Interview With Nashville Based Southern Pop And Country Music Trio Track45

Our latest exclusive interview is with the Nashville based trio Track45. These guys do not only blend southern pop and country music together seamlessly, they are siblings and play multiple instruments, including the piano, mandolin, cello, violin and guitar. We connected with Jenna, KK and Benjamin to find out what the band name means, what led to them deciding to leave their hometown of Meridian, Miss. to move to Nashville, when we'll be able to hear an EP or album, and much more.

After reading our Q&A with Jenna, KK and Benjamin, be sure to follow them on their social media streams to stay up to date on all things Track45, and go to their YouTube channel ASAP to watch all their covers. 

Tell us about the name Track45; how did it originate and what does it mean?

When we first started playing music as a band, we went by the name 45 South because it was the Highway that took us to all our favorite places, and we had lots of great family memories associated with it. Later on, we played for a live PBS show and the name was copyrighted by a band in Australia, so we had to change our name. We grew up in Meridian, MS which is a railroad town, so the “track” references that and music “track.” We just left the 45. 

At what point did you guys decide to leave Meridian, Miss. and move to Nashville? How would you compare the two cities in relation to the music scenes for your genres of southern pop and country?

We were on the show X FACTOR, and shortly after that (about 5 years ago), we made a contact in Nashville who strongly encouraged us to make the move. We had already been thinking about it but to have someone well respected in the business give us the extra push helped seal the decision. 

We’re really thankful for Meridian and all of the music we were exposed to there. We were in awesome choirs, got to play on a live PBS show, played shows all over meridian and the southeast, and we grew up going to the local Meridian Symphony Orchestra. Meridian has a lot to offer, especially for a small city. Nashville was the next step because it has so many opportunities and connections. In Nashville, we’ve been able to find and hone our sound and have opportunities to write with award winning songwriters. It’s been amazing to learn from them and grow and develop as artists and songwriters. 

What do you guys enjoy most about performing live for an audience? What is your favorite cover song to perform?

There’s just something magical about sharing your music in a live show. It’s vulnerable but such an incredible chance to put your music out there. Connecting to so many people through music is amazing. We love getting to hangout with people afterwards and hear their stories, too. 

Our favorite cover songs to sing live change frequently because we work up a bunch for social media. Right now our favorites are Burning House and I Got You. 

Can we expect an EP or album to drop this year or early 2018?

We’ve been writing almost everyday for the past year with lots of great writers, and we’ve also been in the studio working on putting our favorite songs down. We’ll be releasing it soon! Hopefully sometime in the next 6 months. 

I know that being on demand singer-songwriters can be all consuming at times, but what do you each love to do on your downtime, off the stage and out of the studio?

My dad has always been big into exercise (his masters is in Exercise Science), so we all played lots of sports growing up. Our favorites are tennis and basketball. My mom has her masters in English, and we all inherited her love for curling up with a good book. 

Jenna loves to swim, sketch/paint, hike, read and travel. 

K.K. likes cooking (she’s our resident chef), spinning, yoga, hiking, reading and investing (she loves Dave Ramsey).

Benjamin heads up basketball games each week, teaches music lessons, reads non stop and loves to go to shows to hear other friends/artists. 

Who are your all time favorite solo pop artists? And who are your all time favorite country bands?

Just scroll down our YouTube channel to see our favorite artists. We take our current favorite songs and arrange them into cool covers, but to name a few:

Pop--Taylor Swift, Bebe Rexha, Ed Sheeran, Charlie Puth, One Direction, and Ariana Grande. 

Country--Dolly Parton, Alan Jackson, George Strait, Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain, Reba and Keith Urban. 

If you guys could do a collaborative song with any artist (dead or alive), who would you choose?

We are HUGE Beatles fans and got to hear Paul McCartney live, so we would definitely want to write with him (or any of the Beatles). Dolly Parton has been someone we’ve always loved and respected as a person, artist, and writer, so it would be amazing to write with her, too. We’ve seen Keith Urban from a distance for awhile in Nashville and always loved his showmanship and songs. It would be really cool to write with him, as well!

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