The Sit Down with Mae Estes
If you were wondering who your favourite country music artist’s favourite artist of their own, I’m pretty sure that Mae Estes would be the name that you would come across time and time again from anyone in Nashville. The Hope, Arkansas native has paid her dues in music city for nearly a decade and every time her name gets mentioned, the room lifts in a way that I have never encountered with anyone else in country music.
A member of CMT’s Next Women of Country class in 2024 who is signed to Blue Highway Records and made her first trip to Europe earlier this year for C2C: Country to Country. We were initially due to speak with Mae in Berlin, where unfortunately that part of the trip did not go to plan but she left such an impression a week later in London that she is already back in the UK to be playing in front of give or take sixty-five thousand people at American Express presents BST Hyde Park on the same bill as Garth Brooks playing his first show over here in three decades.
Firstly, thank you so much for taking the time to hang. We were due to hang out earlier this year in Berlin and that obviously didn’t quite go to plan but you’re back here in London for the second time this year. When you played C2C in London, did you feel to yourself that you had to give even more and almost put pressure on yourself after Berlin and Rotterdam didn’t work out?
“I was definitely putting pressure on getting to show up to the opportunity. That was a lot of pressure, but honestly, the performance, I don't take one performance more seriously than the rest and that's been an approach that I've kind of stuck with my whole life. I try to play for two people when I'm feeling sick and tired in the same way I would if Garth Brooks asked me to sing on that stage with him tonight. So, the pressure is kind of the same every time I get on the stage, but the health pressure to stay well and drink all my honey, tea and anything to keep my voice going, that's the hardest thing I struggle with. Mentally I can run a millions miles an hour all day long and every day, but my body I have to take care of. That's been something I've been learning over the last decade, honestly.”
I know you've got a lot of friends that have toured here before, so you'd probably heard a lot about coming to the UK, but when you finally got on stage for the first time at the O2, were you genuinely surprised about and realising that shit they're all saying is real about these crowds over here?
“Absolutely and I never doubted that the engagement was different over here but it is certainly evident as soon as you get on the stage. I feel like it's almost more live music than genre based, the States really puts a lot of influence on what genre you fit in and what chart you belong on. Here it just feels like these people are playing an instrument, singing live into a microphone and like the crowd is really into that live energy, so that is something I wish I could bottle up and eat in breakfast full of cereal every morning kind of thing because it is just magic.”
A member of CMT’s Next Women of Country class in 2024 who is signed to Blue Highway Records and made her first trip to Europe earlier this year for C2C: Country to Country. We were initially due to speak with Mae in Berlin, where unfortunately that part of the trip did not go to plan but she left such an impression a week later in London that she is already back in the UK to be playing in front of give or take sixty-five thousand people at American Express presents BST Hyde Park on the same bill as Garth Brooks playing his first show over here in three decades.
Firstly, thank you so much for taking the time to hang. We were due to hang out earlier this year in Berlin and that obviously didn’t quite go to plan but you’re back here in London for the second time this year. When you played C2C in London, did you feel to yourself that you had to give even more and almost put pressure on yourself after Berlin and Rotterdam didn’t work out?
“I was definitely putting pressure on getting to show up to the opportunity. That was a lot of pressure, but honestly, the performance, I don't take one performance more seriously than the rest and that's been an approach that I've kind of stuck with my whole life. I try to play for two people when I'm feeling sick and tired in the same way I would if Garth Brooks asked me to sing on that stage with him tonight. So, the pressure is kind of the same every time I get on the stage, but the health pressure to stay well and drink all my honey, tea and anything to keep my voice going, that's the hardest thing I struggle with. Mentally I can run a millions miles an hour all day long and every day, but my body I have to take care of. That's been something I've been learning over the last decade, honestly.”
I know you've got a lot of friends that have toured here before, so you'd probably heard a lot about coming to the UK, but when you finally got on stage for the first time at the O2, were you genuinely surprised about and realising that shit they're all saying is real about these crowds over here?
