The Sit Down with Maggie Baugh
My first encounter with Maggie Baugh was on Zoom during the pandemic where I was instantly drawn in by her humour and charisma in addition her outstanding talent as both a songwriter and performer. Since then, when this feisty Floridian hasn’t been on the road with Keith Urban, she has been doing her best to spend as much time as possible in the UK where she has been the star attraction at the last two editions of the Buckle & Boots festival in Manchester. Maggie recently returned once more to the British Isles for a run which included a number of her own headline shows and an appearance at Country Calling where we spent time with her amongst the beautiful surroundings of Hylands Park in Chelmsford.
It's great that you are back.
“Thank you, I'm back in the UK!”
What's this? Trip three now?
“Yep, third time is a charm.”
So, you either really love baked beans at breakfast or there's something really special about coming back to play here?
“It's the accents, I just cannot get enough of you accents.”
Can you pick them now?
“Have I learned the difference? Can I pick them out? Ha-ha”
Well, I think I have quite a soft accent, like you have played Buckle twice which is in Manchester where they can't talk properly and they're scared of spending money.
“I think that’s Americans too, I'm scared shitless of spending money but I still do it.”
It's great that you are back.
“Thank you, I'm back in the UK!”
What's this? Trip three now?
“Yep, third time is a charm.”
So, you either really love baked beans at breakfast or there's something really special about coming back to play here?
“It's the accents, I just cannot get enough of you accents.”
Can you pick them now?
“Have I learned the difference? Can I pick them out? Ha-ha”
Well, I think I have quite a soft accent, like you have played Buckle twice which is in Manchester where they can't talk properly and they're scared of spending money.
“I think that’s Americans too, I'm scared shitless of spending money but I still do it.”
Don’t we all ha-ha. Have you seen much of Country Calling in the wonderful city of Chelmsford yet or have you just got out the car and straightaway been led round to talk to us lot?
“Yes, I just got here. I haven't even had an adult bevvy yet.”
An adult bevvy! I love how you have adopted bevvy since you’ve been coming here, next thing you know you’ll have your own Tesco Clubcard and be calling soccer football! But yeah, it's fun to have a festival back here because this is where I grew up coming to V Festival where The Killers, Kings of Leon, Ed Sheeran and everybody played back in the day, even a very early Taylor Swift.
“I’ve never heard of any of them, they must be up and comers ha-ha.”
You’ve been playing some stuff with a couple of cool people as well, I see. I saw you were playing with Mr Urban or seeing as there are plenty of Aussies here this weekend, Uncle Keith as they call him. How did that come about?
“Ha-ha Uncle Keith! So, they were looking for a female instrumentalist to play the CMT awards and they just saw my Instagram. It was word of mouth, they asked me if I wanted to do it and then one show turned into an entire year performing with him. It was really great.”
Well as a fiddle player as well as every other fucking instrument going but I always find that particularly girls that play violin are all a little bit extra.
“Thanks.”
Not just you, like (Natalie) Stovall, Amanda Shires and other people just brings a bit more on stage than people who just play guitar but how do transition to performing with it because I guess you learn to play it classically.
“I did. I feel like I've always had the rock and roll bug in me, I feel like I had to train the classical into me, not train it out.”
So, you went like the other way around then?
“Well, I started on classical music, but I always had that rebel, doesn’t really listen to the rules bit inside me, so I've always just kind of done my own thing. Even when it came to orchestra, I mean, I would still add a few notes here and there, being a little rebellious, thinking like Beethoven could use a few little bit of hyping up.”
Were you doing the whole, like geeky thing at school?
“Yeah, I was an Orch Dork but I feel like I was always super rebellious though, like I would add a few notes to my scale here and there, so it's always been inside me.”
Music wise now, “10 20s Summers” is the new one and I Love it. I love the idea behind it because I was talking to Britnee Kellogg earlier about being about to turn forty.
“You don't look half past thirty seven, my guy.”
Oh, Maggie darling, you are far too kind but I just think the song has a really cool idea of just living life and making the most of it whilst you can.
“Yeah, it's basically just, you know, I'm twenty five, so I only have five more summers in my twenties and it's kind of like, what did I do, I was worried about what friends I was going to make, with friends I had and didn't have. I was worried about maybe kissing a boy or maybe not, I was worried about getting in trouble or just like not listening to what I was supposed to do and I was like, there's so much stress. My twenties are supposed to be so much fun, you know and I feel like it's just about making the most of life in general because you don't have that much time, you really don't.”
