WEBVTT - 9-29: BobbyCast Ep. 11 (Natalie Stovall) 0:00:01.800 --> 0:00:04.680 All right, welcome to episode eleven of the Bobby Cast. 0:00:05.640 --> 0:00:10.000 Thank you very much. In uh the studio today is 0:00:10.160 --> 0:00:18.520 Natalie Stovall, singer, fiddle player, dancer. You did have to 0:00:18.640 --> 0:00:21.800 dance as a kid when you were doing operaing Land, 0:00:21.800 --> 0:00:24.520 you were a dancer. The weird thing about Natalie is 0:00:24.880 --> 0:00:27.520 um and by the way, at Natalie Stovall on Twitter 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:31.880 is would you say that you were a prodigy if 0:00:31.920 --> 0:00:35.280 you were looking at yourself from someone else's eyes? Because 0:00:35.320 --> 0:00:38.080 I see prodigy because I know how young you started. 0:00:38.200 --> 0:00:41.360 I feel like prodigy is like I don't know, just 0:00:43.080 --> 0:00:46.560 beyond the way, beyond anything ever. Okay, well then let's 0:00:46.600 --> 0:00:50.720 just go back. You started playing the fiddle. Win four. Okay, 0:00:50.720 --> 0:00:52.840 a four year old even care about playing the fiddle. 0:00:53.440 --> 0:00:56.640 It's weird, but that's a really good time to start, 0:00:56.720 --> 0:00:59.320 because then it's just part of your life to start 0:00:59.760 --> 0:01:01.400 for too. It's a wonderful fun to start. But no 0:01:01.520 --> 0:01:03.240 four year old really wants to pick up a fiddle. 0:01:03.480 --> 0:01:05.080 So I just want to be able to pay attention 0:01:05.120 --> 0:01:07.280 to me. Just four. How do you get a fiddle 0:01:07.319 --> 0:01:10.760 into your hands? My grandmother read an article in the 0:01:10.760 --> 0:01:15.080 newspaper and we had a violent teacher coming to Columbia, Tennessee, 0:01:15.760 --> 0:01:17.880 and she thought it'd be a good idea if I played. 0:01:17.920 --> 0:01:20.319 So she called mama, and Mama asked me if I 0:01:20.360 --> 0:01:24.720 wanted to play, and I said, yeah, four years old, 0:01:24.800 --> 0:01:28.640 you committed to playing the violin. Was it the violin? 0:01:28.640 --> 0:01:30.520 I was it the fiddle. It was the violin. I 0:01:30.560 --> 0:01:34.320 started with classical music. So that's even crazier that you 0:01:34.319 --> 0:01:37.440 cared about classical music before. Okay, so you picked it up. 0:01:37.480 --> 0:01:39.920 And when did you start to be where people will 0:01:39.920 --> 0:01:42.080 be like, wow, this kid's kind of good. How old 0:01:42.080 --> 0:01:47.800 were you then? I think I started fiddle competitions when 0:01:47.800 --> 0:01:52.400 I was seven or eight. I don't remember my first competition, 0:01:52.480 --> 0:01:55.560 but I started out in like the junior competitions and stuff, 0:01:55.680 --> 0:01:57.640 probably eight, because I guess eight is when I started 0:01:57.640 --> 0:02:02.080 playing fiddle music and taking like double lessons classical and fiddle, 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:05.720 and so then I just started. I don't know, i'd 0:02:05.720 --> 0:02:08.080 play for anyone that would listen, though, Yeah, that's that's 0:02:08.160 --> 0:02:10.320 that's this case of a lot of musicians. But you're seven, 0:02:10.360 --> 0:02:12.480 eight years old playing the fiddle. Were you the best 0:02:12.600 --> 0:02:17.200 when you were seven? No? No, I definitely wasn't, especially 0:02:17.280 --> 0:02:19.720 like in the classical world. I mean, I was not 0:02:19.880 --> 0:02:22.480 the best. There were kids in in my group that 0:02:22.560 --> 0:02:26.240 were just, you know, like they could play anything. When 0:02:26.240 --> 0:02:29.640 did you flip over and start to do the fiddle 0:02:29.760 --> 0:02:31.679 or kind of more of the countryside of things. As 0:02:31.760 --> 0:02:34.799 soon as so my teacher brought in a fiddle team 0:02:34.840 --> 0:02:36.440 first to play because she was trying to introduce this 0:02:36.560 --> 0:02:40.600 to different things, and that's when my whole