis always on him. Is he okay?
(27:33):
At school? Is he? Ishe find? You know? Should
I be there? So? Yeah, and then the mom guilt is totally
real on that if I have togo away, which is not very often,
but boy, they know how toplay it. I was gone on
a couple of weekends ago. I'mI was judging a contest with the Inspirational
Country Music Association and I had togo to Kentucky and I had done a
(28:00):
show the night before and I wasleaving the next morning and he looked up
at me and went just had ashow last night? Mommy, It's like,
yes, but now I have togo to Kentucky. Honey, I
don't do it every weekend, youknow, you just navigating the feels of
that. So yes, I doset aside specific time, especially when he's
(28:21):
at school. This is this ismy time. I do zoom rites a
whole lot. And I'd also goto Nashville a whole lot. And and
right since we're just outside and sometimesthe writing rooms and getting outside, even
though this is my happy place,getting outside up here two is good,
you know. Heck, just takinga lap around the yard sometimes we'll spark
(28:42):
my creativity and look at the birdsand just being in nature. And we
do that a lot in the middleof a writing session. If if if
we're stumped, you know, wehold on coffee break, Let's go outside,
let's just breathe the air, let'syou know, look around, and
often the line will come to it. So so being being structured and being
(29:03):
flexible. I know it sounds likeI'm talking out of two sides of my
mouth, No, it really is. It is just so important because if
I'm too structured, then I haven'tgiven you know, I haven't left room
for the creativity to happen. SoI have to be structured enough that things
get done, but open enough tosit there. I that that was long.
(29:25):
You can edit that if you want. No, you know what,
I think it's real. And Ithink that a lot of those feelings that
you said are feelings that no matterwhat industry that you're in or what you're
doing. I think that every singlemom you know goes through those feelings absolutely
and you hit on them. Andbut I do think it's also important.
(29:51):
That's going to be our next question, of course, about a happy place.
But I do think it's important toacknowledge that even though, especially in
today's world post pandemic, if youcan be at home, it still is
good to get out of that home. Like I love being at my home,
but there are days where I knowI need to get out of here
and get my brain focused on somethingelse, and that actually gets me thinking
(30:12):
about the next thing that I mightneed to do. Sometimes we just get
that tunnel vision and it's really hardsometimes. So I loved all that.
It brings us to our next question, and that is, what does working
from your happy place mean to you? Oh? Well, my happy place
(30:32):
is I feel the joy of justthe joy of the Lord. I feel
the joy is a spirit. I'mdoing what I'm supposed to do by being
able to be here and do it. And every time I sing and I
play, and so I think whenit stops being that that you should stop
(30:56):
for a while. I'm not sayingforever, just the season of it.
You know, there's always a season. If I ever somebody asked me this,
do you get nervous when you geton stage? Last weekend they asked
me that, and I You've beendoing this for so long? Why why
are you shaking? And I do. I'm shaking right now just talking to
(31:17):
you. I get excited and it'spart of my personality. But if I
don't get that, I need totake a minute step back. If you're
not getting excited about what you're doing, then maybe you need to revisit.
It's nothing wrong with you. Maybewe need to revisit how you're approaching it.
How you know what's if you're ifyou're approaching it from a play.
(31:37):
Oh, it's not fun. WhenI paint some things for my family often
I'm a I'm a painter, andI will paint some things for them,
and it's it comes from a purejoy. That's something i'd I would never
mark it. I don't think becauseI did that one time my dad's you
ought to put those paintings online andI do. I have a page.
And but I and I had liketwo commission paintings. I will never again
(32:02):
when they were for money for someoneelse, that was not out of just
sparked whenever I wanted to do it, you know. So there's something different
when you make something your livelihood,and so that that my painting comes from
a different joy. It's a it'sa joy just specifically whenever whenever I want
to. God did not give methat to make a living with it,
(32:25):
I don't think, because that itwas no longer my joy and and and
so what you I'm now doing musicfrom the place of joy. You know,
the music industry very quickly can becomeabout, you know, what's marketable
and what's and I'm I think that'swhy people continue to to I say people
(32:50):
continue to follow me. That soundedcultish, because no, you know what
I mean. They they they followwhat I'm doing because I'm not doing it
for any for myself, for forfor the I'm doing it for the joy.
And if they're getting joy with itwith me. Then I'm yes,
I'm doing what I'm supposed to do. But yeah, what does it mean
(33:14):
to me? It music to meis it's been a part of my life.
It's like breathing. I mean,I I sing. I sing even
when I'm I'm not performing. Youunderstand that my son and he does this.
We sing when we're making stuff.We make up little songs. We're
like winning the Pooh over here,we may We're making up little songs about
(33:37):
everything. Our life is a musicaland we're just gonna do this, I
think, for the rest of ourlives. And and if I weren't making
them up for you guys to hearand enjoy, I'd be making them up
for him. So it's it's justeverything. I will do it until God
tells me to stop. And Ipray he never does. I pray I'm
(33:58):
doing it for all eternity. AndI kind of look forward to that big
worship session. You know that's awesome. So what inclosing, We've got two
more questions here, but and Iknow you have to go get your son
from school. So we're good.We're all right. She's doing good.
I'm like, we're talking too much. So what advice, what advice would
(34:22):
you give to someone out there thatis, you know, wants to follow
their passion of singing or being amusician. Do the best, do everything
with the best of your ability.I mean, whatever your ability is,
right, then okay, just keeppursuing it with all that you have.