“Absolutely and I never doubted that the engagement was different over here but it is certainly evident as soon as you get on the stage. I feel like it's almost more live music than genre based, the States really puts a lot of influence on what genre you fit in and what chart you belong on. Here it just feels like these people are playing an instrument, singing live into a microphone and like the crowd is really into that live energy, so that is something I wish I could bottle up and eat in breakfast full of cereal every morning kind of thing because it is just magic.”
It clearly worked really well because you’re back within three months which is really cool. Now that you've been here twice, are you kind of genuinely looking ahead planning forward and thinking, you know, there really is a market for me here so this has to be a big part of my planning for the next twelve to eighteen months?
“Yeah, I mean, I think we've definitely figured out there is an engaged audience for the kind of music I make here and that's the base layer of what we're doing, so we're constantly just trying to figure out how to get that music to those people once we find them. I actually had a long conversation with mentor, friend, and co-bill tonight with Ashley McBryde, who has spent a lot of that time over here, nine years, I think she said she's been committing to building an audience over here, so she's told me a lot of advice on how to how to love this audience then they'll love you back and really help carry your career that way. I believe putting in the time and energy is absolutely worth it and pays you back in kind.”
“Yeah, I mean, I think we've definitely figured out there is an engaged audience for the kind of music I make here and that's the base layer of what we're doing, so we're constantly just trying to figure out how to get that music to those people once we find them. I actually had a long conversation with mentor, friend, and co-bill tonight with Ashley McBryde, who has spent a lot of that time over here, nine years, I think she said she's been committing to building an audience over here, so she's told me a lot of advice on how to how to love this audience then they'll love you back and really help carry your career that way. I believe putting in the time and energy is absolutely worth it and pays you back in kind.”
Well, I'm talking to Ashley later and I think I'd worked out this is going to be her 10th show in London which is crazy but obviously the two of you are very, very good friends and it’s not just the fact that you're playing in front of a lot of people here today. We'll talk about the guy that's going to be closing out the night after, but how special does it feel to be a part of a show with someone that you're so close to as well and being on the bill with Ashley?
“Yeah, I've been in the music industry for a long time and I think I appreciate every spot of the bill and every stage from the tiny ones to the big main stage more than most because I've played on all of them or have, you know, seen all of it from inside out. So, it really, really matters to me and the best thing about a festival is you get to see your artist friends too because we're always touring in opposite directions. I saw Alexandra Kay out here earlier, she may be at the venue I'm at tomorrow night, but we literally will miss each other passing like ships in the night, so these events are also cool because whoever is on the bill, you're also likely to at least get to hug their neck really quick and say hey, so the social aspect of sharing the bill with your favourite artist is really, really special.”
Then what about Garth himself? Obviously, you know this is his first show here in nearly thirty years, so it's a really special moment for the fans but he is such a nineties icon and we'll talk about how that time period has have been calling you in a little bit. For you how big has Garth Brooks been as an influence in your past and in your career?
“I think Garth is hard to put into words because he's that big. I think what I am so inspired by in his artistry specifically, is the entertainment aspect. I think he thought bigger than the country music genre, he was one of the first to do that and that ruffled a lot of feathers in the traditional space. You know, I think well, I know that Garth has the same reverence for traditional country that I do and still made his own path but the showmanship that Garth Brooks brings to a stage, on top of incredible musicianship, incredible songs, all of that is still top of the line but he really is there to put on a show and entertain. I think we have a lot of people in country that stand there, hold a guitar and stand behind a mic stand for the entire setting where Garth is one of the first that comes to mind that it is, I'm here to pull you into this thing. So, Garth is probably the number one for entertainer as far as inspiration to me.”
I think the cool thing with you and I’ve written in previews or said to a lot of people ahead of this is that you are genuinely everyone's favourite artists, favourite artist! Whenever your name comes up, the way that people glow is in a way I've never seen before. Like, I flew over to Berlin with Alex from your label, so I knew you were sick before anybody else did, then after we landed and were walking down to our hotel the first person I saw was Kenny. Kenny Foster has been a friend of mine for well over a decade then I hung out with Ashland (Craft) over there too and I spoke to Tenille (Townes) earlier this week, where the way that people talk about you is in that I've never seen or heard about anyone else. Knowing Ashland and Kenny in the way that I do, I could tell how really bummed out they both were for you at not getting that chance to play in Germany. Obviously they are your friends so they were hoping you got better but they knew how much that songwriters show in the church especially meant to you and you didn’t get to do it.