world opened up. 0:02:40.639 --> 0:02:42.839 I mean that's when I was like, oh, oh, oh, 0:02:43.000 --> 0:02:45.000 I want to do this because I used to get 0:02:45.040 --> 0:02:48.919 in trouble for smiling while I was playing my concertos 0:02:48.960 --> 0:02:51.520 on stage. You're not to know because they want you 0:02:51.520 --> 0:02:54.240 to take it really seriously, but I was performing. It 0:02:54.320 --> 0:02:56.000 was just what I wanted to do. I don't know, 0:02:56.080 --> 0:02:59.560 I didn't really think about it, and so um so 0:02:59.639 --> 0:03:03.280 when a fiddle tune came in, that's when I was like, oh, 0:03:03.040 --> 0:03:05.680 I like played two strings at once and like, smile 0:03:05.760 --> 0:03:08.080 all I want. And so then Mama went and found 0:03:08.120 --> 0:03:10.840 a fiddle teacher for me, and so then I started 0:03:10.840 --> 0:03:13.600 playing fiddle music. So if you're four and you have 0:03:13.760 --> 0:03:16.920 this need to perform, was there a lack of love? 0:03:19.760 --> 0:03:21.840 Why would you want to perform at four years old? 0:03:22.000 --> 0:03:23.960 Why did you Why did you need the love from 0:03:23.960 --> 0:03:27.360 the crowd four? Like I know that's why I started 0:03:28.040 --> 0:03:30.560 being in front of you. No, there wasn't not for me. 0:03:30.800 --> 0:03:34.560 I mean, you know, I'm I'm I'm a weirdo that 0:03:34.920 --> 0:03:39.000 is a songwriter and creator and musician that had a 0:03:39.120 --> 0:03:44.280 very loving upbringing. And it's not a family and still do. Yeah, 0:03:44.440 --> 0:03:47.400 and all my siblings are supportive. And you know, I've 0:03:47.400 --> 0:03:49.520 got three older siblings that are either ten years or 0:03:49.560 --> 0:03:55.360 more older. Um, I don't know, I think because also 0:03:55.440 --> 0:03:57.920 I started acting classes when I was three and started 0:03:57.920 --> 0:03:59.840 doing commercials and stuff. When I was said, parents, pro 0:04:00.000 --> 0:04:02.360 are you into this? Like not at all? So they're trying. 0:04:04.920 --> 0:04:08.160 They saw like a little golden child. So at three 0:04:08.240 --> 0:04:10.280 you started taking I don't even have a memory at 0:04:10.320 --> 0:04:13.320 three years old. Can I take this off it back? Yeah, 0:04:13.360 --> 0:04:18.680 you're sure. The microphone, y'all. Microphone. You're the first guest 0:04:18.680 --> 0:04:22.560 to ever take the microphone off because really, Yeah, I 0:04:22.600 --> 0:04:25.760 feel like I saw a picture with somebody. Yeah, I 0:04:25.760 --> 0:04:28.080 don't know. I feel like I'm being too proper sitting 0:04:28.120 --> 0:04:29.520 up at the front of the chair. I'm gonna have 0:04:29.560 --> 0:04:33.080 a pants off. So you're taking acting lessons at three. 0:04:33.160 --> 0:04:36.240 You're playing the fiddle at four, Um, you know that's 0:04:36.240 --> 0:04:38.480 what you want to do. In school? Were you the 0:04:38.880 --> 0:04:42.800 music kid? Yes? Yeah, I was always the weirdo that 0:04:43.400 --> 0:04:46.400 you know. I always did the performing thing. You went 0:04:46.440 --> 0:04:49.359 to college. You went to a music school in Boston, right, Yeah? Berkeley? 0:04:49.480 --> 0:04:54.159 Berkeley not the world? Did you get in there? I 0:04:54.200 --> 0:04:57.600 first heard about Berkeley through my voice teacher in Nashville. 0:04:57.720 --> 0:05:00.839 But Berkeley was like super prestigious and like where we 0:05:00.920 --> 0:05:04.760 come from? Are you and I? That's not even real? Yeah, 0:05:05.279 --> 0:05:07.440 Like Berkeley is not real. It's like it's something you 0:05:07.440 --> 0:05:10.400 see on TV where kids go there, rich and super. 