For artist Erin Grand, all roads led to a career in music from the start. Born and raised just outside of the Twin Cities (an area that, ironically, isn’t naturally known to host a large population of country fans), the country-soul powerhouse - whose new single is due out this spring - always seemed divinely driven toward a vocation in the performing arts. “I’ve never had a full-time job that didn’t involve music. It’s what I was put here to do.”  Growing up in a family that celebrated music and supported Grand’s aspirations, she first discovered her love of singing at age 8, and began finding her lane in the country genre soon after. “My parents raised me on country, soul and rock & roll - which I’m forever grateful for.” Like many, she began by performing in church, joining the youth band as a lead singer. Eventually, her talents were called upon by the church’s adult worship team. Simultaneously, Grand sang in a secular pop band - which later became a duo. “I was able to do what I loved full time. I was paid to sing - it didn’t get much better than that.”  The tides shifted, though, when her duo partner decided on another career path - and Grand became a solo act. The move to going solo really prompted that practice of learning to accompany myself.” Around the same time, she began dabbling in songwriting and getting into the local midwest scene of country music. She joined a group known as the Midwest CMO and has been the reigning champ of The Female Vocalist of the Year for the past 3 years in a row. Eager to progress, Grand began taking monthly trips to Nashville, dipping into Music City’s never-ending talent pool to hone her melodic and lyrical skills. During one of those trips, she was invited to join the prestigious group Song Suffragettes - a collective of female artists passionate about supporting one another in their musical endeavors.  In February of 2020, Grand moved to Nashville - and was immediately met with a modified version of what life in music would look like when the COVID-19 virus caused the industry to come to a screeching halt. “It was tough, but I wanted to continue moving in a forward direction. Fortunately, I’d made friends from my frequent trips down. So I set up lots of Zoom writes. It wasn’t ideal, but it kept me in the game.” Drawing inspiration from the stylings of favorites Maren Morris, Keith Urban, Lady Gaga, and Bruno Mars, and Amy Winehouse, Grand continued to develop her sound - which she calls “country with a LOT of soul” - and find her voice. “I like to write about what could be… made up things. Imagining things in a way that most men or women would dream of wanting and of course real life experiences.”  From those co-writes came sultry, driving debut single “Mood” (October 2020), followed by carefree, quirky upbeat tune “Better With Wine” (July 2021). As she continues to release new music, backed by a team solely composed of women (“I love working with women”), Grand’s distinct vocal tenor and strength, paired with candid (and oftentimes witty) lyricism continually merit new fans and position her as one of the industry’s most promising talents. Erin Grand has new music set to be released in 2023.