Gwen Sebastian
Nashville, Tennessee, United States | INDIE | AFTRA
Music
Press
Gwen Sebastian, the Midwestern raised singer, brings a captivating performance to the stage with a honeysuckle sweet personality. A talented songwriter and experienced entertainer, you’d never guess this sassy singer comes from such a dirt road background.
Growing up on a farm in Hebron, North Dakota with a population of under 800, she spent the summers rounding up cattle on the family ranch and tossing flour with her mom in the kitchen. Gwen and her younger brother are just two of 117 grandchildren; consequently, she had a captive audience when she started digging her heels in the music scene. “Before I could even walk, I would sit beneath the organ as my grandma played. I would watch her feet play the pedals,” recalls Gwen. When she was only 4 years old Gwen entered her first talent contest, by age 11 she became the local church organist, and by her early teens she was regularly performing on stages alongside her parents at local weddings, fairs and bars around North Dakota.
After high school, Gwen enrolled in nursing school, but quickly hung up her scrubs to pursue a career in music. During her first semester she attended a music conference in Nashville, and with the encouragement from several A&R representatives, Gwen decided to leave school and move to Nashville. “My first performance in Music City was at the famous Bluebird Café,” smiles Gwen. “It was at that moment when I knew I made the right decision.”
Once in Nashville, Gwen became a regular performer at the world-renowned Wildhorse Saloon, and moved on to play at fairs, festivals, casinos and clubs all over the country. She has opened for acts including Taylor Swift, Sugarland and Phil Vassar. She enjoys the creative songwriter community in Music City and the opportunity to co-write with hit songwriters including Wendell Mobley (Kenny Chesney’s “How Forever Feels,” Rascal Flatts’ “I Melt” and “Fast Cars and Freedom”) and Dean Miller (son of Roger Miller, King of the Road). “I want my fans to really connect with me and I feel that through my songwriting is the best way they can,” explains Gwen.
“Contemporary country with spunk” is how she would describe her music which features influential stylings from Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Pink and Sheryl Crow. Recently signed to Lofton Creek Records, Gwen is hoping to reach an even broader audience with her music. Her debut single, “Hard Rain,” was released to country radio in October 2009.
With what little spare time she has, Gwen enjoys cooking and spending time with her family and friends. “I love to eat almost as much as I love to sing,” laughs Gwen. “My band affectionately calls me ‘lunchbox.’” With a sound that deserves a home on country radio, the confidence to command a stage, and a natural talent that flows effortlessly to her audience, Gwen proves to have all the ingredients necessary to create a recipe for success.
That Nashville Sound- What brought you to music in the first place?
Gwen Sebastian- Ever since I was little, my mom said I would dance and sing, even when I couldn’t really talk. My parents were great mentors and having music in my household was a big influence. I love to harmonize and did that that early on with my parents. That’s probably why I am really drawn to “harmony” groups like the Eagles and Diamond Rio. Music is one of the only things in life that everyone can relate to.
TNS- Describe your music- what's the mission behind the music?
GS- My music is a representation of all of my musical influences, from Linda Ronstadt to Dolly Parton, to Pink, and also my life influences. I try to invoke positive life stories, but knowing that we all go through difficult times, allows me to write about that too. I want people to be “moved”; to either make them smile or make them cry.
TNS- What might people be surprised to find out about you?
GS- As much as I love being surrounded by people and having a good time, I can be a really good introvert. Give me a couch, some Doritos and a good suspense movie, and I’m in heaven. It also may surprise people to hear I was raised on a cattle farm in a town in North Dakota with a population less that 800!
TNS- What kind of music are you listening to? What's in your iPod?
GS- I get into a periods where I listen to one album for a month and then move onto another. Roseanne Cash, Stevie Wonder, Maroon 5, Diamond Rio, Beyonce, Dolly, Nickelback, Big & Rich, Audioslave, everything!
TNS- If you had a crystal ball and looked forward five years, what do you see for yourself?
