Rising Stars: Meet Chancie Neal

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chancie Neal. 

Hi Chancie, 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?
As a kid, I was a barrel racer so when I wasn’t competing, I was asking to sing the National Anthem and/or play sets at the competitions. I just loved singing. I started writing my own songs and took guitar lessons around that same time. I grew up in Louisiana and my family is close with the Robertsons from Duck Dynasty, so they suggested that I meet their friend, Luke Bryan, after he played the rodeo that I was going to in Mississippi when I was 13 years old. Luke asked me to grab my guitar and play a few songs. A few months later, he asked me to join his tour and I played Farm Tour, Tailgates & Tanlines Tour, and Spring Break Tour over the next seven years. 

I moved to Nashville with my mom and signed a deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2012, wrote “Ducks in a Row” for the show Duck Dynasty in 2013 and my song “Hairy Christmas” recorded by Luke Bryan went platinum in 2014. I opened for numerous artists, including Jake Owen, Chris Janson, Florida Georgia Line, and Pat Green, was part of the official CMA Fest lineup from 2013-16 and was featured at Tin Pan South from 2015-17. 

In 2019, I released my first single in six years, “Over You”, which notched over 25,000 streams on Spotify in less than six weeks without the help of an artist team. The song debuted on WSM Radio, home of the Grand Ole Opry, which kept the momentum going with almost 60,000 streams to date. A few months later, she began releasing singles from her “Thank Ya, Hank” EP, including “Neighbors”, “Rodeo Money” and her latest single, “Flowers Can’t Fix”. 

Also in 2019, I was a featured performer at WSM Radio’s CMA Fest events, played the Fiddler’s Grove Opry Stage at Wilson County Fair, was one of three female artists who played the Wild & Wonderful Country Fest, and performed at WSM Radio’s Inaugural Songwriters Night hosted by Devon O’Day and featuring Bobby Tomberlin and Erin Enderlin. I returned to my rodeo roots in October when I played at The All-American Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus and in December when I played two shows at the National Finals Rodeo in Vegas. 

Also in 2020, I was reunited with Luke to put down background vocals on his song “Where Are We Goin’”, which is featured on his latest album, “Born Here, Live Here, Die Here”, that was nominated for an ACM Award for Album of the Year. I also went back to my rodeo roots by playing several shows at the NFR in Fort Worth, Texas. 

I’m currently releasing new music and playing shows all across the country, including several times a week in Nashville and as the featured artist for the Nashville Road Show that brings artists in to play at fan fests for sporting events. I also performed at the inaugural Nashville Nights International Songwriters Festival in Denmark in September. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s never a smooth road, but that’s the best way to learn and grow. Earning the opportunity to play on Luke’s tours and being taken under the wing of Kerri Edwards at Sony at such a young age was amazing. When I was released from my deal with Sony years later, I was still very young so while I had a lot of industry experience, I wasn’t sure what to do next on my own. That’s why you see such a large gap between my days with Luke and releasing music in 2019. My social media was pretty quiet too. I was dedicating that time to writing songs, practicing guitar, and networking in the industry because my goal had always been to get a record deal. When I started to see the shift in how music was evolving, I started carving my own path. I went into the studio. I started posting on social media. I started booking small gigs around Nashville and my hometown. It was almost like I was starting over. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do? 

I’m proud of my rodeo roots. I am a true country girl, and you can hear that in my songs. Barrel racing as a kid prepared me for a life in country music. It was a lot of long days traveling through the night to get to the next rodeo. My work ethic comes from being a rodeo kid. And my love for Waffle House. 

As I continue to learn and grow, my show has changed. I’ve let my humor come out more on stage, so after shows, people don’t just compliment me on my music, but they tell me that I made them laugh. And that makes me happy. 

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Most people don’t know that I still hold the record as the youngest World Champion Barrel Racer. I’ve got the belt buckle to prove it! My younger sister, Chesnie, is also a barrel racer. We both trained under the legend Martha Josey at the Josey Ranch in Texas. Our worlds came together in August when I was playing a show at the Josey Ranch and Chesnie was running barrels there. I brought her up on stage to sing “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” with me because we also share the love of music. It was a special moment for sure. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.chancieneal.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chancieneal/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chancienealmusic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/chancieneal
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/chancieneal
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/chancie-neal
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5n5lzFwIYUxYlX09UUZAGT

Image Credits
Thomas Crabtree Photography
Tracie Hitz
Kerri Edwards
Mojo Flower Chick Photography
Chancie Neal
Sony