(34:47):
And because there's a natural gift.You know, there's people that oh she
can sing, you know, orhe can sing, and and and there's
this natural gift. And then there'sthe honing your craft. And so I'm
not saying that all of that isfun. When I say work from your
happy place, you know, thejoy of it. Oh I still I
(35:08):
just always have to go back tothe joy of it. But some of
the work was not fun. Youknow, when you're trying to figure out
a line, it's it's it's notalways gonna be fun. I mean,
when you're training for a race andor you're training for anything, you were
working out your body and trying toget it in shape. It's not always
fun. But it's really nice whenoutfits fit again, you know. And
(35:29):
so it's don't be scared to messup, don't be scared to fail.
It's like, oh, how manyfailures before something got out there. You
know, I am We're just gonnasay, I'm my forties and I'm the
new artist of the new The ironyof that is not lost on me,
(35:51):
that I'm wow, I'm a newartist in none of my forties. So
and I dreamed about this since Iwas a little girl. Kind of thought
I'd be a new artist in mytwenties and by now I'll be a female
Vocalist of the Year, you know. But it's it's not about the awards.
I mean, you know, you'rea little girl and you're dreaming about
things. But but if that's whoI'm talking about, you know, I
(36:14):
don't want to discourage and say,oh, no, I'm gonna have to
wait forty years like her. No, You're gonna have to wait however long
God tells you, you know,but keep working at it in the meantime
so that you're ready when it comes. Because when if you're not already when
it comes, you know whose faultis that? You know? You just
beat hey, And guess what,there's even a lesson in that. You
(36:36):
know how many times I wasn't readywhen it came. It's like, I'm
not even I wasn't ready for someof these questions today, you know.
But you just you just keep pluggingaway and doing the best with what you
have and think God'll give you more, because if you're not doing the best
with what you have, then whywould he give you anymore? So just
(36:58):
keep doing the best that you canwith what what you have, and then
I'm telling you things, things willhe blesses that. I believe in that
that at least you'll feel it herewith him between him. Somebody posted one
time, on very recently, onone of my my talk about this is
(37:21):
a problem with being the one thatengages someone said she was always a great
studio musician, but never a star. And I just replied, I said,
well, thank you, thank youfor that compliment, because the fact
that you're you felt the need tosay that says that I'm shining brighter than
(37:42):
you would like for me too.But truly and wholeheartedly, I believe that
the definition of success is if I'mshining bright for my my heavenly father,
that's it. That's all the starthat I need to be. And so
if you are being who you werecreated to be, and you're doing that
with all of your heart, Ithink if being a star is your number
(38:07):
one goal, you probably should finda different goal, because I'm not saying
now. See Dolly Parton will blowthat out of the water, because I
love me some Dolly. She alwaysknew she was going to be a star,
right. I just wanted to beable to do music my whole life
and just do it and be ableto make a living. And I feel
(38:28):
like I'm doing that, And aslong as I'm making him happy, then
I'm happy. So any new andexciting things, So you can plug your
album again and then tell us aboutany fun things that you're doing and any
new and exciting things, and thentell our listeners where they can find you.
Okay, you can find me atdel Nora dot com. I all
(38:50):
all my things are there, Facebook, Instagram, you can find me every
everywhere. You can even email mefrom there, so you can find me
all those places. As a matterof fact, I've got to update that
today because i have a show comingup Thursday, and I've got a couple
of shows coming up. I haveat the Tennessee State Fair and I'll be
on the Community Stage and I'm reallyexcited about that on Thursday and Lebanon it's
(39:15):
at the Wilson County Fairgrounds, sothat's the Tennessee State Fair and my my
new album here all oh, theseare some of my albums. This is
a blank Page. It's all right, sat up right there, go find
it. I'm really proud of thisalbum and the new The new single is
coming out in October. The newsingle is a blank Page went to number
(39:38):
one, and I'm Thankful is mycurrent single. But in October, I
have a new one coming out calledYou Get to Me, so it's wait,
yeah, I'm excited about that one. So yeah, yeah, y'all
can go to del Nora dot com. I made it really easy for you.
You don't have to remember read ora cuff. Well, DeNora,
(39:59):
this has been and absolutely delightful,and I'd love to close the show out
with one of your songs, ifyou want to do blank Page since you've
spoken about it, or the otherone that just released, Thankful, would
be. It's a good day tobe thankful. It is a good day
to be thankful. So thank youfor sharing your heart and and your joy
(40:20):
comes across so brightly across this interviewand across the screen. So thank you,
so so very much. Oh thankyou. I'm thankful for you,
and to all of our listeners outthere, we're thankful for you. We're
so glad. We know you havea choice of we're to spend your time,
and we're both grateful that you choseto spend it with us today.
(40:43):
Please follow our subscribe, give usa rate or review, because that does
help that crazy algorithm that none ofus seem to be able to understand.
So and and check out our website. We have lots of fun, exciting
things going on, and don't forgetto check out uh del Nora's new album.
And with that, we will seeyou next time on work from your
(41:06):
happy place. I uh i uhI. Sometimes I get caught up sweating
(41:37):
over the small list of and Ilose my head say things I can't take
back, forget who and when I'mat and how blessed I am. It's
time for a change. No roomto complain. Ain't no on clouds in
(42:00):
the sky. I'm kissing my words. Good bye, good data, Be
thankful, a good dat every graveful. It's a good day to be glad.
Mine dinner placeful, I got family, I got friends who be with
(42:22):
me to the air. Ain't noreason to be. Body said, Hey,
a good dett of be thankful.I I I I I I.
