# Jaime French: From Beauty Influencer to Reinvention, Comedy, Music & Mental Health

An episode of [Tony Mantor's : Almost Live..... Nashville](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1751194045), 1 Sep 2026, 27 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/c41d385f-64b2-4514-9415-b4d50130ce01/373f3d30-3d69-45d4-8d91-b4d501686dd9/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=d1742151-672b-4e4d-997b-b4d50130ce0c

Show Notes Jamie French has built an extraordinary career by embracing change, taking creative risks, and never being afraid to reinvent herself. In this episode of Almost Live Nashville, host Tony Mantor sits down with comedian, YouTuber, singer-songwriter, and content creator Jamie French to discuss her remarkable journey from hairstylist and makeup artist to one of YouTube's most recognizable comedy voices and an emerging Nashville recording artist. Jamie opens up about building an audience of millions, overcoming imposter syndrome, navigating anxiety and depression, the healing power of creativity, and why authentic connection matters more than chasing fame. She also shares what it's like selling out comedy clubs, pursuing music in Nashville, balancing multiple creative careers, and why taking risks has become the key to her success. Whether you're an artist, entrepreneur, creator, or someone searching for the courage to start over, Jamie's story is filled with humor, honesty, and inspiration. In this episode you'll discover: • Jamie's journey from beauty influencer to comedian • Why comedy became her true calling • Building a YouTube audience of millions • Performing sold-out comedy shows • Life after moving to Nashville • Transitioning into singer-songwriter life • Battling anxiety, depression, and imposter syndrome • The healing power of creativity • Connecting authentically with an audience • Taking creative risks without fear • Growing through reinvention • Advice for aspiring content creators and entertainers If you enjoy conversations about creativity, comedy, music, mental health, and personal growth, be sure to Follow Almost Live Nashville so you never miss an episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Tony Mantour. Thanks for joining us today. Welcome
[0:03] Speaker 1: to Almost Live Nashville, where music, entertainment, and great conversations
[0:08] Speaker 1: come together. If you haven't already, tap follow. This way
[0:11] Speaker 1: you stay up to date, never missing the great conversation
[0:14] Speaker 1: and guests coming your way. What happens when the career
[0:18] Speaker 1: you thought would define your life becomes the stepping stone
[0:22] Speaker 1: to the one you were truly meant to live? Jamie
[0:24] Speaker 1: French knows exactly what that journey feels like. She began
[0:28] Speaker 1: as a hairstylist and makeup artist, built a massive online
[0:32] Speaker 1: following through beauty content, then discovered that what truly connected
[0:37] Speaker 1: with people wasn't just makeup, it was her ability to
[0:40] Speaker 1: make them laugh, think, and feel less alone. Today, she
[0:44] Speaker 1: is one of YouTube's most recognizable comedy voices, a stand-up
[0:48] Speaker 1: comedian selling out theaters, a singer-songwriter pursuing her passion in Nashville,
[0:53] Speaker 1: and someone who openly shares the battles with self-doubt, anxiety,
[0:57] Speaker 1: and imposter syndrome that so many creative people quietly face.
[1:01] Speaker 1: In this conversation, we talk about taking risks, changing careers,
[1:05] Speaker 1: finding your authentic voice, performing in front of thousands, the
[1:09] Speaker 1: healing power of creativity, why laughter can be one of
[1:13] Speaker 1: life's greatest forms of therapy, and how connecting with others
[1:17] Speaker 1: has become her greatest purpose. Whether you're chasing a dream,
[1:21] Speaker 1: reinventing yourself, or simply looking for a little inspiration to
[1:24] Speaker 1: keep moving forward, this conversation is for you. So join
[1:28] Speaker 1: me in welcoming Jamie French. Thanks for joining us today.
[1:32] Speaker 2: Oh, it's my pleasure. Thanks for having me.
[1:34] Speaker 1: Let's kick it off with, we'll do a little backstory
[1:37] Speaker 1: about you. You first started out in makeup and the
[1:39] Speaker 1: beauty industry, right?
[1:41] Speaker 2: Yeah, I was a hairstylist and makeup artist in real life.
[1:45] Speaker 2: And so that was how I started on YouTube. I
[1:48] Speaker 2: kind of thought if you wanted to make videos, you
[1:50] Speaker 2: needed some sort of skill. Sure. I didn't realize you
[1:53] Speaker 2: could just get on camera and do whatever you wanted.
[1:55] Speaker 1: Yeah, be stupid or whatever.
[1:58] Speaker 2: Right. Or sing or just talk. And so that was
[2:01] Speaker 2: my skill.
[2:02] Speaker 1: When did you realize... that you had to do more?
[2:06] Speaker 1: Because evidently you was kind of moving towards the YouTube
[2:09] Speaker 1: content creation. When did you realize you had to do
[2:12] Speaker 1: more and how did it go from beauty, makeup to comedy?
[2:20] Speaker 2: I kind of always knew I wanted to do more.
[2:22] Speaker 2: I like from a very young age, you know, I
[2:25] Speaker 2: was I got this video camera at 12 years old
[2:27] Speaker 2: and I was making funny videos and just doing theater
[2:31] Speaker 2: in high school. And I always thought I would do
[2:33] Speaker 2: something in entertainment. But I kind of the beauty thing
[2:35] Speaker 2: was like a detour.
