Rising Stars: Meet Mary Heather Hickman

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Heather Hickman.

Hi Mary, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born in El Dorado, Arkansas, and raised outside of Dallas, Texas, in a town called Frisco. I’ve always loved music for as long as I can remember. Both of my parents are big country music fans and growing up, I remember listening to a lot of traditional countries. My dad has always loved the greats like Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, and George Strait. When I was little, I hated that country was the only thing we would ever listen to in the car. Now that I’m older, I have such an appreciation for growing up on that kind of music because I think it very much influences my writing style and music today.

My first memory of performing was at my 4th-grade talent show, where I sang “Sk8r Boi” by Avril Lavigne to a karaoke track. I remember getting off the stage and just wanting to go right back up and do it all over again. I think that’s the first time my parents ever realized that I had some talent too because they saw a difference between me and the other kids my age. Shortly after that, I started performing at little Opry houses all around Texas, like Johnnie High’s Country Music Revue and The Gladewater Opry. I loved doing it, and it gave me experience performing with a live band.

As my love of music continued to develop, I started learning to play guitar and write my own songs. My parents always stressed the importance of being able to write my own songs if I wanted to make it in the music industry. I have stacks of notebooks with songs I’ve written starting from around the age of 12. It’s crazy to be able to go back and look at those and realize how far I’ve come.

I continued to perform all throughout my teenage years, but I didn’t get super serious about music until I went to college at the University of Arkansas and started my first band, Mary Heather & The Sinners. We started playing every weekend and booking bigger and bigger shows. My band and I had a lot of amazing opportunities, such as opening for big acts like Hank Williams Jr., Toby Keith, Eli Young Band, and the Oak Ridge Boys. The degree I was pursuing started to feel less important, and music became my main focus. I knew what I really wanted was a career as a music artist. So when I graduated college in 2018, I knew moving to Nashville was the next step for me.

Since moving to Nashville 4 years ago, I have continued to hone in on my songwriting and overall sound. In 2021 I released my debut single, a song called “Treasure,” written with my friend Stefanie Joyce about my bad taste in men. The song was featured on the Bobby Bones Show, Women of iHeart Country and has over 3 million views on Tik Tok and over half a million streams on Spotify. This past month I released a song called Ouachita River. I will be continuing to release music and content this year and throughout 2022.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve definitely had my fair share of obstacles growing up. When I was 4 years old, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes which has been an on and off challenge throughout most of my life. In my teenage years, I went through a time period where I was constantly sick because I didn’t take care of myself. I used to be really embarrassed about my diabetes, so I would pretend like I didn’t have it. I wouldn’t take my insulin or test my blood sugar if I was around other people, and that resulted in a lot of health issues.

Thankfully, as I got older I realized the importance of taking care of myself. I now have really good control of my diabetes and don’t feel ashamed of it anymore. I also realized that if I want to pursue music, I need to be healthy! I now enjoy working with organizations such as JDRF to tell my story and help other kids who might be going through the same struggle that I was at that age.

Another struggle I went through was some pretty severe bullying in high school. Even though that was a time in my life I would never want to go through again, I think it played a big part in why I am where I am today. When I felt like I had no friends, I would spend a lot of time in my room writing music and playing guitar. I think the adversity I went through played a big role in shaping me as a person and as a creative.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I always say I am a songwriter first. Most of my time in Nashville is spent writing songs, both for myself and other artists. I also love playing live shows and am planning on doing some touring in 2022. I put out my debut single this year in 2021, called Treasure, and it has had a lot of success both in radio and streaming. It also went viral on the app Tik Tok, and I now have over 235,000 Tik Tok followers, which is awesome because it has allowed me to build a fan base who are excited about my future releases.

In September, I released a song called Ouachita River, which featured my co-writer, Stefanie Joyce. The song tells a story about an abused woman who decides to take revenge into her own hands. It’s a gritty, dark song that is definitely a lot different from my previous single, but it has had a great reception from my fans so far.

Any big plans?
Next up, I am releasing a cover of a popular Christmas song, but it’s done in a unique way that feels very authentic to who I am as an artist. We also shot a video for the song, and I can’t wait to share it with everybody. Then, at the beginning of 2022, I will be releasing another song to radio called Baptist Parking Lot. I am hoping it will see some of the same success that Treasure did!

I am also hoping to schedule more tour dates in 2022. After the pause in live music from Covid, I am very eager to get back on the road and play more live shows. I love getting to perform the songs I’ve written and get feedback from an audience on them, as well as meet fans and thank them for their support in person!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.maryheatherhickman.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryheatherhickman
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maryheatherhickmanmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/maryheatherhickman
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7HCxS7azUAuU5SyWIY5fDl

Image Credits
Matt Bacnis, Jewell Hickman, and Braden Bedford