“Oh my gosh!”
So, I am very glad that we finally got to do this.
“Oh my gosh, me too. It is funny, I mean, God's timing is always exactly how it's supposed to be, but I sure can't tell that in the moment. I mean, to fly all the way over and not get to play all of those shows and not getting to stick to my commitments, that stuff's really important to me but it was a really good lesson I needed to learn about taking care of myself and my health first where I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to come see everyone I missed before, so it’s very special.”
We’ve mentioned Ashland and Ashley at times, obviously you guys all came together, redoing “Yard Sale” on Ashland’s project which sounds a lot of fun then I saw you both jumped up on stage with her at CMA Fest which must have been wild too.
“I was so excited just to get the call, there's so many incredible badass women in the country music space and Ashland could have called any of them. I was really grateful to get the call and then to find out Ashley was on it also was like, I would have been in already, but that was absolutely the cherry on top. I do think it's a song that we all could sell, like, genuinely if you're setting your man's shit on fire, me and Ashley are the girls to call to help you. I love that it was still authentic, that's my favourite kind of collabs, when genuinely it feels like something I can believe in and sell. Then getting to sing it at CMA Fest together, that was our first time to perform it and logistics were hard. Me and Ashley were running as fast as Ashland was, but we somehow she came in, dropped then I was running to the stage and we made it in time, but again, you don't get to share the stage with your friends like that ever. I love when a bill has enough variety that you're able to do those, maybe once in a lifetime kind of collabs on stage too. I mean, it’s the coolest thing ever.”
“Yeah, I've been in the music industry for a long time and I think I appreciate every spot of the bill and every stage from the tiny ones to the big main stage more than most because I've played on all of them or have, you know, seen all of it from inside out. So, it really, really matters to me and the best thing about a festival is you get to see your artist friends too because we're always touring in opposite directions. I saw Alexandra Kay out here earlier, she may be at the venue I'm at tomorrow night, but we literally will miss each other passing like ships in the night, so these events are also cool because whoever is on the bill, you're also likely to at least get to hug their neck really quick and say hey, so the social aspect of sharing the bill with your favourite artist is really, really special.”
Then what about Garth himself? Obviously, you know this is his first show here in nearly thirty years, so it's a really special moment for the fans but he is such a nineties icon and we'll talk about how that time period has have been calling you in a little bit. For you how big has Garth Brooks been as an influence in your past and in your career?
“I think Garth is hard to put into words because he's that big. I think what I am so inspired by in his artistry specifically, is the entertainment aspect. I think he thought bigger than the country music genre, he was one of the first to do that and that ruffled a lot of feathers in the traditional space. You know, I think well, I know that Garth has the same reverence for traditional country that I do and still made his own path but the showmanship that Garth Brooks brings to a stage, on top of incredible musicianship, incredible songs, all of that is still top of the line but he really is there to put on a show and entertain. I think we have a lot of people in country that stand there, hold a guitar and stand behind a mic stand for the entire setting where Garth is one of the first that comes to mind that it is, I'm here to pull you into this thing. So, Garth is probably the number one for entertainer as far as inspiration to me.”
I think the cool thing with you and I’ve written in previews or said to a lot of people ahead of this is that you are genuinely everyone's favourite artists, favourite artist! Whenever your name comes up, the way that people glow is in a way I've never seen before. Like, I flew over to Berlin with Alex from your label, so I knew you were sick before anybody else did, then after we landed and were walking down to our hotel the first person I saw was Kenny. Kenny Foster has been a friend of mine for well over a decade then I hung out with Ashland (Craft) over there too and I spoke to Tenille (Townes) earlier this week, where the way that people talk about you is in that I've never seen or heard about anyone else. Knowing Ashland and Kenny in the way that I do, I could tell how really bummed out they both were for you at not getting that chance to play in Germany. Obviously they are your friends so they were hoping you got better but they knew how much that songwriters show in the church especially meant to you and you didn’t get to do it.
“Oh my gosh!”
So, I am very glad that we finally got to do this.