GS- Performing at the Super Bowl! Lots and lots of charity work, especially for kids. - Nashville Sound
Gwen Sebastian describes her sound as “contemporary country music with spunk,” best evidenced by her latest single, “V.I.P. (Barefoot Girl).” Co-written by Sebastian with Brian Eckert and Dean Miller, the song’s lyrics paint a picture of her country roots. A North Dakota native who grew up in a town with a population of less than 800, Sebastian is a self-professed “barefoot girl.” Sebastian has recently been on the road visiting radio stations in support of this single.
Named as an “Artist to Watch” in 2010 by Country Weekly magazine, Gwen’s debut album on Open Road/Lofton Creek is slated for release on May 25th. The six song EP will feature “V.I.P. (Barefoot Girl)” as well as her debut single “Hard Rain.” - Music Row Magazine
Recently singled out by Country Weekly magazine as an “artist to watch in 2010,” Open Road/Lofton Creek Records artist Gwen Sebastian is starting to see her dreams come true. Her new single, “V.I.P. (Barefoot Girl),” moves up from No. 37 to No. 33 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout chart.
Raised in rural Hebron, North Dakota, and now living in Nashville while maintaining a heavy touring schedule, Sebastian can completely relate to “V.I.P. (Barefoot Girl),” which she wrote with Dean Miller (Terri Clark’s “A Little Gasoline” and Trace Adkins‘ “I’m Gonna Love You Anyway”) and Brian Eckert. When she sings, “I’m a barefoot girl walking in a high heel world,” she means it.
Sebastian and her band have a full schedule of summer tour dates with more than 30 shows in July and August. She’s also taking time to visit country radio stations along the way. She calls performing in front of a crowd “my favorite thing to do. That’s my outlet.”
“I want to make sure that everybody that comes out to see me has an experience, that they’re forgetting about everyday life,” Sebastian says. “When people are paying money to come see you, you have to make sure they’re getting something special. So I want to make sure they are part of the show, that each and every person feels like they are on stage with me, and that every song means something.”
- Music Row Magazine
Throughout this six-song
disc, Gwen’s sweet, energetic voice recalls a soulful Lee Ann Womack or Miranda Lambert. “V.I.P. (Barefoot Girl)” is Gwen’s calling card, an infectious, fiddle-infused stamp of approval for women who are barefoot girls in a high-heel world. There’s real grit behind Gwen’s girly voice, and it comes through on “Nothing,” in which the protagonist overcomes a bitter situation instead of wallowing in misery. With choices come consequences on “Hard Rain,” which follows two characters who unwisely abandon responsibility. On the subdued midtempo cut “Dirt Cheap,” she affirms the value of a woman whose man’s waning love threatens to reduce her to a “yard-sale special”: I used to be a diamond in your eyes . . . now it’s like I’m at a pawnshop waiting for you to trade something for me. Gwen’s sunny outlook returns in the guitar-driven closer, “Jump In.” A solid debut from a promising singer/songwriter. - Country weekly magazine
“Gwen is the best performer I’ve ever seen live. She’s very comfortable on stage and her music speaks to the heart of a country listener.”
Debbie Tannacore
Producer/Audio Engineer
CMT Radio Network-Nashville, Tennessee
“Gwen Sebastian and Breakaway is one of our highest drawing bands on the island. They have broken several of our lounge sales records and can entertain anyone from the age of 5 to 95. All four members know how to sing and entertain and have always been very professional and easy to work with. I highly recommend them to any venue.”
Daniel Salazar
General Manager
Radisson Resort-South Padre Island, Texas
“Gwen and her band ‘Breakaway’ have been playing with us for the past two years. She puts on an entertaining show and never ceases to impress us with her range of vocal talent. Gwen is always punctual and in good spirits. We would highly recommend Gwen Sebastian to anyone looking for a talented performer”
Scott Cange
Entertainment Coordinator
Ameristar Casino-St. Charles, Missouri
“I would like to take this opportunity to say how pleased the Wildhorse Saloon has been with the performances. Gwen and her crew strive for excellence and conduct themselves with integrity both on-stage and off. Gwen draws your attention like a magnet and her range of depth will exceed your expectations.”