I can't let what I have notovershadow what I've got, cause I've got
(42:52):
even now more reason to smile thanever. No doubt that o't or ever
be rich in love. I'm lettinggo of what I can't control. I'm
gonna be a deal for me everyday. It's gonna be a good debt
(43:15):
of be thingful. A good dattabe graveful. It's a good day to
be glad, mine dinner place forI got family, I got friends whill
be with me to the end.Ain't no reason to be moody said of
(43:38):
Hey, A good debt of bething I I I I I I cause
no better time for my heart toone one right here, right now.
(44:02):
Come and sing it with me loud. A good debt of being thankful,
A good debt of'll be grateful.It's a good day to be glad.
Minds dinner place. I got family, I got friends who be you with
me to be and ain't no reasonto be, Body said, ahful,
(44:30):
A good debt of being thankful.I I I I I
Welcome to Work from Your Happy Plays, the podcast that equips you with the
knowledge and inspiration to live your dreamsand find your own happy plays. You
will be encouraged by and learn fromentrepreneurs and artists who are already working from
their happy plays, all while pursuingtheir passion with a purpose. Be sure
(00:20):
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and a preview of what's in store. We also have two special gifts for
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(00:43):
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host, Belinda Ellsworth. Hi,it's Belinda here, and before we get
started with today's show, I'd liketo tell you about some exciting things coming
soon that I think you're gonna love. After over five hundred episodes, we've
discovered so many tips, tools andbits of knowledge that we want to share
(01:06):
it all with you. So thisspring, we are launching a brand new
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(01:29):
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months between box deliveries, you'll learnfrom an amazing community of business owners.
Included guided trainings on business skills andpersonal development, a book club that features
Q and a time directly with thatmonth's author, and a monthly featured guest
(01:53):
from whom you'll learn strategies to growyour own business. You'll learn from one
another through our private group as wellas our live Q and a session where
you can get all of your questionsanswered. Sound exciting? How would you
like a free six month subscription toenter? Get on our VIP list by
going to work from your happy placedot com forward slash vip. Now,
(02:14):
sit back, relax and enjoy today'sshow. Hello everyone, and welcome to
our show today. I'm so excited. It's always fun to have such talented
artists on our show, and todayI have del Nora read a cuff with
me and del Nora, as asinger songwriter, the voice that brought her
from West Virginia to Nashville, hasbeen recognized with consecutive nominations for CMA's Female
(02:39):
Vocalist of the Year, and sheis currently iicma's reigning New Artist of the
Year. She's released eight studio albums, including three as a member of the
critically acclaimed duo Blue Eyed Grass.It is my pleasure to welcome del Nora
to our show today. Hi,THI, thank you so much for having
(03:00):
me. Yeah, of course,of course. So let's just let's fill
in some of these gaps of thespy. Oh, let's get to know
you. Tell us a little bitabout your background, and and then how
you got on this journey, andthen and what you're doing today. That's
going to be exciting and fun.Yeah. Well, to sum it up,
I guess there's no summing it upever with me. I'm sorry,
(03:23):
a short story becomes a long story, but try to make it short.
I come from the Reed family.My great granddaddy was Henry Reid. He
was a master fiddler and the Americanfook left center at the Library of Congress
began with his repertory of old timefiddle tunes. Now, he was just
a regular guy, and it's supercool. The way I view music,
(03:44):
I know comes from that. Theyjust sat around on the porch and play
and they mastered it, and thatwas their craft and it wasn't just a
hobby, it was just part ofthem. I thought every family did this,
so I mean playing just and Ididn't know people couldn't sing and key
either, And so you needn't understandthat that viewpoint kind of taints my I
(04:08):
don't really a lot of people grewup feeling special or odd or whatever.
I didn't think I was special atall. I thought everybody did this because
my whole family did it. Anduh, and so I they knew that
I was a singer very early onand not a musician. So that's I
guess what set me apart. Inmy family. They were all master musicians.
(04:30):
I played the guitar, I play, I can chord, and I
play for myself. But and especiallynow that I live in Nashville, I
know the difference between a musician andmy instrument is my voice. Yeah.
So because you say very quickly,you say I am a guitar player,
I am not a guitarist. There'sa difference. There's a big difference.
(04:54):
So I moved from I knew veryearly I wanted to play my I was
a songwriter, and he wanted hewanted me to have my own songs.
And once they realized that I wantedto go sing, and at like eleven
years old, they started writing forme. And I sat through every one
of those writing sessions. He wrotewith a man named Norman Gotzy and Harold
(05:15):
Huffman, and Harold wrote for atight fitting jeans for Conway Twitter, And
so I didn't realize how much Iwas. I mean, it was a
sponge. I sat through those writingsessions and it's just part of who I
am. I think now. Ididn't realize I was doing songwriting one oh
one, you know, and allthose let me writing a song for me.
(05:36):
So I contributed, you know whereI could, as as much as
eleven year old cant at that point. But Dad's point was there was already
like a Dolly part, and therewas already I was singing their songs,
and he said, you need delNora songs, and so they wanted to
write songs for me and that wereand I could come into my own voice
(05:58):
because he noticed I saw mimicking them. You know Stevie Nicks or you know
Dolly Parton. Reba McIntyre was reallyreally popular when I was a little girl,
and so I was really mimicking allof them, and he said,
you need to come into your ownvoice. So they started writing and for
me and I we recorded my firstalbum and I think we released it before
(06:21):
I turned sixteen years old. Butthrough all those years we just I played
and sang and I just I don'tknow anything different. So know, I'm
in Nashville. I'm outside of Nashvillenow, but I was in Nashville when
my husband found me. My husband'sfrom Cookville and that's where I live now.
