“The genre has opened up, I really believe. We have the Taylor Swift side and the Toby Keith side, which are wildly different. And then the Keith Urban kind of Coldplay-esque show and the live thing. So it’s really nice that I feel like no matter who you are, you can find something in country music that you love today. Whether you are a beer-drinking redneck or a Gucci/New York/Madison Avenue woman, there really is something for everyone, finally. I feel like we really didn’t have that in the Nineties, that it was all the country-bumpkin, sequins-and-cowboy boots kind of lifestyle. So I hope that it’s opened up enough and I hope there’s a place for me in there.”
Speaking of competition, Holly recognizes the impact of the Miley Cyrus-Taylor Swift phenomenon.
“In the beginning, I wasn’t a huge fan of Taylor’s. I didn’t really not like her but it didn’t just really thrill me. I always thought it was great that she wrote her own songs and have a lot of respect for her after that. But I have to admit "Love Story" has kind of won me over. I’m obsessed with the song and I sing it in karaoke sometimes. I think that her and Miley, even though it’s not what I would necessarily maybe listen to, I think that they’ve had a great – well, especially Taylor, I don’t know much about Miley, I know more about Taylor’s – work ethic. She is always on her MySpace pages and updating and talking to fans and doing 20-hour autograph sessions and I really think that she’s paid her dues.
“I don’t know as much about Miley Cyrus’ music, but I do think that they have been able to bring in younger audiences to country. And open up the genre a little more. I think we needed that. So many of the country listeners were the 35-plus group and there really was no one to represent the younger ones.
And, you know, young girls, I’m 28 but when I was 18, I would have loved to hear those songs that Taylor’s writing about ... the boyfriends and the tears and all those things you go through when you’re a teenager. And I think that she probably has a very bright career ahead of her and that there will be a place for her. But I think a lot of people had a hard time with it in the beginning. They feel like, ‘Oh, this isn’t real country, this is pop.’ And, obviously, it is produced pretty pop and all that. But I do think she’s kind of helped the country music genre, just to be one more different character in a bunch of superstars.”
Article comments
1 - dtwsfan
Nice feature and love Holly's detailed comments. Hope her new album succeeds and there's a place for her in country music.
2 - ashley
Very interesting interview. Really enjoyed reading about those that inspired her.