#plug yourself

[toadking07]

Call for Podcasts

Anyone have any podcasts they'd recommend?

[dreamrow2014]

The October 2013 Plug Yourself Award Winner: Hannah Bethel

  It seems as though Dream Row’s October 2013 PlugYourself award winner Hannah Bethel was destined to be a country singer. As a young girl, she always knew that being an entertainer was her goal, and by the age of ten, her talent for singing had become apparent. At fourteen, Bethel began playing guitar and writing her own songs. She soon began to travel around northern Michigan, where she is originally from, playing and singing at local venues and elsewhere around the north. Then at the age of eighteen, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee to attend Belmont University and pursue her dreams of being a professional country artist. Two years later she would leave school to focus more on her songwriting, and  three years later, here we are, with her first EP “No Stopping, Standing, Parking” having been released in 2010 and her new EP entitled “The Freedom EP” only released in 2013. Since the release of that album, co-produced by Andy Sheridan who plays for Hunter Hayes, she has received radio play worldwide, and has even had a song hit the top 50 in Japan. Her music video for “No Where Left to Roam” has aired on many television networks, including the popular Country Network. She has been touring almost non-stop, and when I had a chance to catch up with the singer, she mentioned that she has rarely been in Nashville as of late.

This is her last big run of the year however, ending her tour in the beautiful state of Montana, and soon she will be jumping right back into the studio to finish preparing her next album. The manager for her next record is the talented Rikk Feulner, whom she has been working with for about a year. Feulner has been in the industry for about thirty years himself, and has worked with such famous names as Robert Plant and The Eagles. The album is anticipated to be a success according to the pair; “We’re super proud of it.”

Obviously, Bethel is going places in the music business, and I wondered if she had any advice for others trying to catch their big break. She emphasized that before you dive into the business, you really have to know for sure that being a musician is what you want to do with your life. She also stated that in order to be happy as a musician, one has to remember who they are as an artist and stand up for it; It is easy for other people in the industry to push you into being someone you are not,but you have to be ready to turn down offers that don’t fit your personal goals as a musician.

Being an independent artist like Bethel also comes with additional responsibilities. Though she does have a manager and a PR group, Bethel pretty much does everything else, right down to the booking. “You have to wear a lot of hats,” said the singer, and though it is a lot of work, Bethel finds that it is rewarding to be in charge of your own affairs.

Hannah Bethel is everything Dream Row looks for in an artist, and was a perfect fit for the Plug Yourself award. Having known Dan and Darrell (the co-presidents of Dream Row) since the age of seventeen, she said that she was both “flattered and excited” to have her hard work recognized. She is a singer/song-writer of immense passion, dedication, talent, and spirit; Who better to receive the award?

  If you want to hear more from Hannah, tune into her bi-weekly show filled with both music and commentary at youtube.com/hannahbethelmusic. It’s entitled “Every Other Thursday” and it’s uploaded…well…every other Thursday.