But I've just been doing it.I've been through a couple of record
(06:42):
deals and I don't know if thatanswers your question. Yeah, I just
we just want to get to knowyou a little bit, and so there
is really no question in there.It's just like love that background. I
think that while you know, it'show eyes of them to realize that at
that age, I don't think everyonedoes that. I don't know if you
(07:06):
can a little bit hyper. IActually I've often wondered, as I look
back now, where they trying tochannel some energy as they saw, you
know, I was entering my teens, I got past and I was the
size I am now at by thetime I was thirteen and yeah, and
(07:27):
I spoke like an adult of course, of course what I was doing in
music and I was listening. Ispoke like I listened back to some interviews
on radio stations and I was talkingabout my music career. Oh, I
was so serious. And I lookedback and I was I talked like an
adult. I learned how to talk, you know. I think I was
mimicking, you know, just likewith the music, like what I was
(07:48):
supposed to say and do. Butbut I think they wanted to channel this
energy into a positive place and itwas very wise of them because now we
all know about things like ADHD andI totally have that, and they completely
channeled all of that energy into somethingthat I absolutely loved. So that's great.
(08:11):
So then we're going to dive intosome of your favorite performances or things
that you've done, but like,take us up to speed now. So
that was kind of like your youthand then we're things out today and what
are you doing and how are youstill living out your passion? Well,
after a few record deals, whichI hold no bitterness in my heart,
(08:31):
things did not work out during thattime, but I made relationships and friends,
and I went through OURCA and DreamWorksand a lot of people have some
negative, you know, things tosay about that, and I have nothing
negative. I mean, obviously there'sa whole bunch of people that get records
deals, and I really thought that'swhat everyone did, because when I moved
(08:52):
to town, I got one,and it just seemed like when one ended,
I got another one. And Ijust thought people did that. And
manager was Kenny Chesting's manager, andwe just he took me from one building
to the next build and we justokay, and I sang for them and
they were like, okay, wewrote a record deal and signed a record
deal, and and I just thoughteverybody did that. But that's apparently not
(09:16):
as easy as I did not knowthat. But I learned so much from
all the people. The first thingthey did was get me in writing rooms
with writers that were number one hitwriters and I've learned so much and I
just appreciate that experience. But overtime, you know, we parted ways
(09:39):
because I'm doing this independently now.I wanted to start a family and I
Movedville, and I knew that I'mwhen God gives you something, I just
I relaxed in knowing that this iswhat I have to do for the rest
of my life and I you don'thave to strive. What's very odd is
(10:01):
the success that came in my lifewas when the striving stopped. I'm talking
about like, really, I've webeat our heads against the pavement in our
music row trying to pitch stuff andget get my album to take off.
Even though we were you know,I had a record deal and I I
guess they could have pushed it ifthey wanted to, but I it didn't
(10:24):
happen, and it happened in God'stime. And so just really, when
you're personally okay with that, Iwas okay with just hey, it's not
my time. The business folks andNash Vegas were not as comfortable as I
was, and just waiting on God'stime and so as as it's crazy,
(10:48):
as soon as I went out independentlyyou know, some of the I call
it success when when God's words gettingout there. So that's the songs that
I've been writing have been just sodifferent once I've stopped trying to do it
on my own. Well, thatis awesome. That's what I'm going now,
that's what I'm doing now. That'sgreat. So so let's talk about
(11:13):
one of your favorite or memorable performances. And you can give one of each
if you have different experiences there oneof each from times they're one and the
same and sometimes for people they're not. Their favorite performance was different than a
memorable performance, if you will.Yeah, I get to work with some
of my heroes. When Carl Jackson, I met Carl Jackson, He's won
(11:37):
a bunch of Grammys, and there'sjust a whole bunch you could go name
dropping all the people and Dolly Partonand that was part of this project called
Orthophonic Joy, and it was thehistory of country music. And this is
where my past, you know,we went to my artist's name just being
del Nora because I got kind oftired to bring in my granddaddy into it.
And yet this is where my pastcollided with my present. I got
(12:01):
to Orthophonic Joy was when back innineteen twenty seven, the Bristol Sessions was
where country music began. I meanit was they took it off of the
porches. People were playing it onthe porches, like my granddaddy, my
great great granddaddy. Sorry, butthey took it off the porches and they
they some folks came down from NewNew York and they were like, let's
(12:22):
let's let's record these hillbillies, youknow, And that's where Jimmy Rogers and
and and just what's what's crazy isthat they always call it the birth of
country music, but it was thebirth of blues. It was the birth
of blue grass. It was thebirth of rock and roll, because that's
where I mean, we're talking aboutthe Carter family right, and we remember
(12:43):
when Johnny Cash came along, justjust learning the history, and I got
to be on this project where werevisited the project nineteen twenty nineteen twenty seven
Bristol Sessions revisited it was called OrthophonicJoy and Carl Jacks Carl Jackson produced it
and Marty Stewart, Emmy Luke,Harris, Brad Paisley, Cheryl Crowe.
