Check Out Bri Bagwell’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bri Bagwell.

Hi Bri, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Howdy! I started singing as soon as I could, with my first on-stage performance at the age of 3. I have a very musical family, with aunts and uncles on both sides playing instruments and singing. My mom played a little piano and lap steel, and my dad some guitar. I taught myself how to play piano on a dusty old keyboard I found in my parent’s garage.

They ended up buying me my first piano from a church auction when I was 13. I started writing songs, and at 14, joined my first band with my two older brothers. I was hooked on the honky tonk lifestyle from that age! I moved to Austin, TX when I got accepted into the University of Texas. I started playing on 6th Street during happy hours, and after graduating, I only had a day job for about two months before I met my first booking agent. I quit that marketing job and dove head-first into music in 2010. The rest is history!

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?
The music business is anything but a smooth road. I would describe it more as a rollercoaster – but, a rough one built out of wood… by an amateur. Ha! There are too many struggles to name, but the biggest one for me would be an ever-changing landscape. When I was first being “shopped” to record labels, they only looked at Facebook followers as a metric; then Instagram and Twitter were important; now, TikTok and Spotify listeners are the biggest metrics for labels, music venues, agencies, etc. It feels like a full-time job trying to manage socials, and they are constantly being expanded, with nothing ever taken away.

All of the avenues are important, but now I’m having to spend a decent budget on all of them in addition to learning to be a video editor and finding my unique niche as a social media presence as well. It’s also important to note that many people that are in the music business are not artistic in any way. Their intentions and also knowledge of art often do not align with the creator. It’s really hard to build a team that really “gets” and understands what you are doing, and it’s very easy to be taken advantage of.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m most proud of a career that has had longevity despite being told that women in Texas Country just “don’t work.”

Even to this day, people still say things of that nature; and it’s so strange, after just selling out Gruene Hall and headlining at Billy Bob’s Texas that people are still making this genre about female vs. male and being so generalized about it. I know many male bands that would kill to have the types of shows and ticket sales that I do, but I’m still having to tear down barriers daily. I’m proud of really just “making it work” for the past 15 years, and I have 5 albums to show for it. I just never quit. Seeing new females come up to me as their “inspiration” to start in this specific genre is really heartwarming and worth the years of being in the trenches.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I’ve been a full-time musician since 2010, so most people don’t know that I actually have a business degree from The University of Texas! I graduated with honors with a marketing major and a management minor. I also was the 5AAAAA and Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year for the State of New Mexico during my senior year in high school.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bribagwell.com
• Instagram: @bribagwell
• Facebook: @bribagwell
• Twitter: @bribagwell
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/bribagwell
• TikTok: @bribagwell

Image Credits:
Haley Hays Photography and Jodi Cockrell