[2:37] Speaker 1: Sure.
[2:38] Speaker 2: So when I heard about YouTube, I was like, well,
[2:39] Speaker 2: I'm going to do that. That's right up my alley.
[2:41] Speaker 2: What's my, you know, stepping stone. And I started with
[2:44] Speaker 2: my skill, but as I got better with editing and
[2:47] Speaker 2: realized my comedic timing was pretty good. And, you know,
[2:50] Speaker 2: I had some comedy chops that made my videos stand
[2:53] Speaker 2: out amongst other beauty videos.
[2:55] Speaker 1: Okay.
[2:55] Speaker 2: I was like, oh, maybe, you know, I should lean
[2:57] Speaker 2: into the comedy a little more. And I did a
[2:59] Speaker 2: couple of funny videos that were still beauty related. I
[3:03] Speaker 2: did a makeup tutorial using these little tiny plastic hands
[3:05] Speaker 2: and just goofy stuff that was kind of still in
[3:08] Speaker 2: the beauty realm. And the funnier those videos were, those
[3:12] Speaker 2: were the videos that went super viral and massively grew
[3:15] Speaker 2: my audience. And so I started to realize I was
[3:18] Speaker 2: a little bit stronger in comedy than I was an
[3:20] Speaker 2: actual makeup artist.
[3:22] Speaker 1: For those that might not know you, how would you
[3:24] Speaker 1: describe your comedy?
[3:26] Speaker 2: My comedy is very above the belt, pretty clean. You know,
[3:29] Speaker 2: I take liberties. I toe the line, but I'm not
[3:31] Speaker 2: real dirty or raunchy. I also like to, you know,
[3:36] Speaker 2: roast things while complimenting them at the same time. Okay, sure.
[3:40] Speaker 2: That can be fun. I have a whole bit in
[3:43] Speaker 2: my current tour and the current show I'm doing about
[3:45] Speaker 2: just loving and appreciating men. And even though it's not negative,
[3:49] Speaker 2: it's somehow super funny, so... I try and put a
[3:52] Speaker 2: bit of a positive spin on things, even though I
[3:54] Speaker 2: roast them.
[3:55] Speaker 1: That's good. What does your tour look like? I mean,
[3:57] Speaker 1: you're based in Nashville now. So is it all over
[4:00] Speaker 1: the U.S. or just southern U.S.? What's your tour look like?
[4:03] Speaker 2: It's been all over. And I really just go where
[4:05] Speaker 2: my booking agent tells me.
[4:07] Speaker 1: Okay.
[4:08] Speaker 2: You know, they'll say, hey, this club wants to host you.
[4:10] Speaker 2: Do you want to do it? And if I have
[4:12] Speaker 2: enough time to promote it and sell tickets, I say, yes,
[4:16] Speaker 2: I'll go anywhere.
[4:16] Speaker 1: It was just what, recently that you went to Zany's
[4:19] Speaker 1: here in Nashville?
[4:20] Speaker 2: Yeah.
[4:20] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[4:21] Speaker 2: April 2nd was my Zany shoe.
[4:22] Speaker 1: How did that feel? Like, okay, you're here in Nashville now.
[4:26] Speaker 1: Nashville is Music City, USA. And Zany's is well known
[4:31] Speaker 1: for comedians that come in, big time people. So how
[4:34] Speaker 1: did it feel that you had a spot at Zany's?
[4:37] Speaker 2: I felt a little unworthy and a little intimidated. I like,
[4:40] Speaker 2: you know, you get a little bit of imposter syndrome.
[4:42] Speaker 2: You're like, did I really earn this? Yeah, yeah. What's happening?
[4:45] Speaker 2: And then especially when it sold out, I was like, oh, okay,
[4:48] Speaker 2: the pressure is even more intense. But I mean, I
[4:51] Speaker 2: was super honored. And I would perform there again in
[4:54] Speaker 2: a heartbeat.
[4:55] Speaker 1: How do you approach that? I mean, I completely understand
[4:59] Speaker 1: the humble pie that you just served.
[5:02] Speaker 2: I do.
[5:03] Speaker 1: I get it completely. Because there's many times that people
[5:06] Speaker 1: will say things about what I'm doing or what I've
[5:08] Speaker 1: produced or whatever. And it's like, man, I'm just doing
[5:11] Speaker 1: my job.
[5:12] Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah.
[5:13] Speaker 1: So how do you get past that so that you
[5:16] Speaker 1: can play that part, get on stage, be larger than life.
[5:22] Speaker 1: And then when you finish, you come back and you're
[5:24] Speaker 1: back to normal again.
[5:25] Speaker 2: My manager gave me a really good tip. She was like,
[5:28] Speaker 2: you're doing a service because I struggled with this in
[5:31] Speaker 2: the beginning. I mean, it'll always be a struggle, but
[5:33] Speaker 2: I've really struggled with like the imposter syndrome thing. And
[5:36] Speaker 2: she was like, you're doing people a service. Like, look
[5:39] Speaker 2: at the reaction of the crowd and how happy they are. Right.
[5:43] Speaker 2: As soon as she said that, I was like, it
[5:44] Speaker 2: clicked because I'm like, this is actually the thing that
[5:47] Speaker 2: motivates me is bonding with my fans in this way. Sure.