(13:07):
I mean, we could keep goingdown the list of all the artists that
were part of this project. Oursong was one song right after Steve Martin
and the Step Canyon Rangers. Inever would have thought I'd been on a
project like that. But then wegot to perform at well a couple of
different places in Houston fest because itwas part of the Maid in Tennessee and
(13:28):
Virginia is for lovers, the endof the tourism, and so we did
a little tour and and I gotto be around those characters like Marty Stewart
is a historian. He is trulya country music historian, and he can
tell you about all of these things, and and it just married all of
it to me. I was like, Wow, this is why I like
(13:50):
good music. Is good music BecauseJohnny Cash and all these folks were on
Elvis, they were all on atour together before where there were genres,
you know, he broke out wasdoing rock and roll and it was just
good music and everybody was and theywere artists in their own right, and
they created genres out of their ownartistry. If you think about it,
(14:15):
then people started mimicking them. SoI think as a performance, I enjoyed
being part of that, but againit was a collaboration. As a songwriter,
I have a whole different favorite becausethen my new album blank Page is
absolutely It's not just because it's mynew album and I'm like, I gotta
plug it, but it is.It was totally my heart. I thought
(14:41):
it was more personal. I didn'tknow I was going to share it with
the world. You know, ifI were a blank page, I'd want
you to be the pen. Thatwas a prayer with God and I sat
down with with Corey Lee Barker andit kind of came out in a way
where I was trying to pull upa blank page on my screen. So
as a performer, it's when Iget to perform that song. Anytime I
(15:01):
get to perform it, and it'sit's not really a performance. So that's
kind of I say that tongue incheek because it's it's truly my heart and
a vulnerable place when I get todo my artistry where I don't have to
perform, you know, because Iwill go into a major performance, you
know, if any other songs.But the songs that I enjoy performing are
(15:22):
the ones that I can just layout my artistry and not have to perform
them just be overall and real andand people are blessed by it and they
feel the healing of it because Ijust want them to know that we all
can have a blank page if wewant it, you know. And and
yet I formed it in a waywhere it's a question and God's okay with
(15:45):
those questions. You know, I'dlike to be a blank page again.
Wouldn't we all like like to takeback what I said yesterday? You know
whatever. So that's so I thinkmy new album. That's that's like,
I know, that's two different thoughts, but those are two very fantastic That's
why I frame the question the waythat I do, because you know,
(16:07):
I've talked with people about a favoriteperformance that they've had, but then there's
sometimes just something really memorable that happenedat one of those performances that was so
touching and so unique that it mightnot ever happen again, but it might
not have been when they were playingthis huge arena with a whole bunch of
really incredible people. So they arevery different, and that's why we ask
(16:32):
it. So I love that.So everybody's got their superpowers and their skill
sets that really make them you strong, unique, successful, whatever you want
to call it. And what haveyou identified as your kind of superpower?
Oh, my super power. Ihave a lot of energy. I had
(16:55):
a lot of my my dad andmom, bless them. Now I'm getting
paid back. I have a sevenyear old. I have a lot of
energy, and it's both my blessingand curse. I think the the energy
that sometimes I just want to calmdown. I'm like that little dog,
you know, when the little dogthat you that you greet you at the
(17:18):
doors like I would, jumping aroundand I'm so excited. I'm kind of
like this interview. About the time, about the end of it, I'll
probably be calm Okay, we canactually have a discussion now. I'm just
so excited. I'll think about everythingafter it. Probably oh yeah, that's
right. But I think it's itgives me a lot of energy. I
spend my life now trying to channelthat energy appropriately so that I can accomplish
(17:42):
things and organize a little bit better. As you've witnessed, we've tried to
do this this call a couple oftimes. I'm trying to get the time
straight and the details straight, becausethe details matter. But yeah, I
think that my superpower would still bemy energy, because I have a ton
of it, and if people canjust hang on for the ride I'll get,
(18:04):
I'll get us there. It mightbe a little spastic, but we
we have fun. And I thinkthat at my shows a lot of my
songs are are calming because of that. And so the superpower that comes from
all of that energy is that mysongs calm me and hopefully others too.
(18:25):
So I might be this ball ofenergy and we can have fun between the
songs, but then the songs willbring you to the breathing place, you
know, where you can just fashand and uh and and often. I
know that that has been the purestform of therapy that I ever could have
had, is to just write asong that is calming to the soul,
(18:48):
that's beautiful. So, especially nowthat you are independent, I think that
this is even more of an importantquestion. But Okay, what are ways
that you know, in today's world, it is more important than ever that
you're the one that's driving that buildingyour fan base or curating that fan base,
and so what are some ways thatyou sort of engage with your fans
(19:12):
and continue to grow your fan base? It's just me. And when I've
had people do it for me,and I think that that I have to
do it myself, and that's notme being a control for you, as
(19:33):
much as it is, it justseems not more natural to me. And
I think my fans know that.It's like they know when they hear from
me, they know I'm not ignoringthem or whatever, because we're all in
this kind of together. And that'show I view it, because I wouldn't
be doing this or have anybody tosing too if they didn't like me,
you know, if they weren't myfriends. So I don't treat my fans
(19:56):
like fans. I treat they're myfriends, you know, because I and
so I care about what they're goingthrough. And it's not just one sided.
We're all going through some stuff andso a lot of times, you
know, I'll pray with them andtalk to them and just just like I'm
talking to you right now. Andwhen I had other people doing it for
(20:19):
me, I'm like, I missedit. Hey, guy, there was
a writing lull for a long time. I was like, I've got to
talk to people. And and sono matter who's at my show, I'm
going to stand and talk to you. Now, it's a little annoying,
and I've lost some I know I'velost some sales because they've been standing in
line and they're like, hey,she's still talking to this person. But
(20:41):
I mean, I'm I'm gonna fullyengage when I'm there, and so I
do it online, I do itin person anyway that I can. I'm
one hundred percent where I'm at,wherever I'm at, and it's not always
Again, that's another superpower. It'snot always a good thing because you need
to kind of set some boundaries.I was just going to say being present
(21:06):
is a superpower, and then yousaid it, So that's another superpower because
it really truly is. And yes, but then you forget about there are
other things going on like that needyour attention and I'm but I'm there.
