Tegan Marie

Tegan Marie

Words by MARISSA JOHNSONE

Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

14-year-old Tegan Marie is taking the country music world by storm.

When she was 3-years-old, Tegan picked up the microphone of her dad’s old karaoke machine and never turned back, and after posting covers on YouTube, at the age of 7 she was picked up by Sweety High, an all-girls media company. “Sweety High made my dreams come true, they’re teaching me how to be an artist, I’m teaching them how to be young” and laughs about sending her manager, Veronica, gifts to make sure she stood out, the first being a photo of herself from the first time she went to Nashville to record. “Veronica put it on her desk and she was looking at me for three or four years straight so I was kind of manifesting her to bring me to Los Angeles”. Sweety High eventually brought her to L.A. to meet their team for the start of a whirlwind partnership.

Growing up in Flint, Michigan, Tegan dreamed of one day making the move to Nashville. “Even when I was younger and I loved country music so much, the first thing I thought, and I think with every country artist what they think is ‘I’m going to move to Nashville because Nashville is the home of country music’,” she recalls. Now, she’s spending a majority of her time there learning how to write music and working with songwriters like Nathan Chapman and Jason and Nelly Reeves, who are taking time to teach her how to come out of her shell and not be afraid to express herself through her music. Though she hasn’t quite convinced her family to fully make the move to Nashville, she’s certain that a move is in her future now that she’s fully immersed in the creative process there.

After persistence from Sweety High and their intense belief in her talents – she jokes that her manager “likes to say she was kind of stalking Scott Hendricks [producer and VP of A&R at Warner Music Nashville]” and performing in showcases for Warner Music in Nashville, Tegan’s management flew to her hometown to surprise her with a record deal, which was a dream come true. “It was a miracle, Warner Music Nashville is like a family,” she says. Now, Tegan looks forward to the day her picture will be added to the Warner Music sign in the Nashville Airport – a sign that she’s always seen and wanted to be a part of and shares her excitement about seeing her photo in the lobby of the Warner Music Nashville offices.

Earlier this year, Tegan released her first single, “Keep It Lit”, a song about having fun with your friends and family that has quickly gained attention of people all over the world. After the success of her covers online, she says that she “was really, really stoked because [she’s] had this music for so long” and felt like “Keep it Lit” was the perfect fit for her debut single because she walked into her first writing session and the first thing she said was, “Okay guys, let’s keep it lit” which sparked the inspiration within her and her writing partners to create a song that she says is one of her favorites. The “Keep It Lit” music video has already amassed almost 1 million views and depicts Tegan riding around the country in a bus picking up all of her friends and family for one epic journey. Now, with performances on The Today Show and her very first sold out, hour-long ticketed event at the Opry City Stage in Times Square, Tegan is very excited for what’s to come, sharing that her fans, or “Teganites” can expect a lot of new music from her in the near future. “I think we have enough songs for like, three albums if we wanted to,” she admits.

Despite her newfound fame, Tegan has made an effort to keep up with her education by attending school online and doing her homework in between TV appearances and shows, and even goes back to her regular school in her hometown when she can. It’s a balance she says has been made possible with the support of her family and friends at home in Michigan.

Tegan hopes that in the next year she will get her first No. 1 song and a chance to join a tour, with her dream tour being with country superstars like Garth Brooks, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood or Kelsea Ballerini. “Performing live is my favorite thing. Seeing the smiles on their faces in the front row and just hearing them sing the songs is my favorite thing ever,” she says, also sharing an idea for future meet and greets that include a petting zoo with mini animals. As for now, her main goal is to simply inspire others saying, “I really want to be a role model for all the young girls, or anyone really, who want to follow their dreams, or do anything, just to not give up,” she says.