Today we’d like to introduce you to Marie Hines.
Hi Marie, 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 backstory with our readers?
I grew up in Upstate South Carolina and started playing piano at age 4, writing songs at age 12. Music very quickly became my identity as a teenager, and I knew that I wanted to pursue a life in music. I moved to Nashville to attend Belmont University as a commercial voice major/music business emphasis and it was a very formative time for me. I wasn’t one of the “favored” vocal majors in the school- I never made the popular ensembles, I didn’t get assigned to the popular vocal teachers, and I didn’t have the type of voice that could do runs or have an impressive belt. I honestly think it was the best thing for me because it sent me to the practice rooms to write- I spent hours in the basement of the building, working on songs and learning who I was as a songwriter and artist. I was assigned to a vocal coach who taught me how to deliver a line in a song, not perfect my belt. I think it gave me the stamina to survive in the music industry in the long run. It taught me to keep my head down and work hard, figure out what I like and chase that, and not expect immediate gratification for my work.
When I graduated, I dreamed of being a touring singer/songwriter. I tried that for a couple of years and was really proud of what I was building and the team that was forming behind it, but I didn’t actually like touring or playing shows. The part of making music that filled me most was the creation part- the writing, the recording, the product. Not the promotion. I had some success with my first artist album on a website called Music Bed and quickly realized that I could make songs and build a career of mailbox money. I also knew that someday I wanted to have children and keep a garden, and the touring life wasn’t important enough to me to spend the energy to make all of those things work together. I started writing more love songs for Music Bed, and also started writing some dark folk songs with my friend Justin Halpin. At first it was just for fun, like playing dress up and choosing a character to be, but then we became the band Unions and the songs started taking off in sync. I loved the thrill of writing for visual, the reward of hearing your songs paired with someone else’s vision, and the platform those television shows gave the songs. My songs have traveled so much farther because of the screen, and I am so grateful. I got hooked and wanted to play more characters, so I created my artist project ADONA (dark cinematic pop), Fire Choir (fun vibes indie pop/rock), Margot Todd (heartfelt singer/songwriter), and VALA (rhythmic melodies and unison female vocals).
Each of those projects are an equal part of what created my career. I signed with Kasey Truman at The Stable in her first joint venture with Kobalt, and then recently moved over to the new joint venture she established with Concord. I’ve been presented with all the opportunites I’d ever hoped for, with a strong champion by my side who helps me create with best songs I possibly can. I am still growing and still tailoring my writing, but I’m hyperaware that the many years and the winding path were absolutely necessary to find the sustainable career.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest word of my career has been “pivot”. I think it’s the thing that has kept my career alive, honestly. There are trends and movements in music, but they all run in cycles. If I was having success in one and it started tapering, I found a different style to get excited about. There have been several dry times in my industry (Covid, the writer/actor strikes) and that has definitely echoed through the years. I’ve found that if you work hard and write a lot, listen to your wise champions around you for advice and critique, operate in gratefulness, and don’t be afraid to pivot when it seems right, you can make a successful career in music.
Who knows what is coming in the future of our industry- there are so many questions about AI, shrinking ad budgets, lower tv show budgets, oversaturation- but I feel so incredibly grateful to be able to do what I love for a living. I get to wake up, spend time with my husband and daughters, work with talented people to create songs out of thin air, and send love to the world in the form of my songs. The struggles are just bumps in the road- they come and go and then before I know it I’ve forgotten that they were even there. I am just so grateful to be able to do what I love that it makes me work harder.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a songwriter that writes predominately for sync. I write songs that work for television shows, advertisements, movies, trailers, promos, etc. I have 6 different artist projects that I create and release music under (my maiden name, Marie Hines, and ADONA, Unions, Fire Choir, Margot Todd, and VALA). I’ve had songs featured in hundreds of television shows, many promos and trailers, major ads with Starbucks / Uber Eats / Google / Maybelline / Jeep / etc, and in blockbuster movies (Birds of Prey, plus the soundtrack). Over the years I’ve had tens of thousands of people use my songs for their wedding video, I’ve written custom songs for movies, and my songs have streamed to millions of people around the world. I’ve also written probably 500 songs that have done absolutely nothing but be a good exercise in writing so it’s good to remember the balance! I’m a chameleon of sorts and have created all of my artist project characters to be unique and different, and as a vocalist for each of the projects have really enjoyed the challenge of walking into a studio and deciding who I want to be that day. I’m also a mother of two young daughters and I am so proud of what I am teaching them by pursuing a unique and challenging career.
I am a songwriter, born to create and give music to the world. Even in a time when music is not valued as it should be, I’ve been lucky to find a way to make a sustainable living creating songs. I am endlessly grateful for every song that finds me.
How do you think about luck?
I’ve always operated under a saying that my mother told me early on: “Luck happens when preparedness meets opportunity”. Luck does you no good if you haven’t put in the work ahead of time, so I always focus on keeping my head down and working hard. When the opportunities arise, I want to be ready. Throughout the years there were lots of moments where I was ready to take the opportunity and did so fully, and saw growth or entrance into a new career chapter. But there were also moments where I dragged my feet and didn’t fully utilize the opportunity, missing the hit. Sometimes I look inside of myself at those moments- was it because I didn’t actually want what was made available to me? Was it because I was scared of change or of doing something that I didn’t really know how to do? Going somewhere different? Failing after taking the leap, preferring to stay with what was comfortable?
I’m always trying to evolve, to learn from each opportunity. Keep my head down, be ready when the “right place, right time” happens.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mariehines.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marie_hines
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2O8CMGDnzYHpcZOSNVoLdQ // https://open.spotify.com/artist/7MwboFnNvHagUzots37Pbm // https://open.spotify.com/artist/0MTQj6AkAsjqaxXHQNbK3N // https://open.spotify.com/artist/2ecMIWLmwxbQ9k21NSOro6 // https://open.spotify.com/artist/26xa64fS1k7Zl6yRUPrRki
