Marcy Priest Named January “Best Vocalist Of The Month” With “Never Ending”
By Dale Kawashima
Marcy Priest
Marcy Priest, a soulful pop/rock singer & writer based in Oklahoma City, OK, has won the January SingerUniverse “Best Vocalist Of The Month” Competition, for her performance of her song, “Never Ending” (co-written by Bryan Jackson & Trent Austin). This song is included on her 7-song CD Awake, which she released independently in April 2008.
“Never Ending” is a well-crafted uptempo cut, which has a bluesy feel in the verses reminiscent of Melissa Etheridge, and then segues into a more modern pop/rock sound in the choruses a la Kelly Clarkson. This song provides a fine showcase for Priest’s strong lead & background vocals. “Never Ending” was skillfully produced by Trent Austin (who produced Priest’s debut CD), and it also features dynamic guitar tracks by Bryan Jackson (who is Priest’s husband).
Priest was born and raised in Oklahoma City, where she was introduced to music by her parents, who both sang and played guitar. She was also inspired by listening to such favorite artists as Whitney Houston, Patty Griffin and Jonatha Brooke. Priest learned to play piano at age 5, and she started writing songs when she was 11. “I was encouraged to write songs by my cousin Billy Crockett, who is a prominent artist & guitarist,” recalled Priest.
For college, Priest attended the University of Central Oklahoma, where she subsequently graduated with a major in Business Marketing and a minor in Music. She then moved to Nashville to pursue her music career, and she built connections with music publishers, label execs and other musicians. However, it wasn’t until she moved back to Oklahoma City that she truly developed as an artist.
Marcy Priest
“Eventually all the pieces fell together,” said Priest. “I worked on my songwriting, and recorded my CD with Trent Austin and my husband Bryan. In 2008 I released my CD (called Awake), and I put together a band. Since then, we have played many gigs regionally (mainly Oklahoma and Texas), and we’ve performed at South By Southwest and other conferences.”
Currently, Priest is writing songs for her next album, which she plans on releasing later this year. “I’m excited about recording my next album. I’m also looking forward to doing more touring. I just want to make the best music I can as an artist – to create music that feels real to me, and that has substance.”
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Angel Perez
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Gina Sicilia
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To enter the next "Best Vocalist Of The Month" Contest (the deadline is the last day of each month), please Click Here
