100TH EPISODE! With Country Artist, Mae Estes [SEASON FINALE]
It is time to celebrate ya’ll! It’s Up N Country’s 100th Episode and our Season Finale!! Mae Estes joins us to talk about her Grand Ole Opry debut, her love of Keith Whitley and bell bottoms!
Sue Bonzell
She’s got a new EP out and she is fresh off the Grand Ole Opry. Stage. I’m excited that Mae Estes is here. What’s up, girl?
Mae Estes
Hi, how are you?
Sue Bonzell
I’m fantastic, man. Big news for you lots going on.
Mae Estes
We got some catching up to do I know. Well, yours is yes. It’s
Sue Bonzell
been a minute. I really, really want to hear about the opry
Mae Estes
man ah, have not found the words. Still a month later. I’ve been joking with everybody in my community in Nashville that it’s all downhill from here. Oh, because the opry has been my number one goal on my bucket list. I mean, since for as long as I can remember. So literally my whole life. That’s just what I was raised to believe. The heart and soul country music lived at the Grand Ole Opry. And so that has been the end game, you know, my whole time in Nashville. So I could not believe that it happened. But my dear friend and collaborator, Josh mfine, who plays the Dobro with me, if you’ve seen any of my videos with dobro, we got to go play the opry holiday party for their staff of cool. And so that was at Nissan and we performed, I think, a 30 minute set. And I was just flattered to have gotten to be involved in that. And I used to work at the opry so that’s why I had the connection and it made a little bit more sense. When I first got to town I worked in the opera shop. And I was so not expecting genuinely like I just I had met the opry Team A week before and just did not expect things to move that quickly. So I wasn’t expecting it at all. And we were finishing our set and I was literally walking off the stage and Josh didn’t walk with me and I was like what are you doing? happening? And then Josh starts giving a speech and Josh is an incredible guy but he is not known for being eloquent with his words you dang near have to mute a mic. And he starts bragging on me and, you know, talking about my journey and I was like, oh, no, it’s just one of those. You’re so happy it’s happening but you’re just like, I’m gonna crawl into a hole. I don’t know how to feel. And so he made the ask and it ended up being on my I only have one nephew so far. And he turned one on my Opry debut. Yay. So they said March 4, and I was like, Oh my gosh, that’s Lincoln’s birthday. Anyways, the whole state of Arkansas pretty much got to come. And I’m so grateful for so much support from my family. And yeah, people from all over came we had a I have a little Swedish family. I’ve built it here because Sweden and they came over no kid came all the way from Sweden to my Aubrey de mi. Oh, it was everything I dreamed it would be. We got to film my Opry debut with the circle network. So there were cameras in my face all day long. So that was a little weird to navigate. But it was it was everything Miss Janie Seeley was love. I mean, he’s been a massive hero of mine. I mean, the first female to host the Grand Ole Opry is you know, she’s she has beat down every door that I’ve gotten to walk through and I’m aware of that and so she sat me down and gave me some words of wisdom before I got to perform and I got to meet Mark wills who is another incredible love his influence of mine and still sings like a bell it’s just it was so cool to get to meet him. The Isaacs were playing that night so I mean unbelievable talent. It was just it was incredible Mike Terry saying my name was something that I dreamed up so long it’s just so weird like that’s my name coming out of his mouth that he you know, he
Sue Bonzell
announces that is so
Mae Estes
all my heroes, but I am chomping at the bit to get back. Oh, I bet I’m showing up every day outside their door like y’all need to buy tonight like exactly. Once I’ll have the song just a
Sue Bonzell
chorus just stepping in the circle. Well, I have to say that the outfit that you were wearing for the opry was on point some smokin hot girl thank you so purple, that the body suit with the bell bottoms. I’m like, damn, I mean that just like you can’t forget that.