[5:51] Speaker 2: Stand up is my favorite way to connect. It's the
[5:54] Speaker 2: most connected I've ever felt to my audience. And so
[5:57] Speaker 2: I try and focus on that and it outweighs, you know,
[6:00] Speaker 2: all of the weird imposter syndrome feelings. Okay.
[6:03] Speaker 1: So now you've highlighted your comedy. You've done all these
[6:08] Speaker 1: different things. And now you've made another move, and that's
[6:12] Speaker 1: into music.
[6:13] Speaker 2: Yeah.
[6:13] Speaker 1: How'd that all come about?
[6:15] Speaker 2: Well, I've always been a singer. I mean, I was
[6:16] Speaker 2: singing before I could talk, and it was another thing
[6:19] Speaker 2: that I always thought I would do growing up. Uh-huh.
[6:23] Speaker 2: Just didn't really know how I was going to get there. Okay.
[6:26] Speaker 2: Nor did I really believe that I could. So the
[6:28] Speaker 2: beauty thing was kind of like a detour. Sure. I
[6:31] Speaker 2: got to have a day job. You know, I got
[6:32] Speaker 2: to make money. Right. But it was always there. And
[6:35] Speaker 2: so when I started making YouTube videos, you know, I'd
[6:38] Speaker 2: be randomly spontaneously bursting into song throughout my videos. And
[6:43] Speaker 2: my viewers were always like, hey, you have a really
[6:45] Speaker 2: good voice. Why aren't you doing anything with that? And
[6:47] Speaker 2: so I was kind of like, I don't know. I'm scared.
[6:49] Speaker 2: I don't know if I can write music.
[6:51] Speaker 1: Okay.
[6:51] Speaker 2: I started writing a lot of parody songs, just kind
[6:54] Speaker 2: of bringing music and comedy together.
[6:56] Speaker 1: Right, right.
[6:57] Speaker 2: And I was like, maybe I can write, you know,
[6:59] Speaker 2: I can at least rhyme. And that slowly evolved. And
[7:03] Speaker 2: my husband was like, I think you can actually write music.
[7:08] Speaker 2: I had written like a funny song about this other
[7:10] Speaker 2: creator I love, Joey Bro.
[7:11] Speaker 1: Uh-huh.
[7:12] Speaker 2: And it actually ended up being a really good song.
[7:14] Speaker 2: And so I was like, let me try this. And
[7:17] Speaker 2: it turned out I had a lot to say and
[7:19] Speaker 2: plunked it out on a keyboard. And I was like,
[7:20] Speaker 2: I think I have something here. So I brought it
[7:22] Speaker 2: to Nashville.
[7:24] Speaker 1: Once you started writing, did you... get to the point
[7:27] Speaker 1: now to where you're not just doing parody, you're actually
[7:30] Speaker 1: digging into real songs and real emotions that way as well?
[7:35] Speaker 2: Yeah, that's what I meant. After I did that last
[7:37] Speaker 2: song that I had mentioned, that last funny song. Right.
[7:40] Speaker 2: That was the turning point. Okay. That turned out good.
[7:43] Speaker 2: And I was like, let me see if I can
[7:44] Speaker 2: write something real. And it just kind of came out
[7:47] Speaker 2: of thin air.
[7:48] Speaker 1: When you're sitting down, you have to wear two different
[7:50] Speaker 1: hats now. You've got your comedic hat. You've got your
[7:53] Speaker 1: singer-songwriter hat.
[7:55] Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah.
[7:55] Speaker 1: How do you approach each one when you're writing material
[7:59] Speaker 1: for it so that it doesn't overlap too much, so
[8:02] Speaker 1: that you can keep the identity a little separate, but
[8:06] Speaker 1: yet they're going to be under one umbrella?
[8:09] Speaker 2: I don't really have a method behind that.
[8:11] Speaker 1: Okay.
[8:12] Speaker 2: When it's time to write comedy, that's where my focus is,
[8:16] Speaker 2: and I don't really think about anything else. I kind
[8:18] Speaker 2: of get tunnel vision.
[8:19] Speaker 1: Okay.
[8:20] Speaker 2: And if I want to write a song... Like I
[8:22] Speaker 2: got commissioned to write a song for a film a
[8:25] Speaker 2: few months ago and I was just like, okay, there's
[8:27] Speaker 2: nothing about this that's funny.
[8:29] Speaker 1: Right, right.
[8:30] Speaker 2: Don't even think about putting any jokes or one-liners in here.
[8:35] Speaker 2: I just have to have tunnel vision and ignore. Yeah.
[8:38] Speaker 2: It's like singing. It's like when you're trying to sing harmony.
[8:40] Speaker 1: Right.
[8:40] Speaker 2: You have to have tunnel vision and sing this one
[8:43] Speaker 2: part and ignore all the other noise around you.
[8:46] Speaker 1: That's right. That's right. Exactly. That's one of the things
[8:49] Speaker 1: that a lot of people can't do.
[8:51] Speaker 2: Yeah, harmonizing.
[8:52] Speaker 1: Yeah, because it's a specified thing to be able to
[8:56] Speaker 1: do that. So if you can do all that, that's
[8:58] Speaker 1: really good.
[9:00] Speaker 2: Thank you. Yeah. Pretty bad at a lot of things,
[9:03] Speaker 2: but those are working out for me currently.