0:05:11.320 --> 0:05:14.040 That's why I'm saying, like, as soon as I found 0:05:14.080 --> 0:05:16.720 out that it existed, though, there was nothing that was 0:05:16.760 --> 0:05:21.000 going to stop me from going to school there. Um. 0:05:21.040 --> 0:05:25.080 I started working on my scholarship audition pretty much in 0:05:25.440 --> 0:05:27.520 my sophomore year of high school. And you know I 0:05:27.520 --> 0:05:29.960 didn't audition until senior year. I mean, you don't audition 0:05:30.000 --> 0:05:32.279 to get in until then. Audition you play in front 0:05:32.279 --> 0:05:36.440 of someone. Yeah, you you audition on your principal instruments, 0:05:36.440 --> 0:05:38.680 and mine was voice. That's what I wanted to do. 0:05:38.720 --> 0:05:42.400 You got it on voice, not fiddle, yeah, I that's 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:45.160 that's kind of a funny story. They destroyed my confidence 0:05:45.160 --> 0:05:47.280 on fiddle at Berkeley. I stopped playing for a while 0:05:47.320 --> 0:05:51.320 because they told to stop um. But I had never 0:05:51.440 --> 0:05:57.640 had technical vocal training. My vocal teacher in Nashville I 0:05:57.680 --> 0:06:01.560 had started at eleven. We'd worked more on repertoire and 0:06:01.680 --> 0:06:03.960 we worked a little on technique, but that wasn't really 0:06:03.960 --> 0:06:07.240 his forte. So then I went to college and I 0:06:07.320 --> 0:06:09.240 knew if I wanted to do this for real, I 0:06:09.279 --> 0:06:11.760 needed to, you know, really focus on it and do 0:06:11.839 --> 0:06:15.120 vocal performance. So I started working on my scholarship audition 0:06:15.160 --> 0:06:18.000 and I worked. I picked this four and a half 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:21.320 minute Ella Fitzgerald's got solo for my jazz piece, and 0:06:21.800 --> 0:06:25.000 learned every note. Went to Berkeley on a vocal scholarship. 0:06:25.200 --> 0:06:29.640 Did that's crazy? It is crazy. I didn't think of 0:06:29.640 --> 0:06:32.000 myself as a singer. I was always like the performer 0:06:32.040 --> 0:06:36.240 that could sing, you know, were you heads and shoulders 0:06:36.240 --> 0:06:40.279 when you got there? A better singer than most of 0:06:40.320 --> 0:06:45.960 the people there. No, No, I had I had a 0:06:46.000 --> 0:06:49.320 good ear. I've always gotten by on my ear. You know, 0:06:49.360 --> 0:06:52.200 I'm not one of those site readers that you can 0:06:52.200 --> 0:06:53.560 just put a sheet of paper in front of me. 0:06:53.640 --> 0:06:56.000 But if I can hear it at least once ahead 0:06:56.000 --> 0:06:59.159 of time, I'm pretty good. And so there are people 0:06:59.200 --> 0:07:01.280 there that can just read anything you put in front 0:07:01.320 --> 0:07:03.040 of them, and there were, but I was one of 0:07:03.040 --> 0:07:06.640 the only country singers, so that was interesting. That helped 0:07:06.720 --> 0:07:09.600 make me different. And I thought I wanted to, you know, 0:07:09.680 --> 0:07:11.680 get away from country when I went to Berkeley for 0:07:11.720 --> 0:07:14.000 a minute, because I had always been the girl that 0:07:14.040 --> 0:07:17.640 played the fiddle, that was always given the country music song. 0:07:17.800 --> 0:07:20.160 I no idea you went on a voice scholarship. And 0:07:20.480 --> 0:07:23.520 I've told Natalie even just like driving around, like she's 0:07:23.560 --> 0:07:25.960 one of the better singers in Nashville, Like there's a 0:07:26.080 --> 0:07:28.840 one percent group that that we put certain people in 0:07:29.520 --> 0:07:32.160 and Natalie sobas one of the better singers in all 0:07:32.200 --> 0:07:36.080 of the city. And I thought you were the fiddle place. 