Savannah Keyes

Savannah Keyes wants the world to know who she is in three minutes or less.

The Nashville transplant is no stranger to the hard work it takes to make a name for yourself. Born near the sunny beaches of San Diego, Savannah spent much of her youth watching her mother take on the responsibilities of a mother and a father, after her biological father took off when she was four months old. Her mom did everything she could to carve out a life for the two of them, working three jobs and shuffling between rundown apartments and her grandparents place, surviving on food stamps and hard work.

“You know those really pivotal moments that are ingrained in you? There’s this memory I have of us on the side of the freeway because our car was impounded and towed,” Savannah reflects. “It was just my mom and I, I was in a car seat, and she didn’t have a cell phone. We were sitting there for hours after walking to find a payphone to call my grandparents. It was one of those moments where I realized how hard my mom worked to make things happen.”

The twosome became a foursome when her mother got married and they moved out to Utah — a move that gave Savannah a father and brother, and a positive new beginning.

“My dad is such an amazing person. I honestly don’t think I’d be here in Nashville without him,” Savannah says. “If I wanted guitar lessons he’d make it happen. If I needed to fly out to Nashville for two weeks to record music, he was 100% on board.”

At just 7-years-old she was writing melodies and lyrics in her bedroom, running down to the local Sweet and Sassy to perform and record them to an empty store. At 13, she bought a karaoke machine and set to work finding gigs across Utah, sometimes working for nothing but a slice of pizza and a soda.

Because her extended family was still in California, Savannah would post videos of her singing to YouTube and send the links to her grandparents. She never expected anyone – let alone anyone famous – to take notice.

“I posted a video of me singing a cover of Miranda Lambert’s ‘More Like Her’ to the internet. I thought it was just my grandparents watching, but then I got a phone call from The Ellen Show,” Savannah beams. “They asked me to send more videos of me singing and I rushed home to send off my Dixie Chicks covers.”

Months went by and there was no word from the show, but then she got a surprise call while sightseeing on a double decker bus in Manhattan. It was a call that would change everything for the pre-teen.

“It was my first time in NYC and my mom calls me sobbing,” Savannah remembers. “She told me to get to a quiet place and answer my phone the next time it rang. When it did, it was The Ellen Show, they said they loved my videos and wanted to have me on the show!”

Savannah had to keep the taping a secret for a couple of months, only revealing it on Facebook when she was en route to Los Angeles for the filming. The surprises, however, didn’t end there.

While in make-up ahead of filming, Ellen Degeneres sat her and her family down and revealed that she was setting up a production company in Nashville to help Savannah make her dream of being a recording artist a reality. The television host hooked the family up with a manager, agent, and attorney to help guide her career — it was the beginning of a something special.

From there, Savannah flew back and forth from Utah to Nashville to participate in co-writes, record demos, and meet with Nashville royalty. Including one memorable meeting with the head of Big Machine Records, Scott Borchetta.

“I went into this meeting with karaoke tapes, a notebook of lyrics, and didn’t even know how to play guitar; I was a mess,” Savannah laughs. “When he asked me to sing I stood up, took my retainer out, and set it on his desk… who does that?”

After working hard for a number of months, learning the guitar and writing songs independent of her co-writes, Scott signed her to a deal with Big Machine. Her family made the collective decision to move her out to Nashville permanently, with her parents splitting time between Utah and Music City.

The next few years were a rush of ups-and-down. “At 13 you’re getting this slingshot of success you don’t even know how to handle,” Savannah looks back on that time. ”You kind of just think, ‘Well I got a record deal so my entire life is going to change.’ And that’s not always the case.”

After years spent in media training, out on radio tours, and writing constantly; Savannah came to the hard decision that she needed to part ways with Big Machine.

“It was one of the most serious things I’ve ever had to do because that was my livelihood,” says Savannah. But the freedom gave her the chance to start writing with co-writers that fit her style and producing with someone that understand her sound; on top of a fun gig as a radio correspondent for Radio Disney.

To top this time of change, her voice was recently featured on the Song Suffragettes track against discrimination and harassment against women, appropriately titled “Time’s Up”. Now, she finds herself inspired and excited about the future.

As for what Savannah wants in the future, she says, “I’d love to share what my heart is in three minutes. Music is the heart of it all, to share that with people all over the world, whether they love it or hate it, it would be so rewarding to me.”