Mae Estes
I felt like a million bucks. I’ll tell you what, I hate clothes. And I hate hair and makeup. I’m the worst girl that there is. But I felt like a rock star looked like it. And Miss Loretta Harper was who we hired. This was my first time to hire stylist and so I felt real fancy but she took care of me and made me feel like a million bucks. And it was funny because Miss Jeannie Seely posted pictures of me and her on Facebook after which I mean my head cannot get blown up anymore. I’m just at all none of this injuries. And her comment section people were given me all kinds of crud on outfit. Oh, well, that’s the nicest word I could think. And every inch of my body He was covered was a Dt V and I guess they were which I’m not big chested. So it wasn’t I don’t understand. But anyways, they were still giving me like that’s so disrespectful to country music. I was like, I didn’t even get a spray tan because that’s how much of my body was covered. But anyways, it’s just funny that you’re like, it was so great. You look so great. Oh,
Sue Bonzell
I’m, I’m sorry. I think you looked amazing. And you know what? You haven’t made it until you got real haters. Yeah, that’s
Mae Estes
true. Come on, right all about 100 years old anyway. Ladies, you can’t you gotta tell me you never went out without a bra on or something? That’s
Sue Bonzell
right. Yeah, tell those secrets. I’d love to live now we get to talk a little bit more and more about the fashion because you wear a lot of the bell bottoms. And I gotta ask I mean, who were in first lady or may
Mae Estes
Oh, I am happy to be second to Laney any day. I’ve been in meetings talking about her all morning today and I I think Lainey is blazing a trail for artists like myself and I have nothing but respect for her. She’s also been so kind to me any interactions we’ve had, she’s, she’s got that mentor, big sister, kind of attitude and just support to everyone around her. So I am happy to be a copycat of any day. I think Lainey and I are just built kind of similar. She’s got it. She’s got the dump truck lock down. No competition here. But definitely just curvy real women. It feels like she’s comfortable in her own skin. And you can see that in what she wears and how she carries herself and I would like to think of myself that way. So bell bottoms just kind of flatter your figure when you’re curvy or you go and so I kind of lean towards them but um but yeah, definitely not trying to step on any toes and I don’t think line is threatened by any anybody or any amazing. Exactly. She probably is just spreading the bell bottom
Sue Bonzell
love. Oh, absolutely. Well, that’s her whole her whole album the bail bond contrast. You’re embracing the bail bond happy
Mae Estes
to get to where I’m in an industry where Laney exists. Exactly, exactly.
Sue Bonzell
So um, so more on the opera. You know, I I always like to go and look at your socials and things like that. And I saw one little clip at a mall. And there’s May at the Nashville palace in her purple outfit dancing on the dance floor. Like that is awesome. Like was that like the after celebration for you?
Mae Estes
So we did a little after party at the palace because the palace and scoreboard are my favorite places in town. So that’s the National Palace and scoreboard, Bar and Grill and they’re in like music Valley is what we call that area. It’s over by the Grand Ole Opry. And it’s pretty much a time capsule. It’s just kind of frozen in time. You got the Fiddler’s in over there. And that’s what I love about it. It feels like the closest thing. I’m obsessed with the movie Urban Cowboy. Oh, right. And so the closest thing to Gillies right for me are those honky tonks that are in music Valley. But anyway, so I love the palace and we walk next door pretty much after the opera and all my family got to hang out and I had my friends Old Hickory, which are new trio in town, everybody definitely needs to be checking out old hickory, but asked them to play the event. So they were killer music and I mostly was taking pictures and hanging out and seeing people I hadn’t seen in forever so I didn’t get to dance. As much as I did see your dance though. You weren’t a dancer, my daddy and I got to dance with my husband. And there you go. I’ll take that.