0:07:36.120 --> 0:07:37.360 So you go to Berkeley with the fiddle and they 0:07:37.360 --> 0:07:40.120 say you're just not good. Yeah. I kept auditioning for 0:07:40.160 --> 0:07:43.000 this one show. It was their big singer showcase, and 0:07:43.080 --> 0:07:45.200 I didn't get in the first couple of times that 0:07:45.280 --> 0:07:47.640 I auditioned for it. But I would always I would 0:07:47.680 --> 0:07:52.120 audition and play fiddle too, and they would always encourage 0:07:52.120 --> 0:07:53.720 you to come in and watch your tape with one 0:07:53.760 --> 0:07:55.560 of the judges and he would give you advice. So 0:07:55.600 --> 0:07:57.600 I went in because I wanted to get into this sucker, 0:07:58.320 --> 0:08:01.280 and he was like, would you please just put the 0:08:01.280 --> 0:08:03.960 fiddle down. It's what's hurting you, Like, just stop playing 0:08:03.960 --> 0:08:06.520 the fiddle and just sing. And the next time I 0:08:06.560 --> 0:08:12.320 auditioned just on vocals, and I I made the show 0:08:12.360 --> 0:08:16.160 every semester after that. And now it's weird because you're 0:08:16.200 --> 0:08:18.440 the girl that plays the fiddle like a monster. That's 0:08:18.440 --> 0:08:20.920 what you're known for. I mean, you're the baddest fiddle 0:08:20.960 --> 0:08:24.800 player around. It's crazy, it will and it it took 0:08:24.840 --> 0:08:28.000 me a while. It really destroyed my confidence on fiddle. 0:08:28.120 --> 0:08:29.560 I mean I thought I was horrible, and I thought 0:08:29.560 --> 0:08:31.760 I shouldn't play anymore, and so I kind of put 0:08:31.840 --> 0:08:33.120 it down for a little. I mean I always still 0:08:33.160 --> 0:08:35.480 kind of played, but then when I started putting a 0:08:35.520 --> 0:08:39.400 band together at school, um, you know, Devil and Down 0:08:39.400 --> 0:08:42.600 to Georgia was always one of our big show stopping moments. 0:08:42.760 --> 0:08:45.640 And so then there were a few songs I'd play 0:08:45.679 --> 0:08:48.080 on but it didn't really play much. I just sang. 0:08:48.280 --> 0:08:53.560 So going back, you were on Oprah. Yeah, I was 0:08:53.600 --> 0:09:00.560 on Oprah. That was that was weird. Um. I I 0:09:00.600 --> 0:09:05.760 had won the Silliest Kid in America contest through No 0:09:06.040 --> 0:09:09.240 it was in Okay. So when I was in Kids Club, 0:09:09.600 --> 0:09:13.480 the adult Kid Club is Oprey Land and you were 0:09:13.480 --> 0:09:15.720 a performer. Yes, I was in that show for four years, 0:09:15.720 --> 0:09:19.360 from like ages ten of fourteen. So, um, when I 0:09:19.360 --> 0:09:22.079 was in Kids Club, the adult in the show, she 0:09:22.600 --> 0:09:26.319 was hosting Nashville Silliest Kid competition and she called me 0:09:26.360 --> 0:09:28.480 and said, Natalie, you gotta come to your baby cry 0:09:28.520 --> 0:09:31.400 because I had learned how to do this ventriloquist kind 0:09:31.400 --> 0:09:36.400 of baby cry thing I can. It's not gonna work 0:09:36.480 --> 0:09:43.120 over my mouth is not and it drinks a bottle 0:09:43.120 --> 0:09:45.959 of Bourbs. There's a whole act. So I won. I 0:09:46.000 --> 0:09:49.760 won the Nashville Silliest Kid Competition, which wasn't difficult because 0:09:49.760 --> 0:09:52.120 I was up against like your mom was so fat jokes, 0:09:52.280 --> 0:09:54.240 you know. It was like at the East Nashville y 0:09:54.320 --> 0:09:56.600 and it was just it was kind of funny. And 0:09:56.640 --> 0:09:59.160 then they sent my tape into national judges. I won 0:09:59.160 --> 0:10:01.199 the national competen ash and I got like a free 0:10:01.240 --> 0:10:05.760 trip to Disney World for my whole family because I 0:10:05.800 --> 0:10:08.280 did a baby cry, and one of the prizes was 0:10:08.280 --> 0:10:12.280 supposed to be to be on either j Letto or 0:10:12.320 --> 0:10:15.240 David Letterman, and I was like freaking out. But the 0:10:15.320 --> 0:10:18.200 thing was I was at the end of the age group. 0:10:18.240 --> 0:10:20.800 I was like fourteen, and they sent my tape to 0:10:21.000 --> 0:10:23.760 David Letterman. They were like, um, no, we don't want 0:10:23.800 --> 0:10:25.400 her on the show, because I think they were expecting 0:10:25.440 --> 0:10:27.520 like a little kid, like a little funny kid. And 0:10:27.559 --> 0:10:30.400 now I'm like a fourteen year old kid that's like, hey, 0:10:30.440 --> 0:10:33.640 I can crawl like a baby. But then I didn't 0:10:33.640 --> 0:10:37.160 know this was happening, but tricks the sponsors of the competition. 