RaeLynn Kicks Off Fall At The Niswonger
August is a month of transitions and a return to routine for many households across Van Wert County and beyond. The word "routine" in itself doesn't evoke a feeling of excitement and energy, but rather one of comfort. When Summer begins and the days are longer, we pack our schedules with all kinds of extra activities. The result is a treasure trove of memories from bucket list items such as vacations to exotic places, road trips to faraway spaces, family reunions with loved ones from afar, and concerts with our favorite stars. As we segue from Summer to Fall, we pause to remember the good times and then gain comfort in knowing that returning to routine means the Niswonger stage will come to life with a power-packed roster of talented artists!
This Fall kicks of with Country sensation, RaeLynn. This dynamo performer has become a mainstay in country music over the last decade. When you get to know this performer, you will quickly understand why she is worthy of launching the 2023 Fall Season at The Niswonger.
RaeLynn grew up in Baytown, Texas, just outside of Houston. She is a proud Texan, and truly drew inspiration from her hometown in the music she created in her later years. However, music has always been the fabric of her upbringing. “I grew up in a very musical family. It was almost like – you know in some families, it’s weird if you don’t play sports, well in our family, it was weird if you didn’t play music,” began the singer.
“Everything revolved around church. Everything was about Sunday morning service and youth group, and all the things, and not even just Christian music, but also country music. Growing up a Texas girl, we would go to the Houston livestock rodeo every single year. Country music was my backbone.”
For RaeLynn, she always connected to the lyrics of a country song, drawing inspiration from artists like Dolly Parton and Miranda Lambert. “There was something about the storytelling of country music that I just fell in love with. I started writing when I was 13 and I kind of picked up the guitar, just playing random Miranda Lambert songs and whatever I could learn on YouTube.”
Armed with a dream and a passion, upon graduating high school early, RaeLynn started making trips to Nashville to pursue her calling. While there, she auditioned for The Voice.
“That show was kind of a rocket ship into my life now. I didn’t win the show, but after the show was over for me, I went back to Nashville, moved all my stuff from Texas and began to start this grind in country music to really work hard. I didn’t realize songwriting could be a job.”
While RaeLynn has always personified sassy, confident, and cool, her music now speaks to the experience and groundedness she has found in the industry and in her personal life as a mother and as a wife.
“Ten years ago, my happiness was where my song was on the charts, and all my identity was wrapped up in RaeLynn and who I am on Music Row,” began the artist. “Now my identity is not wrapped up in that, it’s wrapped up in being a good wife, a good mother, a good friend, a good daughter, and those things, the things that really matter in life. And I feel like when you have that perspective, it pours out in your music.”
Currently, the singer is creating music that is truly coming from the depths of her soul. Her single, “Raisin’ Me A Country Girl” being one of them. “So I wrote “Raisin’ Me a Country Girl” when I was 8 months pregnant with a guy named Will Bundy and Rhett Akins,” shared RaeLynn. “I had this idea for this song because growing up I was the kid in a sundress, my hair in pigtails, playing in the sandbox, playing in the dirt, with my Barbie jeep, drinking out of a water hose, doing all the things. I was a little country girl. When I was thinking about a love letter to Daisy, I hoped to be raising a country girl. I want her to be tough, I want her to be sweet, I want her to be confident. I want her to love Jesus and know that values matter in this world, and have a strong heart for people, and always be a good person, and honestly the things that my parents instilled in me, and I want to instill that in her.”
The Niswonger Performing Arts Center has made the month of September the opportunity to "fall" into entertainment for the past 16 years. Visit vanwertlive.com for RaeLynn tickets and a chance to see the full Fall roster of classic rock, country, comedy, Christmas variety, '60s, and THE band, otherwise known as The Ohio State University Marching Band. For the Van Wert Live Team, saying goodbye to summer means the hope of saying hello to YOU at The Niswonger.