Sue Bonzell
I love that. Okay, so new EP, this exciting. First one, right? First one, just one. So you’ve been working on music, you’ve been pumping it out. You had some some pretty good success with roses. Yes, that was one of your original songs is that on the EP,
Mae Estes
it’s not on the EP, it breaks my heart that it isn’t because I love that song. And I think it has a whole other life at some point. But that was the one that that broke, broke me, I would say to a whole new audience Tiktok really just grabbed on to it. And I think it was a fresh sound coming out of Nashville that sounded a little different than everything else. And some content that people could shy away from, you know, just, you know, saying it like you want to and so I’m so proud to have been a part of that song. But that definitely set the precedents I think for my EP and some of those songs are, you know, five or six years old. And some of them we wrote on the the month before we went into the studio and I was like, I don’t need any more songs. I have all these great songs. And my publishers were like, Well, do you want to go try one last, you know, intentional retreat for him. And I was like, whatever. Yeah, I don’t know what you’re doing. And sure enough, got it. I quit smoking we actually wrote and I was like, Oh, this has got to go on there. So I can’t believe it. I’ve genuinely been working towards that project my entire life.
Sue Bonzell
That’s so cool. Now okay, so the chainsaw. Yeah. Okay, I need to know about this song. Like, did you write it with someone because I know you’re, you’re very happily married and so This is a whole cheating song. And I’m like, Well, what is going on here with me? I need to hear about it. Gotta keep
Mae Estes
you on your toes. All right? That’s my whole brand. I was genuinely having a conversation with my husband. We got married in 2020. So we were literally newlyweds and having some deep, honest conversations, because, I mean, that’s kind of I have those with strangers that I mean, I dive in pretty deep quickly. But uh, I was talking about how I didn’t think I would be the person to cheat on anybody, because I am so direct and honest and communicative. So I’m like, if I ever feel the need, I’m gonna let you know like that I’m having this feeling because who else to help you with feelings that you have as a human, you just then then your spouse, your partner that you’re in this commitment with. And so I don’t know I was we were on Zoom for the ride. It was either during 2020 or early 2021, where everyone’s still trying to figure it out. And I had never met Alex Klein, who was one of the CO writers, but she is the first female producer to have solo female producer to have a number one single at Radio, country radio. So she is already a force and a big inspiration of mine. And then one of my best friends mentors and longtime collaborators, Autumn McIntyre. So autumn and I have a special thing going already. And Alex was so down to chase it with us, which was amazing. And so I pitched the idea was like, how would this conversation go? If, you know, I was talking about this with my husband? How would this conversation go? You set him down? I was like, actually, I’ve been thinking about cheating. And like, yes. And not in a condescending way in a helped me with these feelings. Something is empty here. That’s why my attention has been drawn elsewhere. And do you even care? Like, is this just an emptiness here? And I think the bridge of the song saves it for me where you’re like, does it break your heart? You know, do you do you even care? So that lets you know, let the listener know that there is something missing from that marriage? And it’s not. This woman is not trying to just right start shit for better lack of a better word, but you know, so it’s funny how it’s perceived by everyone differently. And I love that that’s what music is about. Exactly. So there are people we joke about Judy from Tik Tok. She was one of my first haters when I shared the song.
Sue Bonzell
Oh, we even know her name her first. Oh, yeah, from tic tac. Yeah,
Mae Estes
I had to have her username. So nobody would go after her because I got some crazy family. But no, she she was like, Oh, I never listened to your music. And you sang that song. And it’s like, okay, Judy, well, you didn’t listen. So that’s fine. You know? So if people are like, Oh, it’s that’s horrible, saying you didn’t you didn’t listen to it. And that’s all right. But send it to somebody and talk crap about me and spread the word at least please.