0:10:37.200 --> 0:10:39.560 They sent in my tape to Oprah because she was 0:10:39.600 --> 0:10:43.440 doing a show on her funniest viewers, like silly viewers 0:10:43.440 --> 0:10:47.480 and stuff. So um, the producers of Oprah called one 0:10:47.520 --> 0:10:50.080 day and I was like a freshman in high school 0:10:50.120 --> 0:10:53.000 by the time this happened, and said, do you want 0:10:53.000 --> 0:10:54.280 to come be on the show? We'd love for you 0:10:54.320 --> 0:10:56.439 to do something else though, too, And so that's when 0:10:56.440 --> 0:10:59.640 I played. I played the fiddle between my knees. So 0:10:59.720 --> 0:11:05.240 you want here's Natalie Stoball at Oprah. Here, Oh that's 0:11:05.240 --> 0:11:11.400 is Oprey never mind. Couldn't we looked hard for hard? 0:11:11.480 --> 0:11:13.319 You can just call my parents. I'm sure they have 0:11:13.679 --> 0:11:15.079 want o. And you did the baby cry and you 0:11:15.080 --> 0:11:17.920 played the fiddle between your knees. Yeah yeah. And so 0:11:18.040 --> 0:11:21.960 did you meet Oprah? Was cool? It was awesome? Yeah yeah. 0:11:22.040 --> 0:11:24.080 When I walked out and she said, so what are 0:11:24.120 --> 0:11:25.839 you going to do? When she introduced me and stuff, 0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:27.320 and I told her I was going to play the 0:11:27.360 --> 0:11:29.400 violin between moneies and she was like, of course you 0:11:29.440 --> 0:11:32.960 are Natalie as the video that I saw a couple 0:11:32.960 --> 0:11:34.560 of weeks ago where it was the first time you 0:11:34.559 --> 0:11:38.360 played the Grand ol Opry and you were how old? Twelve? Okay? 0:11:38.360 --> 0:11:40.960 And so this is a Natalie at the Grand ol Opry. 0:11:41.200 --> 0:11:43.600 She's only twelve years old. So I want you to 0:11:43.600 --> 0:11:47.760 make her welcome here tonight, ladies and gentlemen. Natalie Stowall 0:11:48.040 --> 0:11:50.920 and I was him. She's in a cowgirl outfit, full 0:11:51.000 --> 0:12:02.400 cowgirl and that's not guess and the games and you're 0:12:02.440 --> 0:12:11.120 still blowing it and down tonight the guy right, and 0:12:11.160 --> 0:12:24.560 then days the bigger says like, I'm in an she's 0:12:24.679 --> 0:12:30.000 twelve playing the Opery, So how do you get that? 0:12:30.120 --> 0:12:32.599 Was so cool? People like, wait, the whole life to 0:12:32.720 --> 0:12:35.839 play the Opery. It was yeah, yeah, they do, and 0:12:35.920 --> 0:12:37.760 it was It was crazy because when I was in 0:12:37.800 --> 0:12:41.200 the kids Club show out at the theme park, they 0:12:41.480 --> 0:12:44.679 we did a video that they wanted to sell at 0:12:44.679 --> 0:12:47.800 the shows and one of the songs was called Think 0:12:47.880 --> 0:12:49.720 Big and it was all talking about like you can 0:12:49.760 --> 0:12:51.240 be anything you want to be when you grow up. 0:12:51.760 --> 0:12:53.960 And they asked all of the kids in the song, 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:55.400 what do you want to be when you grow up? 0:12:55.440 --> 0:12:57.560 And said they would ask me and I would say, 0:12:57.600 --> 0:12:59.440 I want to be on the Grand Ole Opry. And 0:12:59.559 --> 0:13:02.640 then they just they made it happen. The first time 0:13:02.679 --> 0:13:05.040 you were supposed to be on there, you got bombed, right, yeah, 0:13:05.120 --> 0:13:08.320 so you go your and Natalie's gonna go and play 0:13:08.360 --> 0:13:10.240 the Opery fwelve years old and all of a sudden, 0:13:10.280 --> 0:13:13.600 Garth shows up. Well it was crazy because this that's 0:13:13.640 --> 0:13:16.199 such a crazy time in my life because I had 0:13:16.240 --> 0:13:20.440 just been invited to go audition for Pilot Season in 0:13:20.600 --> 0:13:23.360 Los Angeles. So my mom and I were getting ready 0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:25.440 to just go live in l A for a few months, 0:13:26.120 --> 0:13:30.000 and we kept postponing our leave date for the Opery. 