[9:07] Speaker 1: Yeah, that's great. So how do you find the audiences?
[9:12] Speaker 1: You've got your comedy, you've got your music. sometimes they're overlapping,
[9:17] Speaker 1: like you said. So how does the audience, have they
[9:20] Speaker 1: followed you both sides of it into what you're doing?
[9:22] Speaker 1: Or do you find that maybe some people still just
[9:25] Speaker 1: stick with you on the comedy, some people stick with
[9:27] Speaker 1: you on the music, and then you've got a certain
[9:29] Speaker 1: group that overlap?
[9:30] Speaker 2: Yeah, there's definitely people who do not want, who don't
[9:33] Speaker 2: like the crossover.
[9:34] Speaker 1: Okay.
[9:35] Speaker 2: Really, like, I think the key to success when you
[9:38] Speaker 2: want to branch out and do multiple things like this
[9:41] Speaker 2: is to find your people that love you as a person.
[9:44] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[9:45] Speaker 2: And then they will kind of be interested in whatever
[9:47] Speaker 2: you're doing. But even when I first left the beauty community,
[9:51] Speaker 2: I remember I made a video like, hey, guys, just
[9:53] Speaker 2: so you know, my content's going to be changing from
[9:55] Speaker 2: beauty to just like funny commentary. Thousands of people left. Yeah.
[10:00] Speaker 2: But the ones who loved me for me, they stayed.
[10:03] Speaker 2: And so I knew I would have a similar transition
[10:05] Speaker 2: with music.
[10:06] Speaker 1: Right.
[10:06] Speaker 2: Some people jump ship, but they'll come and they'll go. Yeah. Yeah.
[10:11] Speaker 2: And it's kind of like a fun challenge. I'm like,
[10:13] Speaker 2: I want to prove to you guys that this music
[10:15] Speaker 2: is really good, you know? Yeah.
[10:17] Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely. Now, There's been a couple of times that
[10:20] Speaker 1: you've spoken out about depression.
[10:22] Speaker 2: Yeah.
[10:23] Speaker 1: Was it the humor that helped you out of the depression?
[10:25] Speaker 1: Or was it the music that helped you out? Or
[10:28] Speaker 1: maybe they both helped. But which one kind of gave
[10:30] Speaker 1: you that bump to get yourself out of that depression
[10:33] Speaker 1: to moving forward?
[10:35] Speaker 2: Oh, what a good question. It's still a struggle.
[10:37] Speaker 1: Okay.
[10:38] Speaker 2: It's a lifelong, you know, I would never say that
[10:41] Speaker 2: I'm just fully cured of it. I struggle really bad
[10:45] Speaker 2: with motivation. If I had to choose... I suppose music
[10:49] Speaker 2: is a little bit more healing for me because it
[10:51] Speaker 2: just comes a lot more naturally. It doesn't take a
[10:53] Speaker 2: lot of brain power. Okay. When it's time to put
[10:56] Speaker 2: on my comedic hat, you know, there's a lot of
[10:59] Speaker 2: writing and thinking about timing and does this joke work
[11:02] Speaker 2: and does that joke work? Right. Singing is more cathartic
[11:05] Speaker 2: because it's just more natural.
[11:06] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[11:07] Speaker 2: But they've both helped me out a lot in my life.
[11:10] Speaker 1: Good, good. What was the depression? What caused it? Did
[11:13] Speaker 1: you get to the root cause so that you could
[11:15] Speaker 1: take and build from that?
[11:17] Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, just... I think it's pretty common for
[11:20] Speaker 2: people who had just weird, dark childhoods. You know, like
[11:23] Speaker 2: a lot of comedians, when you think about people like
[11:26] Speaker 2: Robin Williams. Yeah. People who put on this like brave face,
[11:30] Speaker 2: but they're struggling with something.
[11:31] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[11:32] Speaker 2: It's pretty common. A lot of it starts with childhood. Right.
[11:35] Speaker 2: You learn a coping mechanism.
[11:37] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[11:38] Speaker 2: But I've never really taken a lot of medications for it.
[11:41] Speaker 2: I've always been able to kind of manage it. Okay.
[11:44] Speaker 2: You know, find creative outlets to... occupy my brain.
[11:48] Speaker 1: Sure. Good. Good. So when you feel that creative urge
[11:52] Speaker 1: coming on, do you find yourself doing different things that
[11:59] Speaker 1: you do now versus like maybe five years ago? Are
[12:02] Speaker 1: there any risks creatively that you've taken on that you
[12:06] Speaker 1: might not have taken on five years ago or the reverse?
[12:09] Speaker 2: Yeah, I was much more worried about offending people five
[12:13] Speaker 2: years ago.
[12:14] Speaker 1: Okay.
[12:15] Speaker 2: For so much of my career, I was so overly
[12:19] Speaker 2: politically correct and I didn't give my audience enough credit.
[12:22] Speaker 2: I would make a joke and feel like I had
[12:24] Speaker 2: to say, I'm kidding, I'm kidding.
[12:25] Speaker 1: Right.
[12:26] Speaker 2: Like really being afraid as a YouTuber or, you know,
[12:30] Speaker 2: people label you as an influencer.
[12:32] Speaker 1: Right.
[12:33] Speaker 2: I was always afraid of being canceled.