You know, I'm engaged, doyou know. I think it's really interesting.
I know, I know for myself, I have a team that assists
(21:26):
with my social media creating posts orcreating things. But as far as like
commenting and going in and actually youknow, having conversations, that is the
piece I still like to do myselfbecause otherwid I was talking about now in
the world? Do you really know? And one night I had a lady
(21:49):
I just happened to be going tobed super late. It was like one
am, and she was upset aboutsomething to do with her order, and
so she's just firing off the nastiestcomments to me and I and I read
them and so then I answered herback pretty quickly, I'm so sorry that
you and she goes, this isa bot and then I was like,
(22:11):
no, this is really me,sitting in my bed late at night and
wondering how I can help you.And then this woman to completely change,
Oh my gosh, I had noidea it was really you and I'm so
sorry, and she completely changed herwhole demean here. I'm like, I'm
here to help you. I'm hereto serve you in any way that I
(22:32):
can get this, make this betterfor you, because certainly I don't want
you to be this unhappy. Andit completely turned that whole situation around and
she'll probably always then be a superfan still, do you know what I
mean? Even though she was upset, it's that whole paradigm of you know,
the what do they call that serviceparadox or the it's like where you
(22:56):
can turn a negative situation into asuper positive and then people like you better
than they did even before they hadthe negative situation. Right. So yeah,
covering paradox, that's what it's called. But the I mean, they're
the you have to also be okaywith if you did from that person they
yeah, because there's just people.You're not going to please everybody, you
(23:18):
know, And but that is Yeah, that was what I was talking about.
As far as posters and photos allthat that, I do not do
that. There are people that dothat for me. But I like the
commenting is the engaging one on one. That's what I was talking about.
I'm glad you brought that around.Thank you. Yeah, that was problem.
(23:48):
So one of the things for artiststhat have always been sort of challenging
for a lot of them. Theyalways say, oh, yeah, that's
been the challenging piece. But it'slearning to navigate the business side of your
business with the creativity piece of yourbusiness, that piece that you just throw
your soul on to the music inyour heart and then so how have you
(24:08):
learned to sort of balance that asfar as the creativity and the it's a
business, right. I think wetouched on it before the overlaps are astounding,
you know, as far as like, oh wow, I have to
navigate both the business and now theartistic side of this right And I think
(24:30):
the hardest part as an artist isjust that I in recognizing those overlaps.
We it can get a little awkwardfor me when I just shared that with
you, the things that come natural, like sharing what's coming from my heart
or just being able to be me. If I'm trying to do the formula,
(24:56):
you know, the formula you shoulddo this mini posting, It's gonna
come off awkward and they know it. The fans feel it, and so
and the friends and in all ofyour followers. I mean, they're following
you for a reason, and it'sbecause you're you. And if you try
to follow somebody else's pattern of howto do it exactly and it don't get
(25:18):
me wrong, there are certain timestoday I guess that are better than others.
But then you have to figure outwho your friends and your fans,
like when are they on most often? And if you're not doing it yourself,
you don't really know, but whenare they on the most And because
I don't know these algorithms, they'rejust the algorithm says it. And sometimes
(25:41):
my own husband cannot see some ofmy posts sometimes, like what is happening?
Are they trying to split up marriages? Because it's so we don't know.
But so I just say, justpost what's on your heart, and
the people who it will find theright people. But like what I mean
I guess is do you do youset aside time? Okay, now this
(26:06):
is my writing time? Do youset aside time for? This is my
promotional time? This is so we'relike, how you're going to treat it
more like a business than sort ofjust flying by the seat your pants.
Sometimes there's that and sometimes flying bythe seat of pants that there's a lot
of that in this house. Okay, especially after I it's been it seems
(26:29):
like it's been a seven year learningcurve since I had my son. So
every as you know, with children, things change, Like just when I
got one season down, he wasin diapers and then and you know,
and then all of a sudden wewere body trained and as soon as I
had at times that just being flexibleis actually a superpower. And what I
(26:49):
do, I think that you haveto be a little bit flexible and being
able to navigate that it is strengthenedmy husband and I's relationship because also I'm
dealing with, hey, can youtake the baby? I've got this and
that I've got But he's seven now, so I can't keep calling him a
baby. But but still, youknow, can can I? When I
(27:11):
wanted to do as a mom,I think that it's not as easy for
me to compartmentalize as it as myhusband. You know, I'm still doing
this interview. But I've got onebrain. Half of my brain is on
him. So I thought Adhd wasbad pre having a child, but after
that, now half of my brainis always on him. Is he okay?