0:13:30.120 --> 0:13:32.360 But then they kept postponing on me. They did twice 0:13:32.880 --> 0:13:35.520 and so finally the operaly and said, hey, just go 0:13:35.559 --> 0:13:37.320 on and we'll just fly you back whenever the date 0:13:37.360 --> 0:13:39.640 comes through. So I was actually living in l A 0:13:39.640 --> 0:13:43.280 at the time, and then they flew me back and 0:13:43.320 --> 0:13:46.439 I bought the most country outfit I've ever worn in 0:13:46.679 --> 0:13:48.800 l A, like I wouldn't got that outfit in l A, 0:13:48.920 --> 0:13:50.520 and then wore it on the opry that and I'd 0:13:50.520 --> 0:13:53.679 already had the hat of course, but yeah, and then 0:13:53.679 --> 0:13:56.520 a fule back to l A and finished out. Thank goodness, 0:13:56.559 --> 0:13:59.680 I never booked anything out there, because that's really where 0:13:59.679 --> 0:14:01.360 I've was like, Okay, I don't want to be an actress. 0:14:01.360 --> 0:14:02.800 I want to be on stage all the time. You 0:14:02.800 --> 0:14:08.000 were so composed at twelve. You I played the Outbreak 0:14:08.040 --> 0:14:09.760 for the first time at thirty five, and I was like, 0:14:09.800 --> 0:14:11.240 this is crazy, Like I don't even know what I'm 0:14:11.280 --> 0:14:14.200 doing here. I'm looking around, my eyeballs are beady, and 0:14:15.600 --> 0:14:17.360 but for you at twelve, you were just like it 0:14:17.480 --> 0:14:19.760 was just you, just that they're smiling, having a good time. 0:14:19.920 --> 0:14:22.520 I didn't enjoy it when I did it, really because 0:14:22.520 --> 0:14:24.840 I don't enjoy awesome things while they're happening, because I 0:14:24.840 --> 0:14:27.200 think I'm gonna screw them up. Yeah. I enjoyed things 0:14:27.320 --> 0:14:29.440 that go well, and looking at pictures afterwards, I don't 0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:32.000 enjoy them while they're happening. You were enjoying enjoying this. 0:14:32.440 --> 0:14:34.680 I was enjoying every second. And I told myself before 0:14:34.680 --> 0:14:37.480 I went out there, like, enjoy this. This is not 0:14:37.600 --> 0:14:41.360 something that anyone gets to do. You sang for the president. 0:14:41.640 --> 0:14:45.320 I did, which President George W. Bush. So I have 0:14:45.640 --> 0:14:48.120 Natalie singing for the president here. God, it is my 0:14:48.280 --> 0:14:53.840 great pleasure to welcome tonight from Nashville, Tennessee. Ms. Natalie Stowball. 0:14:54.600 --> 0:15:10.600 God bless um America. Then love stand beside, and God 0:15:12.600 --> 0:15:18.800 through the nine went the light from a book. Now 0:15:18.920 --> 0:15:21.000 I know who you are, and I've figured it out 0:15:21.040 --> 0:15:23.160 as we're talking. You're the forest gulp of country music. 0:15:24.760 --> 0:15:29.320 She's you're the first. You have the odd off stories 0:15:29.360 --> 0:15:32.000 that all just kind of come back together, you know, 0:15:32.360 --> 0:15:36.000 like it's like Forrest Gump. I mean, I was not 0:15:36.120 --> 0:15:40.040 composed for that one. They asked you to come sing 0:15:40.080 --> 0:15:43.440 for President Bush. Yes, and so did someone just call 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:46.240 you and say, hey, we've heard you sing. I got 0:15:46.680 --> 0:15:49.320 an email from my agent At the time, I was 0:15:49.360 --> 0:15:51.360 out touring colleges, and I was on one of my 0:15:51.560 --> 0:15:54.920 very first big college shows and I remember getting in 0:15:54.960 --> 0:15:57.760 the back of the suburban and it was, you know, 0:15:57.920 --> 0:15:59.480 one or two in the morning, and this was back 0:15:59.480 --> 0:16:01.960 when I had my little Trio Palm Pilot or whatever. 0:16:02.160 --> 0:16:05.880 And I see this email coming that says, hey, um, 0:16:06.160 --> 0:16:09.720 what was the gray headed dude from American idol Taylor Hicks. 0:16:10.120 --> 0:16:13.160 Taylor Hicks just dropped out of singing for the president. 