“Oh my gosh, me too. It is funny, I mean, God's timing is always exactly how it's supposed to be, but I sure can't tell that in the moment. I mean, to fly all the way over and not get to play all of those shows and not getting to stick to my commitments, that stuff's really important to me but it was a really good lesson I needed to learn about taking care of myself and my health first where I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to come see everyone I missed before, so it’s very special.”
We’ve mentioned Ashland and Ashley at times, obviously you guys all came together, redoing “Yard Sale” on Ashland’s project which sounds a lot of fun then I saw you both jumped up on stage with her at CMA Fest which must have been wild too.
“I was so excited just to get the call, there's so many incredible badass women in the country music space and Ashland could have called any of them. I was really grateful to get the call and then to find out Ashley was on it also was like, I would have been in already, but that was absolutely the cherry on top. I do think it's a song that we all could sell, like, genuinely if you're setting your man's shit on fire, me and Ashley are the girls to call to help you. I love that it was still authentic, that's my favourite kind of collabs, when genuinely it feels like something I can believe in and sell. Then getting to sing it at CMA Fest together, that was our first time to perform it and logistics were hard. Me and Ashley were running as fast as Ashland was, but we somehow she came in, dropped then I was running to the stage and we made it in time, but again, you don't get to share the stage with your friends like that ever. I love when a bill has enough variety that you're able to do those, maybe once in a lifetime kind of collabs on stage too. I mean, it’s the coolest thing ever.”
Talking about getting calls, the nineties have been calling so is that something we might hear a little bit later today and is it possibly a taste of what’s on the way in the next couple of weeks?
“I am so excited to play that new song during my set today. I know the crowd's gonna love it here. We played in Belfast a couple nights ago and it was the first time for them to hear it but they were on board. It gets me really excited because yes my first song is dropping since October next month so just a few weeks away from dropping the initial release on this new music and it's been a couple years in the works. Every detail is really important, but at this point, we've got it all hammered out and it's time to have fun, be silly and call up all of my nineties heroes to see if they want to be a part of it, so I'm gonna just see what security I can go trick in to let me go harass Garth real quick.”
Amazing, thank you so much, this has been cool, I appreciate you doing it and just have fun today.
“Thank you so much and thank you for all the kind words.”
The self-titled EP from Mae Estes is out now and available HERE. Mae has a number of dates back home in the diary, where you can find more information out her WEBSITE or you can keep up to date with her socially on INSTAGRAM TIKTOK & FACEBOOK.
American Express presents BST Hyde Park continues through July with Maroon 5 (July 3rd), Mumford & Sons (July 4th), Duran Duran (July 5th), Pitbull (July 10th) and Lewis Capaldi (July 11th & 12th) completing the lineup of headliners. Full festival details and any last remaining tickets for shows which are not sold out are available on their WEBSITE and you can keep up to date with all that is happening across the festival on INSTAGRAM TIKTOK & FACEBOOK.
“I am so excited to play that new song during my set today. I know the crowd's gonna love it here. We played in Belfast a couple nights ago and it was the first time for them to hear it but they were on board. It gets me really excited because yes my first song is dropping since October next month so just a few weeks away from dropping the initial release on this new music and it's been a couple years in the works. Every detail is really important, but at this point, we've got it all hammered out and it's time to have fun, be silly and call up all of my nineties heroes to see if they want to be a part of it, so I'm gonna just see what security I can go trick in to let me go harass Garth real quick.”
Amazing, thank you so much, this has been cool, I appreciate you doing it and just have fun today.
“Thank you so much and thank you for all the kind words.”
The self-titled EP from Mae Estes is out now and available HERE. Mae has a number of dates back home in the diary, where you can find more information out her WEBSITE or you can keep up to date with her socially on INSTAGRAM TIKTOK & FACEBOOK.
American Express presents BST Hyde Park continues through July with Maroon 5 (July 3rd), Mumford & Sons (July 4th), Duran Duran (July 5th), Pitbull (July 10th) and Lewis Capaldi (July 11th & 12th) completing the lineup of headliners. Full festival details and any last remaining tickets for shows which are not sold out are available on their WEBSITE and you can keep up to date with all that is happening across the festival on INSTAGRAM TIKTOK & FACEBOOK.