[12:35] Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah.
[12:36] Speaker 2: And just as I've gotten older and I've gotten to
[12:38] Speaker 2: know my audience more and I've just realized, like, you
[12:42] Speaker 2: can't really... You can't be afraid of offending people if
[12:46] Speaker 2: you want to be a comedian.
[12:47] Speaker 1: Right.
[12:48] Speaker 2: So I've taken a lot more risks. I've become, you know,
[12:51] Speaker 2: my audience has seen a lot more of who I
[12:52] Speaker 2: actually am and people have noticed. Okay.
[12:55] Speaker 1: Has it been a positive effect?
[12:57] Speaker 2: For the most part. Every now and then there's a
[12:59] Speaker 2: negative comment from some super religious or conservative person that's like,
[13:05] Speaker 2: it's a shame. It's really a shame that you have
[13:08] Speaker 2: gotten raunchier.
[13:10] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[13:10] Speaker 2: But I'm like, I'm still very mild compared to some.
[13:14] Speaker 1: Now, if you had to choose, if tomorrow somebody sat
[13:16] Speaker 1: you down and said, okay, you've got to choose, you've
[13:19] Speaker 1: got to be a comedian, a singer, actress, creator, which
[13:22] Speaker 1: one would it be?
[13:22] Speaker 2: Oh, no, that's so hard. I just got done telling
[13:28] Speaker 2: you that music comes more naturally.
[13:30] Speaker 1: Yeah, that's why I asked it.
[13:33] Speaker 2: Oh, but man, but comedy is just... Yeah. I think
[13:36] Speaker 2: I'm a stronger comedian than I am a singer, so
[13:39] Speaker 2: I think I would have to choose....
[13:42] Speaker 1: Well, you know, I can understand. I've been in the
[13:44] Speaker 1: music business my whole life, both as an artist and
[13:47] Speaker 1: as a producer and manager. I've got to say, I
[13:50] Speaker 1: can see where comedy would be. I'm not going to
[13:54] Speaker 1: say easier path because anything in the entertainment business is
[13:57] Speaker 1: a struggle. But it seems like if you hit that
[14:00] Speaker 1: right niche with your comedian part of it, that it
[14:03] Speaker 1: would be easier in that realm to than on the
[14:08] Speaker 1: music side because of industry in general.
[14:10] Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a little bit more cutthroat with music. And
[14:14] Speaker 2: the actual act of singing is easier than writing comedy.
[14:18] Speaker 2: But the comedy is when I really, really connect with people.
[14:21] Speaker 2: It's so personal, you know? Yeah. Crowd work during a
[14:25] Speaker 2: stand-up show is really getting to know the people in
[14:28] Speaker 2: my audience. And we're laughing together and looking each other
[14:31] Speaker 2: in the face. And I don't quite experience that on
[14:34] Speaker 2: that same level with singing. Right.
[14:36] Speaker 1: Now, you said you just moved to Nashville. How has
[14:39] Speaker 1: that changed from where you were to Nashville? How has
[14:44] Speaker 1: that changed your, number one, outlook on things and also
[14:49] Speaker 1: changed the way that you approach your outlook?
[14:53] Speaker 2: It's changed my outlook because I have collaboration opportunities now.
[14:56] Speaker 2: It was really a huge struggle in St. Louis to
[14:59] Speaker 2: meet anybody who did this for a living. Right. And was,
[15:04] Speaker 2: you know, successful or like at least already doing it
[15:07] Speaker 2: in some way. There's a lot of people in St.
[15:10] Speaker 2: Louis that are kind of like aspiring. They're thinking about it.
[15:12] Speaker 2: It's not the best city to give them a jumping
[15:15] Speaker 2: off point. So here there's so many people to collaborate with. Sure.
[15:19] Speaker 2: At the drop of a hat, like when I wanted
[15:21] Speaker 2: to make a live from the studio video, it's like, well,
[15:23] Speaker 2: here's the full band. Yeah. And they're all incredibly talented
[15:26] Speaker 2: and professional and they're right there available. So liberation aspect
[15:29] Speaker 2: of Nashville. Sure.
[15:31] Speaker 1: Now- Your career has evolved several times.
[15:34] Speaker 2: Yeah.
[15:35] Speaker 1: How do you know when it's time to reinvent yourself
[15:37] Speaker 1: slightly rather than just staying with what's already working?
[15:42] Speaker 2: I just feel it as it comes. I don't really know.
[15:45] Speaker 2: You just start to realize, hey, I'm getting a little
[15:48] Speaker 2: bit better at this or this is less important to me.
[15:51] Speaker 2: I used to put a lot, a lot more time
[15:54] Speaker 2: into my videos. And over time, I started to realize
[15:57] Speaker 2: maybe less is more and I can have just as
[16:00] Speaker 2: entertaining of a piece of content without killing myself in
[16:03] Speaker 2: the studio 12 hours of editing. And so I just
[16:06] Speaker 2: kind of try things out, see how it works and
[16:09] Speaker 2: make changes as I see fit.
[16:11] Speaker 1: Tell me a situation where you got on stage and
[16:16] Speaker 1: you really had to go to more of an improv
[16:18] Speaker 1: more than what you'd set out because you looked at it.
