Nice To Meet You, Again

Before this new chapter begins, I want to introduce myself to those who are new as well as those who have been here. 

I figured this next era will start with me giving some context to this website and who I am. It has been nearly 7 years since my debut post and, while I hope my writing has improved, I want this read to be both a check in with myself and a new connection with others...

hi! My name is Marisa and I am from a small east coast town- Williamsburg, Virginia. While I was always rushing to leave home, it is the reason I decided to start writing and building this website. Growing up in a traditional town where your path in life was essentially written before you were given a name, I always struggled to connect with those around me as I knew that this is not where I fit in. I know, I know- it is strong but I truly hated growing up here. I went to the same school with the same people and graduated with the same thirteen kids. Change seemed too big for this town. While this all may seem dramatic, this is what it felt like at the time and it is comforting to know others relate. Through socially changing what I said I wanted to do with my life, the true answer remained the same.  Music business.

Since I was in elementary school, I would ask my mom if I could write letters to my favorite artists. The Selena Gomez fangirl phase was never just a phase. Considering I wasn't even in an actual English class yet, I would sit on my mom's floor and she would write out what I wanted to say and send the letter to their fan club. Truthfully, I thought the desire to rush home to listen to music or continuously check my mailbox for a letter back would dissipate, it never did.  Like I said before, I would say I wanted to do something different- like marine biology or become a special education teacher, the music industry is something that engulfed my life. It was something I knew I had to be a part of. 

While not exactly having musical talent- I became disinterested in vocal lessons and guitar seemed cool until I realized that I would rather just listen. I do not recall how I found out, perhaps credits on a record or some snippet in Tiger Beat, I soon realized there is a whole team of people behind an artist who help facilitate the dream.

I grew up with Toby Keith playing as my dad dropped me off for school, my brother and I would get ready for bed while listening to Johnny Cash, and when I realized there are girls in the industry who bring fire to the table- I was officially hooked. Songs like "Gunpowder & Lead" drew me into the country scene from a very young age.

In 2015, my mom took me to a Kelsea Ballerini show. I had been asking her for months and then she called me to tell me we were going that night. I was elated! She was opening for Dan + Shay at The National on a $20 ticket. We ended up meeting her after the concert, making her the first artist/industry person I had ever met. While watching her career skyrocket since then, my devotion to the music industry has only grown.

I have always claimed that my true purpose in life is to help others. All I want to do is help someone accomplish their goal- which is why I also have a deep love for the fitness industry. As someone's manager, I feel as though that purpose is being fulfilled. I want to know what needs to be done and we will get there all while bringing other's along on the journey. 

​Explaining this goal to people in Williamsburg created some distress. I would have people tell me how the country industry does not align with Christ or how it is just a pipe dream. I truly have never felt so connected to God as through these experiences. I have never been so undoubtedly sure about something as working in the music industry. The numerous questions about this caused me to just not feel seen or like I could ever bring this dream to life. That is when I started my blog.

If I could not connect to those around me, I would reach a little further. I started to connect to people outside of town. Then- how about if we direct this towards something? Blog post after blog post, with a huge dash of fangirl, some fashion, then a music business series... here we are. I constructed the music business series after a rough breakup. It reminded me of my independence. I dabbled in other topics when I left my first college and genuinely had no clue who I was. It reminded me I have purpose. It gave me another outlet to talk about my bodybuilding prep as well and connect to others in the field.

I would write articles on artists or songs and blindly send it out to their teams. In the 3 part series, I explained how to find these connections!

One post in particular during women's month was grasped by a manager. We immediately got on a call and he saw the potential. It was a natural conversation regarding the industry and life. I will admit, I am not great about staying in touch through text. A little over a year goes by without us talking but I was still growing connections and reached out to the director of internships there. I showed up at his office in Nashville for my first industry internship. I was only in Nashville for about two weeks but I had learned so much and connected to so many people. I had met my dream company. To this day, I still talk with a few people there. 

During that time, I went to an event downtown and met a lot of industry people. I hit it off with a specific news outlet. One thing about this journey is I want it to be intentional and of good image. All Country News is the epitome of that. No clickbait, no bad press- just a genuine love for country music with phenomenal writing. I knew these were the people I wanted to learn from. And I did when I did a music journalism internship for them in 2024! 

It challenged the barrier I thought my abilities had for remote work and writing deadlines. It pushed me to go in a new creative direction and to have a creative voice. It brought my passion of writing about artists and their music to a new level to reach hundreds of thousands.

None of this would have been made possible without starting this silly little website that has become my greatest passion project. Not only my internships have come out of it but a job in Richmond for a local country station, being a stagehand for random shows, and many meetings over coffee or zoom. It has also grown my confidence to step out of my comfort zone- whether it is blindly reaching out to people in Nashville or stepping on stage for a bodybuilding competition.

With launching this new website, I aim to continuously open doors and to keep pushing to be the music industry official I know I have the potential to be. Whether this is your first read or have been here for years- thank you for following my unwavering love and dedication to this industry.

Contact:

Instagram:

marisa.jillian

liftswithris

Email:

mjillian.blog@gmail.com