Today we’d like to introduce you to Heidi Burson.
Hi Heidi, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My life in music began as soon as I was born. My father, the music teacher/choir director/guitarist/drummer and my mother, the pianist were always doing something musical in the house so from the very beginning it was part of my life. My mother started teaching me piano when I was 3 years old because in her words “I couldn’t keep my hands off of it” and my father quickly realized my passion and appreciation in creating music so together they cultivated it in my life as if it was a necessity. I did the usual progression of playing and singing in church and school choirs and performances all through my academic years and chose it as a major in college. My dabble in songwriting started in high school and never stopped. I found myself in my songs writing about my life experiences. I moved to Nashville in 2002 to continue my music education but quickly dropped out of college when I saw an opportunity to write and record music and perform regularly in the booming city and decided to wait tables and “do the grind” instead of accruing more student loan debt, It proved to be a good choice. I quickly gained a name for myself, put a band together and started modestly touring while still working a full time job.. After some years of that amidst different side hustles, I found my footing and was bouncing across the US and into the UK and Europe on a yearly basis performing and touring at many festivals, house concerts and theaters and then started a project to celebrate the music of Aretha Franklin with a 10 piece band and performed that show in various venues at home and abroad. Unfortunately, Covid put a stop to all my plans. Once the dust had settled from that atrocity, I didn’t have much to show except for my couple of albums and some recent singles – (including a few I’m releasing in 2026) and couldn’t quite get back into my groove. It worked out though because I was able to procure regular gigs weekly here in town and started teaching private voice and piano lessons (which I love to do!!) and I realized it didn’t matter what I was doing as long I was doing it. Music is my life so in whatever capacity I find myself doing it is still fulfilling I have discovered. I still sometimes find myself yearning for the road and the random cities and hotels I used to frequent but there’s also something peaceful about having a home and knowing where your roots are.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Time and money honey! My biggest setback was always money. Being an independent artist is like trying to climb up a mountain constantly plagued by a mudslide. You have to work to eat and live and find extra cash in those pockets of income to fund your albums, tours etc. It’s not easy! I feel like I hit a sweet spot a couple times in the 23 years I’ve been doing this but without proper representation from a label or artist management it’s really not easy. Somehow I found a way with hard work (sometimes working 2 full-time jobs!) Also, I want to mention I’m not well versed in social media really. It’s been a huge setback not understanding how to navigate it properly. My instagram/facebook got hacked a few years back and while I was angry beyond belief when it happened…now? I’m relieved I’m not dealing with it on a daily basis. My mental health has improved. But I know not having it limits me in this industry.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m most proud of my recordings I’ve released. My original music is raw and true to form and I don’t hold anything back from a production standpoint. I’m also proud of my voice. It’s original and cultivated from a life well lived and the soul I exude is natural and meaningful. I like to think I can make people feel things with my live performances with the use of my musical ability and convince people to let go in a sense to truly feel like they’re right there experiencing it with me. I’m also proud of my piano ability. I love that I can sightread anything you put in front of me and sometimes find myself pulling out old classical pieces to play after a hard day for therapy.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Luck… well, I would say I’ve definitely been more fortunate than most but it didn’t come without hard work and perseverance. I’ve certainly felt I was in the right place at the right time in my career but it never really resulted in a life changing event so far… I would venture to say for all the young up and comers out there- don’t assume you’re gonna ‘make it.” It’s a cloudy traffic jammed kinda business especially now with the role that social media plays in promoting yourself. Take time to make real honest connections with people and don’t rely on getting discovered. Pound the pavement and put some honest work into your craft. And learn to play an instrument!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.heidiburson.com
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/heidibursonmusic