Don Graham
General Manager
Wildhorse Saloon-Nashville, Tennessee
- Buyers
Discography
Album - Invitation 2006
Album - Christmas in July 2008
Album - Push Play 2009
Album - V.I.P {E.P} 2010
Singles - Hard Rain ,V.I.P. and Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
Photos
Bio
Bullet Points
#43 Billboard "Hard Rain" 2010
#1 "Hard Rain" Independent Country charts
#41 Billboard "V.I.P {Barefoot Girl}" 2010
"Artist to Watch" Country Weekly 2010
"V.I.P {Barefoot Girl}" featured on G.A.C, C.M.T and M.T.V.com
Bio
My motto is, Dont settle, Gwen Sebastian declares. Dont give in. If
youre not liking what youre doing in your life, youre not going to be the
person you want to be.
Thats the guiding principle that led Sebastian to leave her tiny rural
hometown to go for broke in the topsy-turvy Nashville music world. Its what
led her to spend the last several years paying her dues entertaining crowds all over the country, earning one
fan at a time the old-fashioned way. And its what shaped the full, rich musical personality heard on her
new six song EP from Open Road Records titled V.I.P.
Its a lesson she learned as a kid, growing up on a farm about 15 miles down a dirt road in the southwestern
North Dakota town of Hebron (population: 800). Her house was filled with musicher father played guitar
and fiddle, her mother played bass, and both were singers; her younger brother played drums. She took
piano lessons as a child, and by 11 replaced her cousin as the organist at her little country church. The
impulse toward entertaining came early and easily. Ever since I was little I put on shows in the living
room and tried to perform, recalls Sebastian, whose early favorites were harmony-centric acts like the
Everly Brothers, Alabama and the Eagles.
She dreamed of making music her life, but wasnt sure how to make that happen. I always wanted to do
something like this, she says. When youre a kid you think its definitely going to happen, but when you
get into high school you think, Maybe I should go to college. Im a planner. I always have to have a
backup plan. She went to college, then lasted a semester at a nursing school in Bismarck, N.D., before the
lure of her musical dream became simply too strong to resist.
Once she made the move to Nashville, Sebastian found work as a property manager (helping people get
their toilets fixed and collecting rent, she says). She began learning her way around the business, writing
with some of country musics greatest tunesmiths and earning her stripes on the stage. Rather than play
local showcases and writers nights like most aspiring artists in Music City, Sebastian took to the road. She
played her own shows, as well as opening for acts like Taylor Swift, Sugarland and Phil Vassar. Thats
something that not a lot of artists get to do, she says. I was able to actually make a career out of that. I
didnt have to have a day job, and I could be a songwriter on the side. I was lucky that way. But make no
mistake about it, Gwen Sebastian made her own luck. Theres a lot of talented people out there, but youve
gotta work too, she notes. Sometimes you dont realize that until you get into it.
Sebastians debut release from Open Road Records is an EP that offers a compact but comprehensive
introduction to the many facets of Gwen Sebastians talents. She co-wrote four of the six tracks, including
the single and title cut V.I.P (Barefoot Girl). Its something I wrote with Dean Miller and Brian Eckert,
she says of the song. Its about how different my life was growing up in North Dakota versus if I had
grown up somewhere like L.A. Its about how you remember your roots, and you always go back to them.
The other tracks also reflect Sebastians personality and sensibilities. The breakup ballad Nothing, she
says, is really about getting off the couch. Theres things in life youre going to go through, and you cant
just sit around doing nothing. Youve got to keep on going. The driving Feel Your Love is about taking a
chance on romance, but its themes are far larger. Its about not being afraid to take the big plunge and give
in to love, she says. But for me its also about going out on the road and pursuing my dreams, while
realizing there might be something back home thats worth having as well.
Sebastian has worked hard in pursuit of her dreams, and now that theyre in sight she has no intention of
stopping. She hopes to one day earn the level of respect afforded her heroes, artists like Dolly Parton, Linda
Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt and Sheryl Crow. So far, its pretty darn cool whats happened in my life, she
says. But I definitely have some big goals. She wont settle for less.
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