Ann Marie

I never chose music. Pretty sure it chose me. I'm the middle child of five kids, born and raised a farmer's daughter and a California girl. My grandfather, aka "the onion king", started a family owned and operated agriculture farming business that my dad helped run. I watched him work really hard and believe this taught me a lot about life. My mom claims I sang before I talked- might need footage to believe that one! ; ) She talked me into singing at my great-grandmother's funeral when I was 5 yrs old and as soon as I started singing, my nerves were gone. At that moment, I learned my voice really wasn't about me It was more about how I could share it with others. I'm 25 years old and a singer/songwriter in Nashville, Tn. My dad has a lot to do with why I ended up here. He played a lot of traditional country music growing up. I vividly remember the day I was driving with him in his truck during corn season, listening to Patsy Cline for the first time. He was very adamant that she was THE singer I needed to learn from. He was right. He used to sneak me into karaoke bars in the Salinas Valley town of Gonzales and get a kick out of watching his underage daughter take home grand prizes and entertain the crowds. I was unusually ambitious as a kid and sang everywhere I could. My mom told me to never turn down a gig- Do your parents always have to be right?! I got my first professional recording job with Disney when I was 14, however, my parents were very wary of the music bizz and preferred I focused on school. which didn't exactly happen. In school, I was a theater nerd and spent a lot of time writing lyrics in notebooks and daydreaming. Music and songwriting was my obsession and escape. In high school, I started picking up the guitar and recording jingles at night for a local composer gaining studio experience. When I was 19, I visited Nashville on a writing trip and fell in love with music city. A few months later, I packed up my car and made the drive knowing only one person. Kris Bergsnes aka Mayor of Music Row (he's in my top friends). I spent as much as time as I could writing, recording and practicing the guitar. I'm grateful to have had some amazing opportunities come my way. I've gotten to open for Deana Carter, Dierks Bentley, Josh Turner, Thompson Square, Rick Springfield & more. I got my first song cut by Jessica Andrews called, "When I'm Gone". I sang at The NBA All Star Game and have shared the stage with Darius Rucker, Adele, Richard Marx, Chicago, Earth, Wind And Fire, Kenny G., Bryan McKnight, David Foster, Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Celine Dion and more. I've gotten to record songs for some amazing songwriters like Diane Warren and Desmond Child. These experiences have taught me a lot and shaped me as an artist. I feel like they allowed me to acquire more tools to go in my toolbox. At heart, I'm just a goofy tomboy and somewhat of a black sheep on an adventure. striving to make music that comes from my heart and moves you in some way. Thank you so much for visiting my page!