0:16:13.240 --> 0:16:15.480 It's all pro bono. Does anybody want this? And I 0:16:15.520 --> 0:16:19.120 was like, does anybody want this? And the reason they 0:16:19.120 --> 0:16:21.400 were asking was because you had to pay your own way. 0:16:21.640 --> 0:16:23.720 You weren't going to get paid to do it or anything. 0:16:23.760 --> 0:16:26.440 And I was going, who wouldn't do this? And I 0:16:26.440 --> 0:16:29.160 immediately was like, please, please, please, I'll do anything to 0:16:29.200 --> 0:16:32.240 do this. And they asked for a recording of me 0:16:32.280 --> 0:16:34.120 singing the national anthem. It was supposed to be the 0:16:34.160 --> 0:16:37.400 anthem um, so I sent that in and they called 0:16:37.400 --> 0:16:39.600 and asked me to come do it. So you're singing 0:16:39.600 --> 0:16:41.760 in front of the president, you're able to see him 0:16:41.800 --> 0:16:43.680 while you're singing. I got to meet him right before. 0:16:46.440 --> 0:16:48.360 He was on my right and the first lady was 0:16:48.400 --> 0:16:51.360 on my left and in front of me, it was 0:16:51.440 --> 0:16:53.240 you know, it was the correspondent stenter, so it's all 0:16:53.360 --> 0:16:56.920 movie stars and you know, famous people. And in front 0:16:56.960 --> 0:16:59.520 of me Larry King and Larry David were sitting at 0:16:59.520 --> 0:17:01.280 a table right next to each other, right in the 0:17:01.320 --> 0:17:03.520 front row. And I was like, this is crazy, Like 0:17:03.560 --> 0:17:06.280 where am I right? Like a girl from smalltown Tennessee 0:17:06.600 --> 0:17:11.080 is singing pent in the United States And regardless of 0:17:11.080 --> 0:17:12.960 who the president is, that's still the franking president of 0:17:13.000 --> 0:17:15.719 the United States. Yes, I know it was. It was 0:17:15.760 --> 0:17:18.439 one of the most incredible honors of my life. I 0:17:18.440 --> 0:17:23.120 mean it was so surreal, nervous, yes, shaking, And they 0:17:23.119 --> 0:17:26.240 told me they were, you know, the guy Steve Scully 0:17:26.320 --> 0:17:29.919 who was introducing me there, he was gonna put the 0:17:29.960 --> 0:17:32.159 little step stool up because even with my heels on, 0:17:32.240 --> 0:17:35.840 I was too short to reach the mic and so um, 0:17:35.880 --> 0:17:37.359 but they forgot to do that. So I had to 0:17:37.400 --> 0:17:39.119 get there like in my ball gown and pull the 0:17:39.119 --> 0:17:41.359 little steps stool out and then stand up on it myself. 0:17:41.400 --> 0:17:43.200 And I think that was good. It kind of called 0:17:43.200 --> 0:17:47.240 me down for a second, yeah, but I was so nervous. 0:17:47.240 --> 0:17:48.880 How did you feel about the performance once it was over? 0:17:49.080 --> 0:17:51.440 Did you feel like you did pretty good. I did, okay. 0:17:51.800 --> 0:17:53.639 It's hard for me to listen to that, though, I 0:17:53.720 --> 0:17:57.280 don't I don't like that one. Why don't you like that? 0:17:57.840 --> 0:18:00.480 Because I can hear myself. I can hear the nerves, 0:18:00.520 --> 0:18:02.480 I can hear a little pitch issues. I can tell 0:18:02.520 --> 0:18:06.080 that I was not on my game. Do you have 0:18:06.080 --> 0:18:08.359 a picture do you look at and go, okay, this 0:18:08.440 --> 0:18:13.080 is awesome? Yes, I have one? Backstage? So right before 0:18:13.280 --> 0:18:17.199 we went out, um, they had just introduced me to 0:18:17.400 --> 0:18:21.240 President Bush and the first Lady, and then they cleared 0:18:21.320 --> 0:18:25.080 the room of everyone except for me, the two of 0:18:25.119 --> 0:18:28.200 them in secret service and a photographer. And as we're 0:18:28.240 --> 0:18:32.639 standing there, I'm talking to him and he I think 0:18:33.320 --> 0:18:36.680 I think. The first lady said, George is Natalie. She's 0:18:36.680 --> 0:18:40.159 gonna sing the anthem, and he goes, no, she's not. 0:18:40.160 --> 0:18:43.040 She's gonna sing America is beautiful. And then I'm standing 0:18:43.040 --> 0:18:46.800 there thinking like, oh no, do you correct the president? 