“Yes, I just got here. I haven't even had an adult bevvy yet.”
An adult bevvy! I love how you have adopted bevvy since you’ve been coming here, next thing you know you’ll have your own Tesco Clubcard and be calling soccer football! But yeah, it's fun to have a festival back here because this is where I grew up coming to V Festival where The Killers, Kings of Leon, Ed Sheeran and everybody played back in the day, even a very early Taylor Swift.
“I’ve never heard of any of them, they must be up and comers ha-ha.”
You’ve been playing some stuff with a couple of cool people as well, I see. I saw you were playing with Mr Urban or seeing as there are plenty of Aussies here this weekend, Uncle Keith as they call him. How did that come about?
“Ha-ha Uncle Keith! So, they were looking for a female instrumentalist to play the CMT awards and they just saw my Instagram. It was word of mouth, they asked me if I wanted to do it and then one show turned into an entire year performing with him. It was really great.”
Well as a fiddle player as well as every other fucking instrument going but I always find that particularly girls that play violin are all a little bit extra.
“Thanks.”
Not just you, like (Natalie) Stovall, Amanda Shires and other people just brings a bit more on stage than people who just play guitar but how do transition to performing with it because I guess you learn to play it classically.
“I did. I feel like I've always had the rock and roll bug in me, I feel like I had to train the classical into me, not train it out.”
So, you went like the other way around then?
“Well, I started on classical music, but I always had that rebel, doesn’t really listen to the rules bit inside me, so I've always just kind of done my own thing. Even when it came to orchestra, I mean, I would still add a few notes here and there, being a little rebellious, thinking like Beethoven could use a few little bit of hyping up.”
Were you doing the whole, like geeky thing at school?
“Yeah, I was an Orch Dork but I feel like I was always super rebellious though, like I would add a few notes to my scale here and there, so it's always been inside me.”
Music wise now, “10 20s Summers” is the new one and I Love it. I love the idea behind it because I was talking to Britnee Kellogg earlier about being about to turn forty.
“You don't look half past thirty seven, my guy.”
Oh, Maggie darling, you are far too kind but I just think the song has a really cool idea of just living life and making the most of it whilst you can.
“Yeah, it's basically just, you know, I'm twenty five, so I only have five more summers in my twenties and it's kind of like, what did I do, I was worried about what friends I was going to make, with friends I had and didn't have. I was worried about maybe kissing a boy or maybe not, I was worried about getting in trouble or just like not listening to what I was supposed to do and I was like, there's so much stress. My twenties are supposed to be so much fun, you know and I feel like it's just about making the most of life in general because you don't have that much time, you really don't.”
In terms of writing, cutting and all that sort of stuff, was it just wasn't you just went and did it as soon as you had it or was it one that kicked around for a little bit?
“No, I just went and did it. We wrote it all one session, we recorded it all in one session and my music that's coming out this year, every single has been in real time. There's no fake instruments, there's no overdubs, everything is a real band in real time. You've hit record, and then I ship it to Spotify, that's exactly how it goes because that's rock and roll.”
With this trip, obviously the festival is like the focus, but you're playing a couple of other shows, any nice new places? What do you like to explore and do when you’re here? What's kind of like the thing that we do better?
“Okay, well, I have to say the fans have been absolutely outrageous in all the best ways. I got to play Manchester, about a hundred people showed up and by the second song, I have stopped playing because I had to cry my eyes out, because everyone was singing all the words to my music louder than me and I that was the very first time I've ever heard that. People come prepared, they listen to your music before they show up to the point where people were pissed off that I didn't play certain songs. I was like, what a good problem to have, so honestly, it's been a blast, just like the fans have just been absolutely incredible.”
Those songs they want are generally like deep cuts as well, you know ones you haven't even thought about in forever.
“Oh, I've forgotten all the words to my own music and I have to be there on stage being like, listen, it's been like a year, two years or three years since I've played these, Sorry ha-ha.”
You’ve got Yannick and those boys playing with you again and they are all awesome.
“Yeah great dudes, we played last night at Rodeos BBQ in Birmingham.”
I've not been yet, it's new isn’t it?
“Oh, it was great, so it’s worth the visit. I think it's way better than the first one but don't tell Simon. I had a burger, it was fantastic and I also had a Nasty Sanchez as a drink which was also fantastic.”
What's in it?
“Oh, I couldn't tell you, but I got hammered ha-ha.”
