Me on . . . Me
My purpose on the planet is to let the world know God is good.....and probably also make some music ... and babies...and maybe do some TV stuff ...not all at the same time of course. Right now, I pay my bills by doing anesthesia - heck, I pay for MUSIC by doing anesthesia. So far it's funded a record label, publishing company, a couple of merch companies and a non-profit called Love Them Now (Lk 10:27). I'm a wanna-be-philanthropist. In fact, whether it's music or merch, you should know that a portion of everything we take in will always go back into doing good in the world. If you wanna hear the whole story check out, "What I Plan To Do ...and Why."
I'm one of those crazy people who believes one person really can make a difference. I miss Mississippi, rodeos, and the sound of basketball shoes on a gym court. I'm obsessed with beauty products, bags, throws, and Elvis. I cannot stop myself from defending others even if they're wrong, and we don't have to agree to be friends. In fact, I love contrast...in songs...in cultures... in life.
I believe Nashville, TN has some of the greatest songwriting and musical talent in the world. Yet some of my favorite songwriters are Lori McKenna, Jason Upton, and Eminem. Yeah - Upton AND Eminem - you read that correctly - the anointed and genius. Some of my favorite records were Miranda Lambert's "Revolution" and Alanis Morrisette's "Jagged Little Pill," and production-wise Kid Rock's "Cocky" album is the greatest thing I've ever heard in my life. EVER! That man does things with bass and steel a girl can only dream about. And I literally praise God when I hear Garth Brooks and George Strait. Sheryl Crowe and Amy Winehouse are also probably influences on my tunes. Oh! Kim Walker-Smith is hands down my favorite female artists. Even though I'm a country girl sometimes writing pop songs don't think spontaneous worship and psalms aren't one of my greatest joys in life. In fact, it's probably my greatest joy. I love to sing to and from God, and I believe the enemy is most afraid of our voice. But we sometimes it's the instruments that prophesy. Overall God is good. He is the Great Musician.
My Publicist Says This Is Important
Mississippi meets Memphis in this friendly self-proclaimed lover of Jesus and all things redneck! Don’t let razor-sharp edge and genre-blurring sounds fool you, growing up in rural northeast Mississippi and transplanted to Alabama by way of Memphis one thing is for sure, she is 100% country. While production may cause a song to lend itself to be produced a certain way to best convey a particular emotion, what never bends is April's consistency in who she is and what she's called to do.
With an exponentially growing fan-base, April credits internet, social media, and "mostly the favor of the Lord," for being featured in news and media outlets world-wide. A hidden secret turned buzz of Music City, highly esteemed Grammy Board Member, Professional Pop Writer and Memphis’s most sought after Vocal Coach Susan Marshall knows exactly why, “What’s not to love? Great tone, great pitch, great songs! Some of the best writing I've seen, and she writes most of it alone!"
Hollywood has taken notice and approached April about documenting her "rise up within the music industry," offering her a reality tv show via a major cable provider. Even though she has yet to give the company the green-light into her life, Award-winning producer Lauren Stalnecker speaks as to why he sought her out, "April is intriguing. Not only is she beautiful inside and out, but everything she does is focused on loving and helping people. I was shocked her motivation in music isn't to be famous, it's to help more people and she does it everywhere she goes. Even her day job as a nurse helps people! She just happens to be smart, beautiful, and one of the most talented artists we've seen, who truly loves the Lord. She's the top 1% in my book! What's not to love there?" Lauren is responsible for connecting April with current L.A. Grammy-Winning producer "Christian Davis" Stalnecker (Ludacris, 50 Cent, Dreezy) to co-write and co-produce on tracks for "The Flower," and pitched in film and tv.
Lauren may label April as the top 1%, but Briggs Meyers identify April's ENFJ's nature as being part of only 3% of the population in the world with only 1.5 % being women. Other famous ENFJs are King David, Martin Luther King, Jr., & Oprah. This could explain April's polarizing personally and deep belief in standing for what is right, but when it comes to music, overwhelmingly, it's her uncanny ability to relate to people that have industry pros shaking their heads in disbelief.
Unapologetically honesty with tender transparency, when she performs, then VP of A&R Universal Nashville Joe Fisher attests, "We believe her," as he elaborates by saying he isn't sure if he's ever seen an artist as solid in who they are as an artist and person. "In this business, finding a female artist - or any artist really but especially a female - who knows who she is and has something to say is one of the most difficult tasks there is," and here comes April strong and uncompromising. Some have already compared this charismatic gift to the likes of Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton. Consistent with her quick-wit and humble nature, it’s a compliment April responds to with and eye-roll and laughter, “I just love people and tell the truth. I tend to stay out of trouble that way!”