(27:33):
At school? Is he? Ishe find? You know? Should
I be there? So? Yeah, and then the mom guilt is totally
real on that if I have togo away, which is not very often,
but boy, they know how toplay it. I was gone on
a couple of weekends ago. I'mI was judging a contest with the Inspirational
Country Music Association and I had togo to Kentucky and I had done a
(28:00):
show the night before and I wasleaving the next morning and he looked up
at me and went just had ashow last night? Mommy, It's like,
yes, but now I have togo to Kentucky. Honey, I
don't do it every weekend, youknow, you just navigating the feels of
that. So yes, I doset aside specific time, especially when he's
(28:21):
at school. This is this ismy time. I do zoom rites a
whole lot. And I'd also goto Nashville a whole lot. And and
right since we're just outside and sometimesthe writing rooms and getting outside, even
though this is my happy place,getting outside up here two is good,
you know. Heck, just takinga lap around the yard sometimes we'll spark
(28:42):
my creativity and look at the birdsand just being in nature. And we
do that a lot in the middleof a writing session. If if if
we're stumped, you know, wehold on coffee break, Let's go outside,
let's just breathe the air, let'syou know, look around, and
often the line will come to it. So so being being structured and being
(29:03):
flexible. I know it sounds likeI'm talking out of two sides of my
mouth, No, it really is. It is just so important because if
I'm too structured, then I haven'tgiven you know, I haven't left room
for the creativity to happen. SoI have to be structured enough that things
get done, but open enough tosit there. I that that was long.
(29:25):
You can edit that if you want. No, you know what,
I think it's real. And Ithink that a lot of those feelings that
you said are feelings that no matterwhat industry that you're in or what you're
doing. I think that every singlemom you know goes through those feelings absolutely
and you hit on them. Andbut I do think it's also important.
(29:51):
That's going to be our next question, of course, about a happy place.
But I do think it's important toacknowledge that even though, especially in
today's world post pandemic, if youcan be at home, it still is
good to get out of that home. Like I love being at my home,
but there are days where I knowI need to get out of here
and get my brain focused on somethingelse, and that actually gets me thinking
(30:12):
about the next thing that I mightneed to do. Sometimes we just get
that tunnel vision and it's really hardsometimes. So I loved all that.
It brings us to our next question, and that is, what does working
from your happy place mean to you? Oh? Well, my happy place
(30:32):
is I feel the joy of justthe joy of the Lord. I feel
the joy is a spirit. I'mdoing what I'm supposed to do by being
able to be here and do it. And every time I sing and I
play, and so I think whenit stops being that that you should stop
(30:56):
for a while. I'm not sayingforever, just the season of it.
You know, there's always a season. If I ever somebody asked me this,
do you get nervous when you geton stage? Last weekend they asked
me that, and I You've beendoing this for so long? Why why
are you shaking? And I do. I'm shaking right now just talking to
(31:17):
you. I get excited and it'spart of my personality. But if I
don't get that, I need totake a minute step back. If you're
not getting excited about what you're doing, then maybe you need to revisit.
It's nothing wrong with you. Maybewe need to revisit how you're approaching it.
How you know what's if you're ifyou're approaching it from a play.
(31:37):
Oh, it's not fun. WhenI paint some things for my family often
I'm a I'm a painter, andI will paint some things for them,
and it's it comes from a purejoy. That's something i'd I would never
mark it. I don't think becauseI did that one time my dad's you
ought to put those paintings online andI do. I have a page.
And but I and I had liketwo commission paintings. I will never again
(32:02):
when they were for money for someoneelse, that was not out of just
sparked whenever I wanted to do it, you know. So there's something different
when you make something your livelihood,and so that that my painting comes from
a different joy. It's a it'sa joy just specifically whenever whenever I want
to. God did not give methat to make a living with it,
(32:25):
I don't think, because that itwas no longer my joy and and and
so what you I'm now doing musicfrom the place of joy. You know,
the music industry very quickly can becomeabout, you know, what's marketable
and what's and I'm I think that'swhy people continue to to I say people
(32:50):
continue to follow me. That soundedcultish, because no, you know what
I mean. They they they followwhat I'm doing because I'm not doing it
for any for myself, for forfor the I'm doing it for the joy.
And if they're getting joy with itwith me. Then I'm yes,
I'm doing what I'm supposed to do. But yeah, what does it mean
(33:14):
to me? It music to meis it's been a part of my life.
It's like breathing. I mean,I I sing. I sing even
when I'm I'm not performing. Youunderstand that my son and he does this.
We sing when we're making stuff.We make up little songs. We're
like winning the Pooh over here,we may We're making up little songs about
(33:37):
everything. Our life is a musicaland we're just gonna do this, I
think, for the rest of ourlives. And and if I weren't making
them up for you guys to hearand enjoy, I'd be making them up
for him. So it's it's justeverything. I will do it until God
tells me to stop. And Ipray he never does. I pray I'm
(33:58):
doing it for all eternity. AndI kind of look forward to that big
worship session. You know that's awesome. So what inclosing, We've got two
more questions here, but and Iknow you have to go get your son
from school. So we're good.We're all right. She's doing good.
I'm like, we're talking too much. So what advice, what advice would
(34:22):
you give to someone out there thatis, you know, wants to follow
their passion of singing or being amusician. Do the best, do everything
with the best of your ability.I mean, whatever your ability is,
right, then okay, just keeppursuing it with all that you have.
(34:47):
And because there's a natural gift.You know, there's people that oh she
can sing, you know, orhe can sing, and and and there's
this natural gift. And then there'sthe honing your craft. And so I'm
not saying that all of that isfun. When I say work from your
happy place, you know, thejoy of it. Oh I still I
(35:08):
just always have to go back tothe joy of it. But some of
the work was not fun. Youknow, when you're trying to figure out
a line, it's it's it's notalways gonna be fun. I mean,
when you're training for a race andor you're training for anything, you were
working out your body and trying toget it in shape. It's not always
fun. But it's really nice whenoutfits fit again, you know. And
(35:29):
so it's don't be scared to messup, don't be scared to fail.
