Stephanie Quayle is talented, well spoken, and beautiful. Dedicated to her music, and a genuine Montana country girl, she is the one to watch as the newest rising Country Music star to hit the scene in Nashville. She grew up on a farm right outside Bozeman and her brand spankin’ new EP, ‘Stand Back’ was featured by Billboard and released on August 6th. ‘Stand Back’ features the title track single and is set to hit the radio waves soon. She has performed at the 2012 and 2013 CMA Music Fest as well as the Sundance Film Festival. Bozeman Magazine was lucky enough to catch up with the rising superstar and get to know her a little better, ask her a few questions about her early years and her path to success, as well as a few fun personal questions.

Bozeman Magazine:
Where were you born?

Stephanie Quayle: Bozeman, at Bozeman Deaconess Hospital.

BM: Who were your musical influences growing up?
SQ: My family had a strong work ethic as I was growing up and we always had chores to do around the farm; mucking out the stalls, cleaning the barn or taking care of the random animals that we acquired so often. I didn’t have much time to listen to anything except what was playing on the AM radio as I did the chores. There was always a country station playing, so I grew up listening to the old classic country: George Jones, Patsy Cline, The Judds.

BM: Do you play any instruments?
SQ: I learned to play the piano at age four from my Gramma Katherine. She was one tough cookie and taught me, as well all my brothers, how to play. I also play guitar and taught myself at age 15 on a black Charvel that I bought myself at a pawn shop on Main Street. I play my guitar on stage but have yet to introduce my piano. I have that in the plans though.

BM: For lack of a better term, how did you get ‘discovered’?
SQ: (Laughs) Well, I consider it more of an ‘in process’ type of thing. I moved to Nashville in the fall of 2011 to focus solely on my music. I had to do a gut check to be prepared for the move, as I knew Nashville is where I had to be to push my music, and I also knew it would be a tough process. I prepared emotionally and mentally, and I believe my hard work ethic, my ‘how ever long it takes to get it done’ attitude, really made it easier to transition. Interestingly, in the fall of 2012, my manager, Dale, saw potential and came out of retirement to work with me. It was awesome because it all started over a breakfast meeting with him in Big Sky. In early 2013, we made it official.

BM: I have read that you love song writing. How do you approach the process?
SQ: I do love song writing. To me, it is all about telling a story, sharing moments, creating memories. There is magic in song writing. I will start out with trying different strumming patterns on my guitar. Or when I play the piano, I get lost in the music. And to be honest, (another giggle) much of my inspiration for new songs comes to me in the shower. In this business you have to be ‘all in’. You have to write your own songs that tell your own story; it is what makes you unique. Being true to me and true to my voice makes my music authentic. I find it amazing to be able to share this journey with people. Inspiring others inspires me. We are all in this together, and I want my music to reflect that.

BM: There is a tour in the works; can you tell us more about it? And where are you particularly excited about going?
SQ: Yes. We will first do a radio tour starting in September through October and go all across the nation to play acoustic for the stations. And, being from the West, I am excited to tour the North Eastern states. Montana is so expansive you can drive all day and still be in the state. Up in the North East the states are so close together you can be in a different one within an hour or so. I think that will be fun to experience. After the radio tour, we will do a live tour at venues within a 200 mile radius of Nashville. Then, hopefully, in December, around Christmas Stroll time, I will be able to make it back to Montana and do a home coming show in Bozeman. I really want that to happen. Bozeman is my family. I miss it.

BM: Now these questions are just for fun to get to know the ‘real’ Stephanie. Tell us your favorites. Favorite truck?
SQ: Ford F-150, but an old one. Like the boxier version.

BM: Favorite Animal?
SQ: My dog, ‘Mijo’. But I love horses.

BM: Favorite Food?
SQ: I always eat healthy, but when I don’t, when I want some junk food, I love, love, love pizza. But I don’t just eat one slice; I can really tear it up!

BM: Favorite current Country Artists? Male and female?
SQ: I love artists that love what they do, don’t take themselves too seriously, and can have fun. Right now it would have to be Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert. And currently the ratio of men in Country Music outweighs the women. I am going to change that.

BM: Any advice for new artists?
SQ: It is important to know what you want. You have to really want to be in this business. It can’t be a ‘one foot in, one foot out’ kind of attitude. There is a business side to the music industry that can be very intense. You have to have a thick skin, be able to handle a lot of criticism. I have a great team of people around me that kind of shield me from that. For me, there is nothing else that I would rather do than music. My wish is to leave a legacy of music behind that people will want to listen to for decades to come. I want to grow old in my career, until my very last breath.

Check out Stephanie’s EP ‘Stand Back’ on Amazon, her website: Stephaniequayle.com, Spotify, and Pandora. Look for it in mid September on XM Radio.

Best of luck to you Stephanie! Thanks for sharing with us and we hope to see you in Bozeman in December!

Stacey Faldetta is a freelance writer currently living in MT with her four children. She is working on her first book of compiled poetry called ‘A Thousand Little Sparks’ and enjoys travelling extensively around our breath taking state enjoying all that the Big Sky Country has to offer. She can be reached at mtcinnamon73@gmail.com