Sue Bonzell
And that’s why I had like, Okay, I gotta hear the whole story about this whole thing. Yeah. So
Mae Estes
it’s meant to be a deeper, thought provoking song, you know, like, what if, what if we all respected each other enough, especially our spouses to have hard conversations, instead of taking the betrayal route, you know, it’s because it sucks a lot more. I’ve never cheated. And I’ve never been cheated on locally. But I would imagine that hurts just as much, if not more than, you know, having that conversation and uncomfortable conversation with somebody. So that’s where it’s coming from. And I have a catalog full of songs that have that same, same kind of context. And I say, My brand is uncomfortable country and make somebody uncomfortable. I am stocking up on songs like
Sue Bonzell
that. Oh, I like it. I like that. So now, a lot of your music and your style is it’s kind of like a throwback. It’s like a throwback sound. But it’s current country. So I think sometimes it’s like, if you listen to your song, if you didn’t know country, you might listen to some of your music and be like, is that an older song? Which I love that because I think that everybody right now is really gravitating toward a lot of the older country. You know, people go, Oh, I like real country, you know, like the 90s. And I’m like, yeah, uh huh. Like we go, we go back a little further than that. But I love your sound because I feel like it’s it kind of is almost like, you know, honoring that sound in today’s country music.
Mae Estes
Yeah. And that’s a humongous compliment to me. So thank you so much for seeing it that way. But also, I mean, I get that a lot. And it’s funny because I have no, there is no method to the madness. You know, it is what it is. And I’m so flattered that that is how it’s perceived, especially that the industry is now cycling back towards a more traditional sound. I’m never the one that’s going to say this is country this isn’t country. I think genres are, you know, meant to be suggestive and help, help, you know, categorize it in some sort of way. But if somebody believes in what they’re performing and what they’re singing and what they’re writing, that means it deserves a place and in my opinion, and I do think we’ve lost A lot of us authenticity and we’re chasing, chasing the dollar more than the meaning of songs like we used to. So I hope that that changes as we go through the industry. But I genuinely felt kinda like an outsider for a lot of my time in Nashville because I did have so many traditional roots, but partnering up with my producer, Paul Sykes, he’s a hit writer and a great friend. And we’ve been writing great songs forever. partnering up with him really brought a modern twist that I think I would have been missing. Because I genuinely barely listened to the radio, I listened to it, you do what you’re saying, right now, I’m still stuck on the jugs. And you know, and that’s where I want to live. And I think that’s where those influences show through in just organically in what I do. And then I’m lucky to be surrounded by people in Nashville and being here, you know, over seven years now, I have a crew of people who helped make that current and commercial and are helping me build a massive platform to truly make a difference with music.
Sue Bonzell
I love it, which is what you should be doing with music and that is the message is the story. It’s paly rangering. Yep. So and of course, country music depends on its fans. Yes, y’all got a fan club. And I love the name. Fan Club. It’s the maniacs. I mean, how cute is that? Right. I got it. Right. And you’ve got some really cool merch. Yeah. You got some new merch right
Mae Estes
now? Yeah. So my husband coined that term. Okay, he gets credit for it. Oh, he is very quiet and likes to be behind the scenes and he’s trying to be Dolly Parton’s kind of husband he said out of the out of this, the spotlight but he coined that term. And it’s been so fun ever since because I think we are my brand in general, I hope is to encourage everyone to be comfortable being themselves and feel safe. And leave everything else that’s so complicated about the world around us and be in the moment with the music and so that’s definitely the brand and I think being called crazy. A lot of those people fit into that. So the maniacs thing is really fun for me. But I really enjoy merch in general. First of all, it’s the only way to stay afloat as an independent artist. Most of the time, when we’re touring and taking gigs, it’s unbelievably hard to break even much less profit. And that when you’re spending that much time and energy on it is your full time job. So you have to pay your bills and take care of your family and things like that with it. And so merch is that tool, where people are able to support an artist financially but also not just throw money at an empty you know, right at something empty and you also are a walking billboard. Yes. So that merch I started learning to give it away more than I used to, because frugal me at first was like, Oh, I’m gonna I’m gonna live under a bridge. Um, but it’s crazy. I’ll see. I mean, I have my face on T shirts and sweetening so cool.