[16:22] Speaker 1: And it could have been your nerves. It could have
[16:24] Speaker 1: been your overall feeling about yourself. It could have been
[16:27] Speaker 1: any number of things that caused it. But you looked
[16:29] Speaker 1: out and you thought for whatever reason the audience wasn't
[16:32] Speaker 1: getting you. Then you went to more improv. Have you
[16:34] Speaker 1: ever had situations like that?
[16:36] Speaker 2: That's a good question. I've definitely had situations where the
[16:39] Speaker 2: crowd wasn't feeling it. But it was early enough in
[16:41] Speaker 2: my career to where I wasn't confident enough to switch
[16:44] Speaker 2: to improv.
[16:45] Speaker 1: Okay.
[16:46] Speaker 2: I kind of just... would power through my material and
[16:49] Speaker 2: then sit there agonizing over it later. Like what could
[16:53] Speaker 2: I have done to salvage that? Right. Now that I'm
[16:56] Speaker 2: much more comfortable with crowd work, I haven't really had
[16:59] Speaker 2: a tough crowd. Actually my toughest crowd so far this
[17:02] Speaker 2: year has been Nashville.
[17:03] Speaker 1: Okay.
[17:04] Speaker 2: They were still great. Yeah. They were a little bit
[17:06] Speaker 2: lower energy than the cities I had just come off.
[17:08] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[17:09] Speaker 2: So I was like, I have this whole section of
[17:11] Speaker 2: my show that it's a 20 minute section. That's pure
[17:14] Speaker 2: improv and crowd work.
[17:15] Speaker 1: Okay.
[17:15] Speaker 2: And I was like, okay, the crowd's a little low energy.
[17:18] Speaker 2: I got to keep them interested. I have to stay
[17:20] Speaker 2: fully present in my body and like fully listen to
[17:23] Speaker 2: what everybody's saying. And I just had to try my best.
[17:28] Speaker 1: Do you find yourself overanalyzing?
[17:31] Speaker 2: I used to. And I learned from doing it that
[17:33] Speaker 2: you got to get out of your head and in
[17:35] Speaker 2: your body. You can't overthink. And you can't try to
[17:38] Speaker 2: sit there and memorize every word of your material to
[17:41] Speaker 2: just go with the flow.
[17:43] Speaker 1: Have you found yourself, when you look out in the crowd,
[17:46] Speaker 1: you look out and you judge, and that's the worst
[17:50] Speaker 1: thing an artist or a singer or any entertainer can do.
[17:53] Speaker 1: They look out and they see the crowd and for
[17:55] Speaker 1: some reason go, this crowd's not going to get it.
[17:57] Speaker 1: And you go out and you feel like you have
[17:59] Speaker 1: to tackle them and build it from there. Have you
[18:01] Speaker 1: had those situations?
[18:03] Speaker 2: That's a funny question. I've never really looked at them
[18:05] Speaker 2: and judged. The cheering when I walk out, I can
[18:08] Speaker 2: tell as soon as I walk out.
[18:09] Speaker 1: Okay.
[18:10] Speaker 2: Where their energy level is. And so, yeah, with Nashville,
[18:14] Speaker 2: as soon as I walked out, I was like, okay,
[18:16] Speaker 2: this is not quite like it was in Albuquerque and Detroit.
[18:18] Speaker 2: I have to win them over a little harder. But
[18:21] Speaker 2: usually if I do notice individual faces, I just feel
[18:24] Speaker 2: that they're judging me. You see some dirty looks sometimes.
[18:30] Speaker 1: Do you find that one person as a singer on
[18:34] Speaker 1: my end, I was always told as I was going out,
[18:37] Speaker 1: find that one person that's just digging what you're doing,
[18:40] Speaker 1: build off from that, and you'll collect the rest of
[18:42] Speaker 1: the audience. Do you find yourself doing that a lot
[18:45] Speaker 1: or some?
[18:45] Speaker 2: Yeah, but it's not at every show.
[18:47] Speaker 1: Okay.
[18:48] Speaker 2: But there have been a couple shows where there was
[18:50] Speaker 2: one guy who just, we understood each other. Yeah. It
[18:54] Speaker 2: worked out to where I got to reference him and
[18:56] Speaker 2: call back to him. And I love when that happens,
[18:59] Speaker 2: but sometimes there's not that specific person and you got
[19:02] Speaker 2: to just figure it out.
[19:03] Speaker 1: So what's the person... that comes off the stage, like
[19:07] Speaker 1: rather than the one that's on the stage?
[19:11] Speaker 2: You know, I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I'll be honest.
[19:14] Speaker 2: When I come to the stage for the first five minutes,
[19:16] Speaker 2: I'm kind of like a little negative. I'm kind of
[19:19] Speaker 2: focused on like maybe what I did wrong or, oh,
[19:23] Speaker 2: that joke didn't land or, oh, there was a tech issue.
[19:26] Speaker 2: It takes me a few minutes, you know, or maybe
[19:29] Speaker 2: even to the next day to where I can appreciate
[19:31] Speaker 2: how everything went. And I'm like, This is a blessing,
[19:33] Speaker 2: but I'm very self-critical when I first walk off.
[19:37] Speaker 1: Yeah, I get it. I've had this issue, just like
[19:40] Speaker 1: several other singers have this issue. They go in the studio.
