Eryn Bent

Photo by Samantha D’Anna Photography @samanthadannaphotography

Interview by David R. Navarro

David R. Navarro: Tell us a little bit about yourself?

Eryn Bent: I am an independent singer-songwriter based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico. I was born and raised in small-town Central Montana and have been in the New Mexico area for almost 10 years now.

DN: How long have you been a performing artist?

EB: I started performing at age 14 in local community theater productions, and then started performing at my own gigs at local coffee shops and local events at 17, so it all really started at age 13-14.

DN: What made you decide to be serious about music?

EB: I’ve always known that music was my ultimate passion, singing was my escape from a very young age. When I had just entered 8th grade, at about age 13, my mom one day asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up. Without hesitation, I said I wanted to be a singer. She put me in voice lessons that next week, and after I started instruction with Lisa Carman, I fell in love with training my voice and being as serious about it as possible. While I did start writing my own tunes at 15, I studied classically through high school, and then studied opera at the University of Idaho. Over time, I realized I was much more serious and passionate about my own music than about performing opera or theater, and when I finally moved to New Mexico ten years ago it was with serious intent to focus on my own music and music career.

Photo by Les Peterson Photography @lesppeterson

DN: Which people or books have had the most influence on your music career and why?

EB: Jewel was absolutely my primary influence and inspiration when I started writing at 15, and she’s still a huge inspiration to me today. I was really inspired at a young age by female singer-songwriters: Sarah MacLachlan, Tori Amos, Joni Mitchell, Sheryl Crow. I also had classical influences - The Phantom of the Opera is what really led me to fall in love with learning how to sing. My very first voice lesson, I was asked to bring CDs of music I wanted to learn, so of course, I had N’Sync’s “No Strings Attached” and I think, a Faith Hill CD with me. Lisa warmed me up a bit, had me sing, and then sent me home with a cassette of Phantom. I listened to it that night and was obsessed. In my later years, I find my tunes are influenced by some of my favorite artists - Alison Kraus, Dierks Bentley, Nickel Creek, Anderson East, Kacey Musgraves, Old Dominion. My sound has turned a bit more country with this latest album, but I take influence from almost everything I listen to.

DN: What would you say is the #1 key to success in the music industry?

EB: Persistence. And constantly re-evaluating what “success” means to you personally as an artist, whether it be goals you accomplish, progress as a musician, growth in playing live shows, etc. It’s easy to equate success with fame (at least for me it is), so find out what success means for you!

DN: Talk about the biggest failure you’ve had. What did you learn from it?

EB: In 2017, I toured for 9 months out of that year all over the west coast and midwest. The last month of that tour was not as well planned as I had wanted it to be, and while I wouldn’t call the whole month a failure, I had the most gig cancellations that month than in any other year or time in my career. I barely made it back to New Mexico after my last gig in Bellevue, Washington, and remember being glad the tour was over but disappointed it wasn’t what I thought or wanted it to be. What I did learn from that experience is just how hard constant touring can be - especially as an independent artist - and how important contracts are when playing gigs. I could have been way more prepared mental and physically for the last leg of that tour, and if I had secured contracts, the cancellations would either not have happened or I could have been clearly aware of the conditions surrounding the show and cancellations. It taught me to level up a bit when it comes to securing contracts and touring out of state. There’s certainly no shame in asking for what you deserve and for asking for it in writing. My tours since that experience have been much more enjoyable!

Photo by Osterholtz Photography @osterholtz

DN: What advice can you give other individuals who want to follow in your footsteps?

EB: Keep your goals in mind, reassess them when needed and be diligent and professional in your musical pursuit. Your journey is YOURS - it’s very easy to compare yourself to other artists, I struggled with that for a period of time. Finally accepting that my path will not look like anyone else’s because it is MY PATH - was very freeing.

DN: What does a typical day in your week look like?

EB: I try to wake up as early as possible, which is usually 7am or a little later if I played a show the night previous. My mornings consist of checking and returning emails, checking and maintaining my social media platforms/website, and taking my 11-year-old Pomeranian Chihuahua Bailee to the park. And generally lots of coffee. And true crime television in the background.

I try to get the “business” related computer work done in the mornings, and if I’m gigging that night I’ll get prepped for that show in the afternoon. If I get the night off, I usually take a bit of a break, workout, something away from the computer. I’ve been writing a lot more lately now that we’ve wrapped production on the latest album. I’d say each day is a balance between computer/social media work, creating and performing.

DN: What keeps you going when things get tough in the business?

EB: Rest. During the pandemic, I saw something on a mental health site that said: Take your rest as seriously as you take your hustle. It hit me, because rest is possibly the thing I do the very least of, but it’s so incredibly true. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and run-down booking and playing music constantly, so scheduling in rest and self care and being able to recognize burnout in myself is really what gets me through the toughest times.

DN: What’s next for you? New music?

EB: Yes! I’ve been working on my 11-track album “Red” over the last four years and just announced the release/pre-order date for the full album: October 1st for pre-order and October 29th for the official release on all platforms. This is the longest amount of time I’ve taken on a recording project, and I couldn’t be more proud of the album. I had much more patience and planning with the production and recording on this record, it’s a very deliberate effort that was sculpted over time.

Photo by Jessica Preston Photography & Design

DN: Please list your website and/or your social media platforms.

EB: Official Website: erynbentmusic.com Facebook: Facebook.com/ErynBentMusic Instagram: @erynbentmusic Twitter: @eryn_bent TikTok: @Eryn Bent

DN: Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you?

EB: The next single from “Red” will be released October 1st!