Sue Bonzell
This week and connection. I love that
Mae Estes
I’m too small town to even believe that’s real. But so we have family in Sweden now. And anyways, yeah, I really enjoy the march part. I do a lot of the designing and stuff myself and I hope to stay heavily involved in that throughout my career because it’s
Sue Bonzell
a cool outlet for me. So not only do you have like the T shirts, like you know, most people have the T shirts and things like that. But you’ve got like the car freshener. Yeah. Like the car fresh. I’m like, That’s awesome. Yeah. And then you got the stickers. Tell me about the stickers.
Mae Estes
So the stickers were kind of the easiest, like small commitment to start where you don’t have to spend a ton of money when you’re buying a shirt right stock you have to invest and it is intimidating to invest in yourself as like, Do people really want my face on their chest? Yes, that mad you shirt because we’re gonna be stuck with on T shirts. If not. So the stickers are a great way to start out small and not be in the hole a whole lot but
Sue Bonzell
but what’s on the stickers though? Well, that’s the thing that I love.
Mae Estes
Another thing was it being financially easy as you can make several more designs and so that’s what we did. We picked up some some of my lyrics for my songs and my backside is my best shot is one of my best selling ones. It’s a peach. And it says my backside is my best job which is lyrics to an earlier song that I released 2019 Maybe 2020 But it’s still a live show. necessity. It’s so much fun. You’ve
Sue Bonzell
got one with the the mouth was Oh yeah. So
Mae Estes
my I had one of my best friends literally since kindergarten. Her name is Jordan Arrington and she works in design. So I was like, hey, I really want to make a logo representative of like, my imperfections when it comes to I have a gap. So it’s hilarious that people are like gang and when they say my music or they feel seen and I’m like yeah, imperfect teeth Let’s go. And and I make really ugly faces when I sing which is something that My mom has always been like, you look so mad and like, Why do you make this face? I guess I guess I am a little mad. Apparently I have some anger built up. But also I just feel it. I’m just genuinely taken out of the spot that I’m in when I’m singing, and I go somewhere else. And I just make the ugliest stank faces and I snarl and so that’s what we got is a little a little twist on the Rolling Stones, you know, tongue and lip and all of that. So it’s a snarl with a gap and some crooked teeth. And I love it. I love it.
Sue Bonzell
I also like saying, I mean, that’s what I wanted to bring it up. Yeah, I don’t think I’ve talked to anybody about merch before I really Yeah. Because I just think that’s pretty cool. Thank you. I’m like, she’s telling some different stuff. And you’re just making it fun. Like you said, it’s real. It’s authentic. And yeah, mix feels make people, people feel included. If you
Mae Estes
can learn to love yourself. And that includes loving anything that somebody else could say is wrong with you. It is the most incredible peaceful feeling. And I did not get here on my own and I am not fully there, you can hurt my feelings very much I’m a human are. But getting to know myself has been the best thing that I could ever do in this career. Because you can’t tell me what’s wrong with me. Trust me. That’s the best. You should really know me on. You should live with me. Like I’m gonna live with me all the time. It’s, I know exactly what’s wrong with me. But yeah, I just hope that, you know, if it’s one person out there who’s like, oh, this thing feels like it’s my weakness. And it’s like, nope, use it as your strength. Absolutely. It makes you different. And that truly is what I think the best people are different.
Sue Bonzell
Yeah. Yeah. Why would you want to be like anybody else? Right? I don’t know. Exactly. Well, are you ready to play some music for us? Let’s go. Okay, great. So we’re gonna take a little break. And if you would like to see me play her latest song, you can click the link in the description. And when we come back we are going to play my world famous game truth or truth it’s truth or truth. Okay, it’s time for truth or truth may ask this is in the studio and ready to play the game aren’t you may Here we go. Okay, go ahead and pick a question. And then you’re gonna read it out loud. And then just tell us what you think.