[19:43] Speaker 1: They hate hearing their voice back. And then once it's
[19:47] Speaker 1: all finished, you finally got the final product. You can
[19:50] Speaker 1: listen to and go, okay, I can live with that.
[19:52] Speaker 1: Have you had those things in your mind where you go,
[19:54] Speaker 1: it's like, oh, I don't want to listen to this.
[19:56] Speaker 2: With music or with comedy?
[19:57] Speaker 1: Either one.
[19:59] Speaker 2: Yes. I cannot watch my own standup shows back.
[20:01] Speaker 1: Okay.
[20:03] Speaker 2: All right. Which is probably something I need to get
[20:06] Speaker 2: over because that's how you improve. Right. It's how you
[20:08] Speaker 2: retime jokes, but oh my gosh. Part of it is
[20:11] Speaker 2: just being sick of the material.
[20:13] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[20:14] Speaker 2: But the other part is just, yeah, I can't, you know,
[20:17] Speaker 2: I cringe a little bit. But I can usually, usually
[20:19] Speaker 2: I'm okay with hearing my own voice, like singing voice back. Okay.
[20:23] Speaker 1: When you're listening to yourself on the comedic side, do
[20:26] Speaker 1: you ever go, man, that was really a stupid thing
[20:29] Speaker 1: to say, yet the audience is just loving it? but
[20:32] Speaker 1: you're cringing because of it. How do you adapt on
[20:36] Speaker 1: the next show? Do you still do that? Or do
[20:38] Speaker 1: you say, you know what, I'm going to change and
[20:40] Speaker 1: reinvent this?
[20:42] Speaker 2: That's a good question too. I think I, I pretty
[20:45] Speaker 2: much keep my material. There's been a couple jokes that
[20:49] Speaker 2: I thought, you know, that didn't land very well. I'm
[20:51] Speaker 2: going to take it out for the next show, but
[20:53] Speaker 2: then I just do it anyway and see if maybe
[20:56] Speaker 2: this crowd is different. Yeah. I don't cringe too hard.
[20:59] Speaker 2: There's a couple from my very first tour. There's some
[21:04] Speaker 2: material that wasn't very strong. I was very focused on
[21:07] Speaker 2: being family friendly on my first tour. There was a
[21:09] Speaker 2: lot of kids coming. And that was really a challenge.
[21:13] Speaker 2: And so there's some material that I wouldn't necessarily do again.
[21:16] Speaker 2: And I could critique my own delivery all day. But
[21:19] Speaker 2: as far as the actual jokes, usually if they make
[21:22] Speaker 2: it into the show, I feel pretty strongly about them. Okay.
[21:26] Speaker 1: If someone discovers you, today, tomorrow, five years from now,
[21:31] Speaker 1: what do you hope they take away from it? Not
[21:33] Speaker 1: just about your comedy or your music, but how those
[21:37] Speaker 1: two blend to make you as a person.
[21:39] Speaker 2: I would hope that people would take away that I
[21:46] Speaker 2: really wanted to connect with people. I'm not really just
[21:49] Speaker 2: here to put on a show. Make an actual connection
[21:53] Speaker 2: and maybe move somebody in a way, whether it was
[21:56] Speaker 2: through music or comedy or help someone get through their day.
[22:01] Speaker 2: do us, you know, doing an act of service.
[22:03] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[22:03] Speaker 2: Okay.
[22:04] Speaker 1: That's a perfect answer because leads me to the next question. Now,
[22:07] Speaker 1: have you had some of those audiences that you think
[22:10] Speaker 1: maybe I can help them get through this day, come
[22:12] Speaker 1: up and say, man, if it wasn't for you, this
[22:14] Speaker 1: would have just killed me. Have you had some of
[22:16] Speaker 1: those stories where you just hit people and touch on
[22:19] Speaker 1: them more than you realize that you did?
[22:21] Speaker 2: Oh my gosh. Yeah. And it's not necessarily from my standup.
[22:25] Speaker 2: It's usually, it's usually when I meet people who have
[22:28] Speaker 2: been watching my videos for like six or seven years.
[22:31] Speaker 2: And they'll, I meet them at my shows and it's like,
[22:35] Speaker 2: everybody's crying. I'm crying. You know, they feel like they
[22:38] Speaker 2: know me. I feel like I love comments. Like you
[22:41] Speaker 2: got me through my postpartum or you got me through
[22:45] Speaker 2: the death of a loved one. Or that is the
[22:47] Speaker 2: ultimate motivation for me.
[22:49] Speaker 1: It really is. Because when someone can tell you and
[22:52] Speaker 1: bear their soul to you about something that you did
[22:56] Speaker 1: that got them through something they was going through at
[22:59] Speaker 1: that point in time, there's no better compliment.
[23:02] Speaker 2: Yeah. And it's always what I come back to. Every
[23:04] Speaker 2: time I think I have too many jobs, this is
[23:07] Speaker 2: too hard for me mentally.
[23:08] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[23:09] Speaker 2: That's what I always come back to. And I'm so
[23:11] Speaker 2: thankful that people are willing to speak up and share it.
[23:13] Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely. What would you like to tell people that
[23:16] Speaker 1: you think they really need to know about you?
[23:18] Speaker 2: Oh, wow. What a loaded question. I would love people
[23:22] Speaker 2: to know that I'm not mean, even though I roast
[23:24] Speaker 2: everything and anything on the internet. I'm very nice in person.
