Country Girl CHRISTIE HUFF - GILBERT WOMAN
Nineteen-year-old Mesa native, Christie Huff, is living out her dreams. The sweet, bubbly blonde has a full summer ahead: moving to L.A., releasing her second album, and establishing herself as a performing artist.
Huff is still starry-eyed as she recounts the day that changed her life. “Producer Jeff Dayton heard me perform at a singer/songwriter convention in 2013, and he invited me to come back to Nashville and record an album!” she beams.
“That was the beginning of my journey,” Huff continues. “I was excited and nervous at the same time! It was a dream come true; never in a million years would I have thought a producer would approach me first. I’m still so flattered that he wanted to work with me. And am so glad we have become great friends.”
The moment seemed surreal for the recent graduate of Mountain View High School. She soon traveled to Nashville and recorded her first album with Jeff Dayton (best described as Country/Pop) titled Sweet Love to Come Home To. Her decision to put college on the back burner and focus on her singing career opened doors almost immediately. Her childhood hobby was transforming into a lifechanging gift.
As a child, Christie grew up singing songs from the musical Annie and performing for her family’s enjoyment. As she grew, she participated in junior high and high school talent shows and chorus ensembles. Christie looked to artists like Michelle Branch and Taylor Swift for inspiration, which, in turn, inspired her to pick up the guitar at age 14, with help from her older sister, Lezah.
“I’m blessed,” Huff shares. “My family is very musical, supportive and talented. Lezah plays guitar and
she has written some songs too. She’s 10 years older than me, so I really look up to her!”
Although Christie discovered her love for music at an early age, she grew significantly as an artist during her senior year. “That’s when I started writing my own music,” she explains, “I’ve always dreamed of being famous, but senior year of high school really put things in perspective for me. My first half of senior year was spent considering different colleges and preparing for that, but then I said, ‘You know, I’m going to do this and follow my dreams!’”
Her first self-written song, “The Soldier Song”, was inspired by a story shared at her student council meeting. A friend told Christie about her sister, a soldier’s wife, who had to say goodbye to her husband when he left to fight in Afghanistan.
“Her story really touched my heart, and I started thinking about how it must feel to go through something like that,” Huff says.
When she saw photos of the couple hugging goodbye she was inspired to capture those emotions through her first song. The chorus came first; she grabbed her guitar to play along, and “The Soldier Song” was created.
Huff later traveled to Utah to shoot the music video for her first tune, which will be used as one of the official music videos of the GI Festival in Washington, D.C. in May.
As her popularity grows, this sweet, grounded local plans to keep a level head. “For me, it’s all about music and entertaining people. I don’t want to be distracted from that.”
For Huff, music has always opened doors and provided positive experiences, whether fueling her big move to L.A. or helping her establish herself during her teenage years.
“I can remember when I started junior high and I didn’t know anyone. I heard about the talent show auditions, so I auditioned and was so surprised I made it! I was in every talent show and sang a solo in every chorus concert after that. For me, singing was the thing that made me stick out. After my first talent show in 7th grade, I believe that is when I started ,making friends. Singing is where I got my confidence growing up. I have dyslexia, and in junior high I didn’t want to be known as the girl with a learning disability. Instead, I was known as the singer,” Huff smiles.
As she looks to her bright future, she dreams of collaborations with artists like Katy Perry.
“My sound is always going to have a little bit of county. Growing up in Arizona has affected my sound,” Huff admits.
But, her second album debuting July 25th shows influences from many different genres, including pop and rock. Each of the 10 songs on the album is Huff’s original creation.
Keep an eye out for this enchanting, talented little lady. Her genuine, kind spirit is just as beautiful as the powerhouse voice behind it.
