Conversations with Martina Dawn

Today we’d like to introduce you to Martina Dawn.

Hi Martina, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started singing before I could even talk (at least that’s what my mom tells me) and have been surrounded by music my entire life. My great-grandparents had a band, my grandparents have a band, and my mom is a country artist herself! When I was about 5, my mom started teaching music lessons out of our house for Voice, Piano, and Guitar, and called her students her “Songbirds.” She had a student named Sarah who was starting that was my age, and my mom felt that she would benefit from having another kid in her lessons, so she brought me in.

I continued to take lessons with Sarah every year for 8 years. When I was eleven, my mom’s music school had grown so big for such a small town (Devon, Alberta), and she decided to do a group trip with 52 people, including students and their families, to Nashville. This would be my second time in Nashville, as my first time was when I was two for my mom’s second studio album recording, but I didn’t remember that at all so I was so excited.

That second trip to Nashville was when I decided that I was going to live there. Even though I was only eleven, I fell in love with the city immediately. Before this trip, I never really had the aspiration to pursue country music as a job, I just liked singing. Something about Nashville lit a fire under me, and I began to do my gigs when I turned twelve. I have continued to pursue my passion and develop my craft ever since, because of my love for Nashville and country music itself!

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I wouldn’t call it a smooth road, I would call it more of a windy road. The music industry is never really cut and dry but I think that’s why I like it. It’s chaotic and unpredictable, and that is often how my whole personality is, so it works. I think every artist has their struggles, especially over the last five years due to the pandemic and the economy, as well as the massive saturation of talent because of social media.

I have had struggles regarding starting so young. I wouldn’t change it for the world, but when you are working in a professional industry at such a young age, you kind of have to grow up faster than other kids your age, which can kind of set you apart from them. I never really felt understood in terms of what I was doing. My friends were supportive of it to an extent, but I always kind of brushed it off, so I began completely separating my music life from my personal life.

I started to always worry about what kids thought, instead of focusing on my craft itself. As I get older I continue to struggle from time to time, but I have learned that as long as I try to be the most authentic version of myself as an artist, it makes it easier to not care as much what people think.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a singer/songwriter/entertainer who has a really big personality and a lot of big dreams. I have always specialized in entertaining and making sure the audience has a good time. Whether it is a small farmers market where people are just walking around and I am playing a set in the background, or it is my headline show at a honkeytonk, my goal is to put a smile on people’s faces and connect with them on some sort of higher level than just social media.

I have always loved performing, but one passion I have fallen in love with in the last two years is songwriting. I always had a lot of pressure on me to write songs when I was young, but I never really had the ambition to because of that pressure. In September of 2021, I randomly sat down on my bed and had a line pop into my head. I continued to write my first song. I wrote my second song the next day and haven’t stopped since. I call it the “songwriting bug” and I just happened to catch it a little bit later in my career.

I love songwriting more than anything else that comes with this job, and I aim to write Stories that will make people feel something. Whether that “something” is sadness, happiness, or just relating to the story of the song completely, I hope that I can touch the hearts of listeners in the special way that country music does.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I am releasing my next single “Love On Them” on February 9th, 2024 to all digital platforms. I hope this song full of stories and lessons that I have learned throughout my life, can remind people to be kind to everyone around them, as you never know who needs that kindness and grace the most.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martinadawnmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/martinadawnmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBldrLUDgSM4S1teGOIaqMA
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@martinadawnmusic

Image Credits
Kenzie Maroney, Codi Mclvor, and James Shipman