“Validated” is how Brandy Clark describes her feelings these days. She’s thrilled that listeners are responding to 12 Stories since its release in 2013 on the indie label Slate Creek Records, and is happy that even more will have the opportunity to hear it thanks to its recent re-release via Warner Bros. Records.
In November, Clark signed a deal with Warner Bros. in Los Angeles — ironically, not Warner Music Nashville according to Rolling Stone.
Clark’s manager Emilie Marchbanks comments “We didn’t have a choice in Nashville,” she says of cementing a long-term agreement with Warner Bros., home to artists from Stevie Nicks to Jason Derulo.
Marchbanks believes Clark’s music transcends the country tag and is a natural fit at the iconic label. “They heard it and freaked out. It’s like the Dixie Chicks — people would say, ‘I don’t like country music, but I like the Dixie Chicks.’ Their albums crossed over, because they were so good. And that’s what Brandy is like.”
Every minute these days is of the essence for Clark. It took years for her to become one of Nashville’s most in-demand songsmiths — she recently won the Country Music Association’s “Song of the Year” trophy for Kacey Musgraves’ “Follow Your Arrow” — and all of a sudden, in her late 30s, she has become one of the genre’s most acclaimed newcomers, reaping Grammy nominations for “Best New Artist” and “Best Country Album” for her full-length debut, 12 Stories.
Clark certainly has her work cut out for her in 2015, penning both her first major-label album and a Broadway musical based on the TV show Hee Haw. She’s also joining another legendary country songwriter, Alan Jackson, on his 25th anniversary tour, which hits the USF Sun Dome on Friday.
The 2015 Grammys have been set for February 8th. CBS will broadcast the awards show live.