It's like, oh, how manyfailures before something got out there. You
know, I am We're just gonnasay, I'm my forties and I'm the
new artist of the new The ironyof that is not lost on me,
(35:51):
that I'm wow, I'm a newartist in none of my forties. So
and I dreamed about this since Iwas a little girl. Kind of thought
I'd be a new artist in mytwenties and by now I'll be a female
Vocalist of the Year, you know. But it's it's not about the awards.
I mean, you know, you'rea little girl and you're dreaming about
things. But but if that's whoI'm talking about, you know, I
(36:14):
don't want to discourage and say,oh, no, I'm gonna have to
wait forty years like her. No, You're gonna have to wait however long
God tells you, you know,but keep working at it in the meantime
so that you're ready when it comes. Because when if you're not already when
it comes, you know whose faultis that? You know? You just
beat hey, And guess what,there's even a lesson in that. You
(36:36):
know how many times I wasn't readywhen it came. It's like, I'm
not even I wasn't ready for someof these questions today, you know.
But you just you just keep pluggingaway and doing the best with what you
have and think God'll give you more, because if you're not doing the best
with what you have, then whywould he give you anymore? So just
(36:58):
keep doing the best that you canwith what what you have, and then
I'm telling you things, things willhe blesses that. I believe in that
that at least you'll feel it herewith him between him. Somebody posted one
time, on very recently, onone of my my talk about this is
(37:21):
a problem with being the one thatengages someone said she was always a great
studio musician, but never a star. And I just replied, I said,
well, thank you, thank youfor that compliment, because the fact
that you're you felt the need tosay that says that I'm shining brighter than
(37:42):
you would like for me too.But truly and wholeheartedly, I believe that
the definition of success is if I'mshining bright for my my heavenly father,
that's it. That's all the starthat I need to be. And so
if you are being who you werecreated to be, and you're doing that
with all of your heart, Ithink if being a star is your number
(38:07):
one goal, you probably should finda different goal, because I'm not saying
now. See Dolly Parton will blowthat out of the water, because I
love me some Dolly. She alwaysknew she was going to be a star,
right. I just wanted to beable to do music my whole life
and just do it and be ableto make a living. And I feel
(38:28):
like I'm doing that, And aslong as I'm making him happy, then
I'm happy. So any new andexciting things, So you can plug your
album again and then tell us aboutany fun things that you're doing and any
new and exciting things, and thentell our listeners where they can find you.
Okay, you can find me atdel Nora dot com. I all
(38:50):
all my things are there, Facebook, Instagram, you can find me every
everywhere. You can even email mefrom there, so you can find me
all those places. As a matterof fact, I've got to update that
today because i have a show comingup Thursday, and I've got a couple
of shows coming up. I haveat the Tennessee State Fair and I'll be
on the Community Stage and I'm reallyexcited about that on Thursday and Lebanon it's
(39:15):
at the Wilson County Fairgrounds, sothat's the Tennessee State Fair and my my
new album here all oh, theseare some of my albums. This is
a blank Page. It's all right, sat up right there, go find
it. I'm really proud of thisalbum and the new The new single is
coming out in October. The newsingle is a blank Page went to number
(39:38):
one, and I'm Thankful is mycurrent single. But in October, I
have a new one coming out calledYou Get to Me, so it's wait,
yeah, I'm excited about that one. So yeah, yeah, y'all
can go to del Nora dot com. I made it really easy for you.
You don't have to remember read ora cuff. Well, DeNora,
(39:59):
this has been and absolutely delightful,and I'd love to close the show out
with one of your songs, ifyou want to do blank Page since you've
spoken about it, or the otherone that just released, Thankful, would
be. It's a good day tobe thankful. It is a good day
to be thankful. So thank youfor sharing your heart and and your joy
(40:20):
comes across so brightly across this interviewand across the screen. So thank you,
so so very much. Oh thankyou. I'm thankful for you,
and to all of our listeners outthere, we're thankful for you. We're
so glad. We know you havea choice of we're to spend your time,
and we're both grateful that you choseto spend it with us today.
(40:43):
Please follow our subscribe, give usa rate or review, because that does
help that crazy algorithm that none ofus seem to be able to understand.
So and and check out our website. We have lots of fun, exciting
things going on, and don't forgetto check out uh del Nora's new album.
And with that, we will seeyou next time on work from your
(41:06):
happy place. I uh i uhI. Sometimes I get caught up sweating
(41:37):
over the small list of and Ilose my head say things I can't take
back, forget who and when I'mat and how blessed I am. It's
time for a change. No roomto complain. Ain't no on clouds in
(42:00):
the sky. I'm kissing my words. Good bye, good data, Be
thankful, a good dat every graveful. It's a good day to be glad.
Mine dinner placeful, I got family, I got friends who be with
(42:22):
me to the air. Ain't noreason to be. Body said, Hey,
a good dett of be thankful.I I I I I I.
I can't let what I have notovershadow what I've got, cause I've got
(42:52):
even now more reason to smile thanever. No doubt that o't or ever
be rich in love. I'm lettinggo of what I can't control. I'm
gonna be a deal for me everyday. It's gonna be a good debt
(43:15):
of be thingful. A good dattabe graveful. It's a good day to
be glad, mine dinner place forI got family, I got friends whill
be with me to the end.Ain't no reason to be moody said of
(43:38):
Hey, A good debt of bething I I I I I I cause
no better time for my heart toone one right here, right now.
(44:02):
Come and sing it with me loud. A good debt of being thankful,
A good debt of'll be grateful.It's a good day to be glad.
Minds dinner place. I got family, I got friends who be you with
me to be and ain't no reasonto be, Body said, ahful,
(44:30):
A good debt of being thankful.I I I I I
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