Gardendale native to compete in new country music show

Published 12:23 pm Thursday, November 15, 2018

Tiera Leftwich caught the singing bug when she was just a little girl in elementary school when she sang her first solo “Part of Your World” in the choir. She knew she loved to sing but, had never performed in front of so many people, especially her peers. She said she found it interesting to see her classmates’ reactions because none of them knew she could sing. Apparently, the reaction was a positive one because she continued to sing in Gardendale High School choir, which was, she says, her defining moment of when she knew she would pursue music and singing as a career: “I’ve always loved singing, but when I sang solo in my high school choir concert, I think that’s when I knew I could make a career out of it.”

She sings country music and explains, “I always knew that I loved music in general and when I started singing and writing music, country music is what I naturally fell into. I loved the storytelling aspect behind country music, so that’s what I gravitated toward.”

When asked what her inspiration is for writing her music she responded, “When writing songs, I draw inspiration from experiences in my own life and also in other people’s lives. I think writing music about things people go through everyday is the most relatable.”

After graduating from Gardendale High School, Leftwich attended a year at the University of North Alabama. While there, she recorded multiple songs with her producer Noah Shell at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals. She has released two of those songs since moving to Nashville last year and has just recently released “Love You for That,” a song she co-wrote with Hannah May Allison and John Miller. She said the song tells the story of a relationship where one person is a little hard to deal with, but the other person chooses to love them despite their flaws. She said the song has been released to all streaming services.

Since moving to Nashville, Leftwich has performed at multiple well-known venues including the Bluebird and Listening Room, however she places performing at the Opry at the top of her bucket list.

When not performing Leftwich continues writing her music, taking meetings and laughingly says sleeping makes up her days. She says she has been fortunate enough to have worked every day since moving to Nashville and although at times it can be quite a lot, she wouldn’t change it for the world!

Leftwich has some advice for those hoping to pursue a career in the music business: “Stay true to yourself and never let anyone tell you who you should be. It doesn’t matter how powerful someone is, no one knows you better than you know yourself. There are going to be a lot of people along your journey who tell you that you ‘can’t’ do something. Always remember why you started in the first place and never let anyone deter you from pursuing your dreams.”

Leftwich is appearing on the new television show ‘Real Country’ which debuted last night on the USA network and will air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. Her mentor on the show is Shania Twain, “I’ve always been a fan of her music, so it was such an amazing experience getting to work with her on the show,” she confessed.

When asked if this was her first experience competing musically, “It is! I never thought being on a show like this would appeal to me, but it has been one of the most exciting things I have done!”