They're the best drinks to have.
“Yeah, it's like some strawberry vodka drink.”
No, but it's like White Claw because nobody knows what's actually in it so it doesn’t count, you drink it because it tastes good.
“Yeah, exactly and it got me hammered after like five of them.”
(High-five) Hell yeah!
“No, I just went and did it. We wrote it all one session, we recorded it all in one session and my music that's coming out this year, every single has been in real time. There's no fake instruments, there's no overdubs, everything is a real band in real time. You've hit record, and then I ship it to Spotify, that's exactly how it goes because that's rock and roll.”
With this trip, obviously the festival is like the focus, but you're playing a couple of other shows, any nice new places? What do you like to explore and do when you’re here? What's kind of like the thing that we do better?
“Okay, well, I have to say the fans have been absolutely outrageous in all the best ways. I got to play Manchester, about a hundred people showed up and by the second song, I have stopped playing because I had to cry my eyes out, because everyone was singing all the words to my music louder than me and I that was the very first time I've ever heard that. People come prepared, they listen to your music before they show up to the point where people were pissed off that I didn't play certain songs. I was like, what a good problem to have, so honestly, it's been a blast, just like the fans have just been absolutely incredible.”
Those songs they want are generally like deep cuts as well, you know ones you haven't even thought about in forever.
“Oh, I've forgotten all the words to my own music and I have to be there on stage being like, listen, it's been like a year, two years or three years since I've played these, Sorry ha-ha.”
You’ve got Yannick and those boys playing with you again and they are all awesome.
“Yeah great dudes, we played last night at Rodeos BBQ in Birmingham.”
I've not been yet, it's new isn’t it?
“Oh, it was great, so it’s worth the visit. I think it's way better than the first one but don't tell Simon. I had a burger, it was fantastic and I also had a Nasty Sanchez as a drink which was also fantastic.”
What's in it?
“Oh, I couldn't tell you, but I got hammered ha-ha.”
They're the best drinks to have.
“Yeah, it's like some strawberry vodka drink.”
No, but it's like White Claw because nobody knows what's actually in it so it doesn’t count, you drink it because it tastes good.
“Yeah, exactly and it got me hammered after like five of them.”
(High-five) Hell yeah!
Slay out there when you play. Thank you for hanging, you're the best. I'm really excited to actually see you play today because I missed you the two times when you played at Buckle. Last year we went to Portugal and saw a tiny little show called The Eras Tour, then this year I went to Germany to see Kip Moore in Cologne but I did see when you did the show with Gavin in Putney. Although you were just playing guitar so slightly disappointed and felt undersold because you play fiddle lol you know you wouldn’t get five stars on Trip Advisor kind of thing ha-ha.
“Awh, it’s because of the budget, I can't afford to play it at every show, but hopefully one day I can come over here and then won't be a problem.”
But are we going to see it here?
“You will, yes you will.”
Epic, thanks a lot, this has been soooooo much fun.
“Thank you, you’re fantastic we'll have an adult bevvy later.”
We will definitely have an adult bevvy later, cheers!
The new single “10 20s Summers” from Maggie Baugh is out now and there is more new music on the way. Maggie is currently out on the road in the United States on her Entertainers Heart Tour, which you can find full dates and ticket information available on her WEBSITE whilst you can keep up to date with all that she is up to over on INSTAGRAM TIKTOK X & FACEBOOK.
This year’s Country Calling was a resounding success with next year’s event set to take place between the 14th and 16th of August so you can be the first to find out more details on their WEBSITE and relive all the 2025 highlights on INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK.
“Awh, it’s because of the budget, I can't afford to play it at every show, but hopefully one day I can come over here and then won't be a problem.”
But are we going to see it here?
“You will, yes you will.”
Epic, thanks a lot, this has been soooooo much fun.
“Thank you, you’re fantastic we'll have an adult bevvy later.”
We will definitely have an adult bevvy later, cheers!
The new single “10 20s Summers” from Maggie Baugh is out now and there is more new music on the way. Maggie is currently out on the road in the United States on her Entertainers Heart Tour, which you can find full dates and ticket information available on her WEBSITE whilst you can keep up to date with all that she is up to over on INSTAGRAM TIKTOK X & FACEBOOK.
This year’s Country Calling was a resounding success with next year’s event set to take place between the 14th and 16th of August so you can be the first to find out more details on their WEBSITE and relive all the 2025 highlights on INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK.