Mae Estes
Which musical genre do you dislike the most? Well, I was just on my soapbox about genre Azar. Um, personally, I’m going to say like some screamo okay, that stuff I got a real short radar on or tolerance for that. I can only take a little bit of the time. So I’m a big fan of Hardy and hardy. He’s in his little screamo era. Right? And so I’m trying to respect that and be like, that’s really cool. And it’s working for him. But yeah, I can only take just about the amount that Hardy does any of the screen metal that is just out of my
Sue Bonzell
realm. You and I can hang out and listen to country music 24/7
Mae Estes
And there Yeah, that genre is doing just fine with me talking crap. So yeah, I feel good about it. Are
Sue Bonzell
our producer Ryan here? That is his all time favorite. Get it? Right and let me tell you sometimes I’m like, I have got a headache. I can’t do it either.
Mae Estes
I mean, even with bluegrass I listen to bluegrass a lot and my husband’s like, like I don’t need to hear a banjo for another month. So anything right? Yes, too much. Exactly.
Sue Bonzell
Exactly. Okay, well Fair enough. Fair enough.
Mae Estes
That’s gonna write me somehow
Sue Bonzell
No, I think you’re good.
Mae Estes
What was your first car man? I wish I still driver my first car. That’s how cheap I am. i My parents bought me my first car it was a 2003 Honda Civic. Oh, okay. And those things don’t die. Almost killed it before how to get rid of it. I yeah, I got it when I just had my permit so 15 and then had it through let’s see I bought I drive a Jeep Renegade now which is like the tiny box car but it parallel partially nice. But anyways, I drove this literally till the none of the doors would lock I crushed the right front fender on late night and the floorboards held water because there was a leak somewhere. Like I said, it wouldn’t lock so that was dangerous. So yeah, I think I bought my car in 2018 So I drew you
Sue Bonzell
do that for a long time? Absolutely. And what color was it?
Mae Estes
Silver so we called it the silver bullet silver bullet. I was gonna I was gonna ask was there a name? I’ve never wasted any time getting anywhere I’m going so that little thing was down a gravel road not independent. Did chap call my guns to go get me out? Anyway, so I’m Not that I’ve gotten any better driving, but I do thrive in Nashville where everyone is a crazy driver. Yeah, aggressively like get in where you fit in. So
Sue Bonzell
yeah, I had to learn how to drive out here. Yeah, I mean, I do okay, but it’s, it’s like,
Mae Estes
stupid but it’s every man for himself. So just watch everyone around you.
Sue Bonzell
Okay, cool. Well now we know what kind of car there you go. Alright, we’ll do one more. All right.
Mae Estes
It’s making me nervous. Have you ever been fired from a job? Um, no, I’ve never been fired from a job. But I did have a temp job when I first moved to Nashville which I don’t know how common it is to know what a temp agency is. Sometimes when you’re trying I guess you’re in between jobs or I just gotten to Nashville new no one here was like what do I even do? And so it’s an agency that will hook you up with some positions that need to temporarily be filled. And so I did things like I worked at the front desk at Sony for two weeks not hilarious I was brand new to town and like I went on a cruise and I’m just like, share like write down these phone numbers. Right shouldn’t have been doing something to help myself here and too early to even know. And part of that was working at a steel company in Nashville and I did that for three months and so after the three months they got to choose if they wanted to continue like officially hire me or not and they chose not to so that’s that’s about as close as getting fired I guess as I’ve gotten but it was very clear I was not committed to their company and I was committed to living 100 miles away from my family to play music and not to work at there still.
Sue Bonzell
Well thanks me for being here today playing the game playing the song doing the interview. So fun. Yes. Thank you for having absolutely absolutely make sure you follow may Estes on all the socials and we’ll see on the next one. Thanks for watching up in country be sure to like and subscribe and leave us a comment. We do new episodes every Tuesday and be sure to follow up and country on Instagram Tik Tok and Facebook and you can follow me to add Sue Bonzell on Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok.
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