0:18:46.840 --> 0:18:48.480 And the first lady like what do you do? And 0:18:48.480 --> 0:18:50.760 I kind of put my hand on my my heart 0:18:50.760 --> 0:18:54.080 and was like, God, bless America. And then we all 0:18:54.119 --> 0:18:57.720 started laughing. And I wouldn't have remembered this, but they 0:18:57.760 --> 0:19:00.119 snapped a picture right when we're all laughing at the 0:19:00.160 --> 0:19:02.639 same time, and apparently I put my hand down on 0:19:02.880 --> 0:19:05.640 his arm, like I'm that's just how I am. I'm 0:19:05.640 --> 0:19:09.399 real kind of I don't know, I'm I'm touchy with people, 0:19:09.440 --> 0:19:13.480 you know. And I got my hand on the President's 0:19:13.600 --> 0:19:15.560 arm and the first ladies kind of looking at me, 0:19:15.600 --> 0:19:17.280 but we're all laughing, and it's just one of my 0:19:17.320 --> 0:19:19.560 favorite piers. So cool. You got to meet the president 0:19:19.600 --> 0:19:21.800 of the United States of America. And when I was done, 0:19:22.040 --> 0:19:23.880 this is crazy. When I was done, when I got 0:19:23.880 --> 0:19:26.680 down off of the stage, as I was passing by, 0:19:26.880 --> 0:19:30.600 President Bush put his left hand to his side but 0:19:30.680 --> 0:19:33.600 kind of underneath like a low five, like when you 0:19:33.680 --> 0:19:35.440 give someone a low five. And that was another moment 0:19:35.480 --> 0:19:37.959 where I'm like, yeah, I give them president on five. 0:19:38.200 --> 0:19:40.920 What do I do right now? I just kinda put 0:19:40.960 --> 0:19:44.240 my hand in his like like a soft five. I guess, 0:19:44.359 --> 0:19:47.600 really awkward, and he goes he nailed it, and I 0:19:47.640 --> 0:19:52.000 was like, for like the four's music like before, they're 0:19:52.000 --> 0:19:54.680 blowing me away right now. So it's so funny. You 0:19:54.720 --> 0:19:57.240 started acting at three fiddle. At four You're in the 0:19:57.320 --> 0:20:01.000 kids club at opry landa opus Landa not exist anymore 0:20:01.000 --> 0:20:04.080 because it wasn't It was a theme park. And you, 0:20:04.320 --> 0:20:06.800 as a kid, I would assume we're making pretty good 0:20:06.800 --> 0:20:12.000 money performing. Yeah. Yeah, for I'm making any money performing 0:20:12.040 --> 0:20:15.560 for me, Like and I I put every single penny 0:20:15.600 --> 0:20:18.879 away in the bank. Um. And the only way that 0:20:18.920 --> 0:20:22.000 I got to do that Los Angeles trip and go 0:20:22.240 --> 0:20:23.919 live out there for a couple of months was that 0:20:23.960 --> 0:20:26.280 I paid for the whole thing for me and Mama 0:20:26.600 --> 0:20:29.160 and then, um, the rest of it went to college. 0:20:29.600 --> 0:20:31.640 So you go to l A to be an actress, 0:20:31.760 --> 0:20:33.720 and what you did just audition for a bunch of 0:20:33.760 --> 0:20:36.960 roles and yeah, I auditioned. I had about I don't know, 0:20:37.080 --> 0:20:40.080 twelve or thirteen auditions, which wasn't a ton for the time. 0:20:41.240 --> 0:20:45.840 My acting coach's son was my age. He was my boyfriend, 0:20:46.520 --> 0:20:50.719 and uh, he had like twenty six auditions. Dudes at 0:20:50.720 --> 0:20:52.760 the time, twelve year old kids at the time had 0:20:52.800 --> 0:20:55.919 a lot more opportunities. And that it just fluctuates, just 0:20:55.960 --> 0:20:58.119 like crazy because women have all the opportunities. Oh I 0:20:58.160 --> 0:21:01.760 know now they all especially catch love in the world. Yeah, 0:21:02.480 --> 0:21:04.119 so you go out and I was I guess you 0:21:04.160 --> 0:21:08.280 didn't land You know, they worked really hard um to 0:21:08.320 --> 0:21:11.640 help me get rid of my accent, which I am 0:21:11.680 --> 0:21:14.160 glad did not work on me. And I started listening 0:21:14.200 --> 0:21:17.120 to tapes and I started trying to but they just 0:21:17.480 --> 0:21:20.160