Some credit April's ability to write a great song and others her ability to choose great songs at the right time as why as a writer and publisher her songs have been set aside for artists such as Blake Shelton, Trace Adkins, Ashton Shepherd and other artists. Mike Doyle, VP of Major Bob Music in Nashville, thinks the reason is very basic, “The girl can write!”
Powerful writer and successful entrepreneur aside, some industry pros still stand by the fact it is her unique style and voice that will assure future in country and possibly pop music. “There isn’t anyone else that sounds like you,” is the compliment initiating and fueling April’s artist journey. A voice Sheree Spoltore, voted one of Nashville's Most Influential Women and Founder of Global Songwriter's Connection, simply describes as, "Beautiful." Earlier this year Spoltore went on record comparing April to the iconic Johnny Cash citing, "April is a renegade. She's doing things her way, and people can like it and get on board, or they will get left behind because this girl is going places!" Another Nashvillian familiar with April's ministry and music insists, [April] "is the biggest rogue this industry has ever seen. There is no one else like her doing what she's doing much less the way she's doing it." And April's response when they say it can't be done, "Watch Me," aptly the title of her first Adult Contemporary single.
All we know is she shines. Whether it's for thousands, as in Prentiss County's Agricultural Center and nationally televised Babbie's House, or only a handful in a coffee shop, April never takes herself too seriously as she delicately balances free-spirited quirk with heart-tugging life themes, Perhaps this explains why fans flock to the ultra-relatable down to earth Mississippi girl. Billy Lynn of Cal IV says April is one of those performers who is so relatable because she is "the same on the stage as she is off," and, "when she sings I believe her."
With such a sweet nature and from the artist of New, the self-pinned Christian track and most downloaded song from Musicians for LeBonheur albums, April shocked many and made headlines throughout the U.S. as hundreds of radio and media outlets featured the witty and tongue-and-cheek self-pinned tune “Bro Country." Her poignant, yet surprisingly jovial, defense of brocountry was birthed on behalf of the fans she felt were often slighted by those criticizing the sub-genre. The accompanying blog "The Blessing in Bro Country...The Power in Pro Country" spread quickly and offered valuable insight to the benefits and success of brocountry from the perspective of a fan stating,
"Life is hard. Jesus may be the answer, but music may be the Band-Aid. Bowing down to industry pressure might make you politically correct, but it will not make you a hero. Only touching lives does that....and sometimes those lives just want to drink a beer and chill."
However, headlines are no new feat for polarizing April, as Little Pink Ribbon, written from actual stories submitted by breast cancer patients and their families when asked “What do you want the world to know about your struggle?” received airplay from almost every state in the nation, as well as 14 other countries, in only two short weeks after it's online debut. Motivated to use music to “do good in the world” April founded Love Them Now, a Christian non-profit dedicated to meeting physical and spiritual needs of others, and that's exactly her motivation in music.
April's first 7 song EP "His Love's Like A Small Town," (under artist name April Fraiser) recorded with Nashville producer and hit songwriter Danny Wells, generated funds for Susan G. Komen,Breast Cancer Research Foundation and IIIB's Foundation, as well as the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. In 2013, inspired by the words of IIIB’s founder Caryolyn Cole-Rodenburg, “Everyone doesn’t have time to wait for a cure. There are some things women need now.” April completed a national radio and tv tour raising awareness for the organization supplying much needed items to women recovering from breast surgery secondary to cancer.
In 2018, we can expect April to lose more than just her last name on the upcoming album release of "The Flower." Fans can expect a departure from what she refers to as the "vanilla" sound forced upon her in the past. Emerging as Co-Producer on "The Flower," a 5 disc, 35 song project spanning 4 genres will be a historical release for a debut country artist. Love Them Now (Luke 10:27) will accompany her on the road to, in her words, "bring a Spirit-filled ministry team and inspirational resources" to every country music throw down. And we. Can't. Wait.
April is also a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist with a Master of Science in Nursing from University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Her passion is to use music as a platform to fund charitable organizations such as Love Them Now, who focuses on bringing ministry resources and opportunities to secular events. Stay in touch by signing up for the email list and following her on Twitter @Aprilthegirl.