[23:30] Speaker 2: And I don't actually dislike, you know, anyone I make
[23:33] Speaker 2: fun of. It's all in good fun.
[23:36] Speaker 1: Have you ever had anybody that's kind of got taken
[23:39] Speaker 1: aback by some of your comments because it was just
[23:42] Speaker 1: a joke? And then you said, hey, it's just a joke.
[23:45] Speaker 2: Oh, yeah. There's people, there's always offended people. Yeah. When
[23:49] Speaker 2: my music came out, it was really nerve-wracking because I
[23:51] Speaker 2: was like, I've been making fun of people's art for
[23:56] Speaker 2: the last several years. Like, I'm kind of asking to
[23:58] Speaker 2: be roasted myself.
[24:00] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[24:01] Speaker 2: But I was totally prepared for it. And yeah, there
[24:04] Speaker 2: was plenty of people who made that same observation. They're like, really?
[24:08] Speaker 2: You're going to put music out when you've made fun
[24:09] Speaker 2: of other people's music?
[24:10] Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah.
[24:11] Speaker 2: I'm like, yeah, but it's above the belt. You guys
[24:14] Speaker 2: can make fun of me too, you know? Make fun.
[24:16] Speaker 1: Yeah. What's the question that you wish more interviewers would
[24:20] Speaker 1: ask you?
[24:21] Speaker 2: I like that question you just asked about what's something
[24:23] Speaker 2: I wish people knew or, you know, what is something
[24:26] Speaker 2: that I feel misunderstood about? Because there's not really a
[24:29] Speaker 2: lot of opportunities to talk about that.
[24:31] Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah. What's next? What are you most excited about?
[24:34] Speaker 1: Maybe not coming up in the next couple of months,
[24:36] Speaker 1: but like fall or whatever. What do you see on
[24:39] Speaker 1: the horizon?
[24:40] Speaker 2: Well, I do have more live shows booked. I have
[24:43] Speaker 2: my first live show as a musician in September here
[24:45] Speaker 2: in Nashville at 3rd and Lindsley.
[24:47] Speaker 1: Yeah, nice place.
[24:49] Speaker 2: And I have more comedy shows booked for October. Also,
[24:53] Speaker 2: I have a huge passion for acting and I've been
[24:56] Speaker 2: fortunate enough to get a lot of auditions this year.
[24:58] Speaker 2: I haven't really gotten a part since 2024, but I
[25:02] Speaker 2: would like to do film and television and like scripted material.
[25:06] Speaker 1: What kind? What do you want to be? You want
[25:09] Speaker 1: to be the villain? You want to be the person
[25:11] Speaker 1: that comes in and saves everybody? What's your goals?
[25:15] Speaker 2: Anything that the shoe fits for, if I'm right for
[25:18] Speaker 2: the role, I will, you know, I want to cry.
[25:20] Speaker 2: I want to laugh. I want to, you know, tell
[25:23] Speaker 2: whatever story I can. I'm just, I'm dying to sort
[25:26] Speaker 2: of explore that part of my talent without having to
[25:30] Speaker 2: be the writer and the lighting guy and the editor,
[25:34] Speaker 2: you know?
[25:35] Speaker 1: Yeah. I mean, that's just another way to evolve as
[25:38] Speaker 1: an entertainer. Another hat to put on.
[25:40] Speaker 2: That's true. And there's so much of it already in
[25:42] Speaker 2: my content. Like there's an aspect of acting to stand up. Sure.
[25:46] Speaker 2: There's an aspect to singing. Yeah. Even with YouTube, especially,
[25:49] Speaker 2: I'm really like dialing up who I am. And so
[25:53] Speaker 2: it feels like a natural next step for me.
[25:55] Speaker 1: So what would you tell a person that's trying to
[25:58] Speaker 1: be you? What do you tell them? How do they
[26:02] Speaker 1: become you?
[26:02] Speaker 2: As tough as it is and hard as it is
[26:04] Speaker 2: to accept the way of the world now is social media.
[26:07] Speaker 2: You got to build your social media presence and you
[26:10] Speaker 2: do that by connecting with your audience and being a
[26:12] Speaker 2: real person and being relatable, sharing things about your life
[26:16] Speaker 2: in addition to your art.
[26:17] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[26:18] Speaker 2: And that will open the doors to so many other
[26:20] Speaker 2: things that you want to do. Right.
[26:23] Speaker 1: Well, this has been great. I really appreciate you taking
[26:24] Speaker 1: the time.
[26:25] Speaker 2: Yeah, it's been great on my end too. Thank you.
[26:27] Speaker 2: Good questions.
[26:29] Speaker 1: It's been my pleasure. Thanks again. A sincere thank you
[26:32] Speaker 1: to our guests for sharing their journey with us today.
[26:35] Speaker 1: And thanks for spending part of your day with us.
[26:38] Speaker 1: We hope today's conversation gave you something to take with you.
[26:42] Speaker 1: If you haven't already, remember, tap follow so you never
[26:46] Speaker 1: miss the great conversations and guests still ahead. You can
[26:50] Speaker 1: always reach us at media at plateau music dot com.
[26:53] Speaker 1: Thanks for being part of what we're building here on
[26:56] Speaker 1: Almost Live Nashville. We'll see you next time.

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