Today we’d like to introduce you to Suanna Lynn.
Hi Suanna, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in a family that loved music. My parents met in a band and my siblings all sang in choir and played guitar and piano. On road trips, we would fight over who could be DJ or would battle out who could sing louder to the song they had playing in their Walkman (old tech alert!).
I started writing my first lyrics when I was 8 years old – though I didn’t really know it at the time, I thought it was just feelings I was writing down. I got my first guitar for Christmas when I was 9, and immediately put those words to music. Since then, I have been creating songs.
I found myself different from my friends when it came to music, I would hear a song and think, “How would I have written that?” Then I would go write it. I would be elated from seeing live shows or breaking down my favorite parts of a song by falling in love with a harmony or a drumbeat at a specific part of the song or just appreciating the color of the singer’s voice in a way that I knew was different from others who were simply a fan of the song – where I was a fan of the music.
In 2012, I came to visit Nashville with my friends for CMA fest – cowgirl boots and all! I knew there was an electricity here that I wanted to be a part of. It took a few years to get the courage and the savings to do it, but in 2016 I finally decided I needed to be down here with my people and I never looked back.
Once I moved to Nashville, I found myself being able to network with ease and it gave me the courage to pursue this full-time. I have found that where your passion meets open doors, you are in the right place and you should keep walking through them. While I also dabbled in the corporate world for a bit, I found myself at a crossroads where I either needed to go all in and become someone focused on getting to the C-suite, or I needed to focus solely on music.
I decided to follow my peace and pursue music full-time. I am now writing and recording constantly, and releasing singles every month, while also balancing the privilege of being a wife and a mom. It’s a joy like none other!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have definitely been lessons along the way, although I always felt like I still belonged here. I think it’s really about your mindset. Do you have moments where you didn’t show up the way you should’ve and maybe lost some contacts along the way? Are there nights you’re just not on and you know you didn’t give that performance your all? Are there songs you think were a good exercise but not necessarily going to make an album? All yes.
But I think it’s all about giving yourself permission to be human and then extending that grace to others. I think also, sometimes you’re going to work with people who just don’t share your same values, and then you can learn that and maybe put up a healthy boundary for future endeavors. I think especially in music, there are two ways you can look at all the talent around you.
You can say, “Wow, there is a lot of competition around me” and let your ego and pride get in your way. OR you can look around and say, “Wow, I have so much community around me” and take advantage of everything you can learn. I have chosen the latter and it has served me well.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a singer-songwriter and I collaborate with a lot of different types of musicians around Nashville and in L.A. While my love of country music got me down here and was certainly the genre I spent my early years in, I have since written many other genres. I currently have a pop song and a country song released, and this year I will be releasing an eclectic catalog of work including a song that more reflects the synthesizers of 80’s pop, an EDM-inspired song, a love ballad that is a duet, a Christmas song, and the list goes on.
I really like keeping my work genre-fluid – it pushes me to think about something in a different way or to reach an audience I wouldn’t get to any other way. As a writer and someone who loves to be in the studio working with my producers, you have to let the song go where it wants to. Nothing kills a writer more than “No, we need to stick to what we planned.” Allowing the song to take the reins has led me to create some of my favorite pieces.
This year, I am also branching out from singles that are really focused on radio and singing along, and working on some TV/movie licensing opportunities. Writing with a focus on sync can stretch you more than you realize. It forces you to create more of a “vibe” than a story; to create a song that can supplement another piece of art rather than stand on its own. It is a fun challenge and I am obsessed with what is coming out of the studio. I can’t wait to share it!
What were you like growing up?
I think the best way to describe me growing up was very outgoing. I always loved having as many friends as possible, and I really liked to go deep with those friends. While I’ve always loved having fun and being silly, it’s always been important to me that my friends know I am here for them and I am willing to lean into the hard stuff.
From a young age, my parents would be told by my teachers that I had a kindness and thoughtfulness about me that they didn’t always see in little kids. I took that seriously then and I still always want to be the friend someone can rely on. It’s made me painfully aware of emotions and the underlying things happening around me. It made me an empathetic marketer in the corporate world and a good leader, and it has made me the songwriter I am today.
I have also always been interested in many things – it feeds my ADD mind! Growing up I loved school because I loved to learn – I mean, not math or science, you know, the boring subjects I’d never use (wink), but I loved History, Social Studies, English, etc. I loved any subject that let me ponder mankind or that allowed me to read or write. I also loved to be active by playing soccer, running track, being outside, and hiking.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://suannalynnmusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suannalynnmusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suannalynnmusic
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-334610473
Image Credits
Regan McFarland and Fadwa Ward
