"Playing more live shows in the past two years than I have in the years prior, my guitar skills have improved tremendously." - Payton Howie

Image provided by: Payton Howie

With backwoods bathed vocals and bona fide southern swagger, recently nominated Texas Regional Radio's New Female Vocalist of the Year and 2023 Texas Country Music Awards Emerging Artist of the Year, Payton Howie is on the rise and one to keep your eye on. This Texas trailblazer and Nashville recording artist is branded as the ultimate ‘All American Girl’ by Scenes Media, and is gaining nationwide notoriety with features from CMT, Guitar Thrills Magazine, The Boot, Country Rebel, Fox News, and repetitive seasonal invites to NBC's The Voice and American Idol from executive producers.

Payton unapologetically embodies the untamed tradition that country music was built on, and she’s hellbent on bringing her own grit to the honky tonk. She has multiple songs featured on several of Spotify’s sought after editorial playlists and her debut EP, “Youngblood”, has attained over 2 million streams.

The accompanying music video for "Never Go Home" shows off her non-stop party attitude and the music videos for "Keep Her Breathing" and "Freedom" bleed red, white, and blue. Payton is honored to have shared stages with & provided support for Lainey Wilson, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Chris Janson, Clay Walker, William Clark Green, Pam Tillis, Aaron Watson, Bret Michaels, The Bellamy Brothers, Ian Munsick, The Band Perry, Warren Zeiders, Billy Ray Cyrus, Hunter Hayes, Kevin Fowler, Roger Creager, Walker County, Gary Allan, Jack Ingram, Coffey Anderson, Josh Ward, Laci Kaye Booth, Casey Donahew, Janie Fricke, Tyler Farr,  Chayce Beckham, Tracy Byrd and many more. With her latest single, "Ramblin' Woman", Payton Howie is scorching country music with a brand that’s hers alone

Guitar Thrills Magazine has been a fan of Payton Howie for years. Her country vibe is impeccable, and she is determined to follow her own trend. Not the one that the music industry dictates to you. Which is why we are vested in her music career as a country artist. Certainly, her skill set as a guitarist always is eye-catching.

INTERVIEW WITH PAYTON HOWIE AND GUITAR THRILLS MAGAZINE

Guitar Thrills: At the age of 16, I was into alternative music, such as The Cure, Sex Pistols, Agent Orange, Social Distortion, Xmox, etc. Many of my friends were into the same bands. Who influenced you at such an early age, to take up the Country music?

Payton: You know growing up my dad was really into classic rock and my mom loved country music. I can remember being in a car seat in my mom’s old red convertible Mercedes listening to her favorite country songs and memorizing all the words. I think that had a huge influence on my love of music and why I chose to pursue a career in country music.

Guitar Thrills: I have total respect and admiration Lainey Wilson. I read that she supported you by sharing the same stage she performed on. What are the highlights into how that happened?

Payton: I was honored to share the stage with Joey Green in opening up for Lainey Wilson at Billy Bob’s Texas for a sold out show.

Guitar Thrills: Many artists refer to recognition, and endorsement by top tier artists. Music platforms such as CMT, Fox News, The Boot, and The Voice, quick to mention your talents. How instrumental were these platforms in the impact your career has had?

Payton: It’s always such an honor to have major platforms that have recognized some of the greats like Reba, Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban, and Lainey Wilson, recognizing my work as well. I’m always just grateful to get to work alongside awesome names like that.

Guitar Thrills: Do you notice that many artists defer to working with someone in the industry with a notable name of accomplishments. Is this more name dropping, than collaborating on substantial projects?

Payton: I’m always of the mindset that great artists support other great artists and there’s more than enough success to go around. I will say it’s honor to have the opportunity to collaborate with good people whether they’ve worked with big names or not.

Guitar Thrills: What is the most important character trait, for your fans to appreciate about you the most? It could be something that they are totally unaware of. 

Payton: In a world that can be so fabricated and counterfeit, I always try to be as real as possible and just say what I’m thinkin’ whether people like it or not. I think the realest thing about the music industry is the fans because they’re the ones showing up to shows, listening to every original song, sporting merch, and showing constant support on social media. The die-hard support I’ve seen from my listeners means the absolute world to me.

Guitar Thrills: When you write music, it seems that you write with purpose. Is it important to you to touch the heart or emotions of those that listen to you? 

Payton: Absolutely. Whether it’s an upbeat rockin’ anthem or an edgy heartfelt ballad, I mean every word that I write. As I’ve grown into my style of songwriting, I’ve found it easier to find just the right words to convey the energy I want people to feel whether they’re listening to it for the first time or the thousandth time.

Guitar Thrills: I would like to know your guitar brand of choice. What is your “go to” guitar brand and why? What specific sounds are you looking for? 

Payton: Ahh my current favorites are my Martin StreetMaster and my Gibson Les Paul. Especially when it comes to acoustic guitars, I love a full and warm tone. My Martin has a mahogany body that provides a warm tone that pairs well with my voice and I love it.

Guitar Thrills: Have your guitar skills improved within the last two years? If so, what enables you to play the guitar outside the use of a couple of chords? 

Payton: I would definitely say playing more live shows in the past two years than I have in the years prior, my guitar skills have improved tremendously. Just being able to be around so many talented musicians on the road and learning tips/tricks from them makes a crazy difference.

Guitar Thrills: I don’t want to end our interview without asking about your album release of Ramblin’ Woman. Thus far, has it exceeded your expectations? Fan engagement, streaming, accolades, etc. 

Payton: The release of my single, “Ramblin’ Woman”, has been crazy. It’s so cool to get to see how many people are loving the song, adding it to playlists, making videos with it, and sharing it. Considering this song is probably one the most heavy rockin’ songs I’ve ever dropped, I love to see my listeners absolutely digging the vibe of “Ramblin’ Woman”.

Guitar Thrills: Was there a gap between your last two albums, that is reconciled by the production of “Ramblin’ Woman?

Payton: No, my last few releases including my live acoustic Christmas EP, Pink Whitney, and Orange have all been individual releases and singles.

Guitar Thrills: I know you are limited in time. You have been on tour to promote “Ramblin’ Woman”. Are you up for it, and does it take a while to regroup or renergize for your next project? 

Payton: Yeah I’ve been on the road like crazy and playing a ton of shows but it’s so worth it to get to share that wild excitement & energy that comes with playing new music for people at shows.

Guitar Thrills: Sincerely, I want to thank you for dropping by to answer some direct questions related to what you are accomplishing. I want to catch up with you again, maybe after the promotion of your latest release, we can chat to find out how it impacted your career, and what your fans thought about it. 

Payton: Absolutely, thank you so much for your time. I appreciate all that you’re doing for up and coming artists!

Vera Black

A RECAP OF WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: "Playing more live shows in the past two years than I have in the years prior, my guitar skills have improved tremendously." - Payton Howie

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• The Power of Basic Chord Shapes - Using the CAGED System: Part II
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