FINDS HER COUNTRY HEART IN WRITING from manager
the single, female artist, Valentine said. “I was New York, not making a
and it got to a point where there,” she continued. “So other things with my life.” entering into a state of husband is Baltimore Angelos), Valentine got back up again. Instead of she decided to focus on to Nashville in 2014. to make it as a new noted. “So I thought I’d become a songwriter in Nashville. At first I was kicked out of the room, but I plugged away at it. You have to wipe out everything you think you and start over,” Valentine added. “It was really opening, but I’ve become such a better writer for
efforts caught the eye of for Alan Jackson, George Band, and his company Entertainment. She signed a deal “write five days a week, to figure out who I was
meant mentoring a younger up being Carter Faith, through a friend of her hearing Faith’s voice, she connection.
“My husband sent me audio of Carter singing at a coffee shop in Davidson, North Carolina. She was 15 at the time,” Valentine recalled. “I went, ‘Holy crap, this is the girl. I want to be a part of her journey.’
“A lot of people sing well, but Carter weaves a story into her songs,” she enthused. “She takes you on a very slow path to the truth. It’s amazing to be in a room with someone like that.”
Valentine became Faith’s manager and spent most of 2019 working with her and linking up with successful country producers, songwriters and co-management. Together they ’re learning to navigate the political machinations of the country music establishment, where there’s a long-documented trend of female artists receiving less radio play and exposure than their male counterparts.
So far, the creative and business partnership between Valentine and Faith is working well. Faith’s music is gaining traction and she’ll be releasing an EP, co-written and co-produced by Valentine in the near future. For Valentine, the move from writing for herself to writing with and for others has been a smooth transition. And most importantly it’s been a rewarding creative
experience she feels fortunate to have.
“I thought at first, ‘I’ve never written for someone else,’ but the first time I heard someone sing a song I wrote, it was so cool,” she said. “I don’t wish it was me onstage at all.
“It’s been so much fun, getting in the studio with Carter and (co-writer and producer) Jen (Stegall) is like going back to summer camp. The creative process is so much easier; you can be fearless,” Valentine raved. “I’m excited about this project. A lot of people don’t get to pick back up the things they loved in their 40s. At my age, I know it sounds cheesy, but I’m so fortunate and have a lot of gratitude.”