Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Weyer.
Hi Elizabeth, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I am from little Alexandria, KY, a smaller town in Northern Kentucky located about 30 minutes south of Cincinnati, OH. Since I was very young my parents noticed very quickly that my voice needed to be heard by others. I grew up listening to all kinds of country music, specifically Alan Jackson, George Strait, Tim McGraw, The Chicks (previously known as the Dixie Chicks), Faith Hill, Martina McBride, and Carrie Underwood.
I started singing at our family Christmas parties every year, family weddings, local variety music groups, school plays, and school talent shows. I started off with learning and playing piano along with some voice lessons through elementary school, but I still knew something was missing. As I saw both of my older sisters learning and playing guitar in their high school years, I faded away from the piano and wanted to follow in their footsteps, so I picked that up and never looked back.
Throughout my high school years, my music teacher saw lots of potential in me and some other students and helped us form a band. As I entered my senior year of high school, that is when I started a little bit of songwriting and performing solo to try and create a name for myself around town. Moving on to my college years, I played around my college town and started traveling for shows throughout the state of Kentucky and into East Tennessee. After I graduated college in 2021, I immediately had one thing on my mind, Nashville!
Side Story: I first came to Nashville for the CMA Festival that year when I was 15. Walking up and down Broadway, watching all of these very talented musicians and singers just having the time of their lives from the streets (since I was underage) on top of seeing all of these famous country music artists out and about, I knew this city was calling my name already.
Surly enough, I was able to make it happen seven years later and so far after being here for just over a year now, it has been one of the best roller coasters I have ever experienced. I hope it does not slow down for a long time, and I am always excited for what next is yet to come on this journey.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Comparing this journey to the roller coast I feel like I have been riding, there are lots of ups and downs, right? When I first moved here, I was on this high of independence and experiencing this whole new chapter in my life. As real-life responsibilities kicked in I had a hard time adjusting to that world at first and I am still adjusting in many ways, but having a good support system is a huge thing, which I am very lucky to have established here in Nashville. I think the hardest thing for me since my start here has been being away from my family back home.
Although a four-hour drive does not seem like that far away to some, I have realized it is as far as I could ever be from home. I am the most family-oriented person and it is hard missing out on family events back home or weekends at the lake sometimes, but I know they are just a phone call away and I know how proud they are of me. On another note, the music industry is one heck of a ball game with many different gravities that I never knew existed and that I am still learning about. It is quite intimidating and can be very discouraging at times, but I try very hard to never let that get the best of me.
In a timely manner, I realized that many different people come here for different things. Some come for songwriting and producing, some come to just play instruments, and some come for the Broadway lights. Me, I wanted to come here and simply just sing, play, and be heard on Broadway. After spending some six months or so listening to and meeting different artists on the strip, I finally was in the right place at the right time, and a very talented local artist, Jered Ames (give him a follow and give his music a listen – he and his work are amazing, to say the least), recognized me and pulled me up on stage at Legends on the Corner to make my Broadway Debut, and from that time on he helped me get my first solo Broadway acoustic gig at AJ’s Good Time Bar.
I have also co-fronted and guest starred with other artists on Broadway and have participated in writers’ rounds at Live Oak on Music Row before as well. It has been such a thrill meeting that goal of mine, and now it has gotten me to set bigger and better goals. All it takes is helping out one artist to another, no matter how big or small. That creates such a level of respect and will take you far.
Even though I am new to the music business down here, I am working hard to enrich my work and marketing across all formats. Overcoming these obstacles and challenges is continuously making me stronger and widening my education on all of this. While always trying to have an optimistic point of view, that is what keeps me going and what keeps my daily spirits so high.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I have been in sales and customer service for a little while. Now have moved to Nashville, my first job was as a retail manager at Tecovas, a high-end boot company right in the new 5th and Broadway complex. With performing on stage for many years, never being afraid to explore and adventure out, and being a very talkative person in general, no one has ever been a stranger to me. In my everyday sales job and also in music, you’re around many different people all the time, so I think being in both professions has helped me across both genres in being open and approachable to outsiders.
I think I am most proud of being unapologetically myself and being a trustworthy and considerate friend to others. I have always been an optimistic person with high spirits and always have seen the good in situations and in people. I love to have a good time with friends and family, and I also love my lazy days. I think my versatility sets me apart from others. My dad introduced me to shotgun sports when I was very young. I immediately fell in love with the sport and did it competitively through college. I also grew up doing a few different kinds of hunting too and still love that special bond we have when sitting in the deer stand or the duck blind together.
I also love spending time on the lake with my family and close friends and creating some of the best memories. Some of my favorite movies are Back to the Future, Flicka, and Grease (such a weird mix, I know). I love to sew and feel the reward of my creations. I love watching Baseball (Go Reds!). Summing up all of these things I feel most would not think I would be interested in these extracurricular activities, but that is what creates interesting and engaging conversations with new people that I encounter within both my everyday job and in my music life.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Not sure if this is along the same lines, but I love keeping up with country music news, i.e. new up-and-coming artists, new music launches, the latest on the hottest country music couples, what concert tours are happening, etc. I am also a HUGE country music history buff as well. I have been to the Country Music Hall of Fame many times now and it always ceases to amaze me. Each time I have been to the Grand Ole Opry, I get a new book from the gift shop and I cannot put it down.
One of my favorite country music documentaries is “Tennessee Whiskey: Dean Dillon Story.” For those who do not know Dean Dillon, he is a very well-known songwriter and has done a lot of work with George Strait. Dean Dillon more recently was given the honor of being a part of the Country Music Hall of Fame Class of 2020 inductees, which was very well deserved to say the least. I love back stories of country music people’s lives and how songs were written and that truly is one to remember.
There are a few significant parts of that documentary, but I think what is most worthy is that George Strait was originally offered to cut the famous song “Tennessee Whiskey” but turned it down and David Allan Coe ended up cutting and releasing the song, later recorded by George Jones, and most widely and more recently known covered by Chris Stapleton. I’m pretty sure George Strait mentions how he messed up by passing up what was going to be a massive hit, but in time I think it has been made up for considering the longevity and mastery of Strait’s career.
With all of this being said, this is what makes me so passionate about country music itself. It truly makes me feel very grateful to my parents for raising me on it and it becomes a big part of who I am today.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethweyer99/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethWeyerMusic99/
