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Rising Music Star Branden Martin On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry

June 25, 2023 by

An Interview With Elana Cohen

I wish someone had told me when I was younger, that being a singer/songwriter was an option as a career. It always seemed like a fantastical story to me. I always loved writing, and language, and thought I was just the weird kid. If I had known I could do something with it back then, I could have started a long time ago.

Asa part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Branden Martin.

Branden Martin is a singer with a big, soulful voice and refreshingly retro sound. Branden was featured on NBC’s The Voice Season 12, giving him a strong start in music. He built his chops performing in local bars and music venues and opening for artists such as Jason Michael Carroll, RaeLynn, Mark Chesnutt, Confederate Railroad, David Allan Coe and The Steel Woods. His brand of music draws rave reviews earning him dedicated fans who only show up for raw, authentic talent and hard work.

Still a young man, Branden Martin is a seasoned veteran of country music. Writing vulnerable songs about real life, this Kentucky native is a self-taught guitarist who never considered compromising his roots to find success. He found an opportunity to follow his passion in 2014 when he was convinced to compete in the “Hoedown in the Holler,” an annual, homegrown country music festival in Kentucky with a legacy of launching acts like Morgan Wallen & Dylan Scott. He competed against highly experienced musicians and won.

In between festivals, opening for major label artists and playing Honkytonks, Branden released his hit singles Drunk Again (2020) and Drink To Remember (2021), accompanied by a cinematic video. His first album 001 debuted August 12, 2022.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit about your “origin story”. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I grew up in a family of four. Mom, Dad, my sister, and me. We had a normal life, I suppose. We helped out around the house doing chores. Laundry, dishes, cutting grass, and carrying in wood for the stove in the winter. I worked in tobacco with my great uncle and cousins and helped my dad remodel houses. When I wasn’t doing any of that, I was running around in the woods or writing songs and playing my guitar.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

I played guitar around the house for a long time. Then I started bringing my guitar around to cook outs and gatherings here and there. I eventually started playing local places like the VFW, AMVET and similar organizations. Soon, I was invited to a few bigger parties from those places. One of those parties was hosted by the man who would later become my manager, Ira Kilburn. He and his wife Ambie showed me that there was a path I could take to turn this music hobby into a living.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

One of my favorite stories was a day I had a show in northern KY at a festival. This was a standard show for me, and it wasn’t far from home. Shortly before the show, Leslie Satcher offered me a spot in a different show happening down in Nashville. I just couldn’t pass the opportunity up, but there was absolutely no way to drive to Nashville, play that show, and make it back to northern KY on time. So, we convinced a local pilot to fly us to Nashville and back up to KY in one day. On the way back up to KY, we landed in Falmouth, KY, hopped in a waiting vehicle and drove to the festival. We arrived literally just in time. As we backed up to the loading spot to the stage, my buddy Rye Davis, who had the set right before me, was leaving the stage. I grabbed my gear and walked right up to the mic and started singing.

It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I can’t think of anything particularly funny. But I do remember comparing myself to anyone I admired in the music business, both peers and Legends alike. And one day it just struck me that nobody is making the same music I’m making. While our experiences and thoughts can be similar, nobody but me has navigated my experiences on the same personal level. Whatever it may be. So, I decided to quit doing comparing myself to others.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

My manager, Ira, and his wife. As I said before, they showed me that there were options in the world other than what I was used to. I just assumed I would grow up to work in the sawmill or build fences or something similar for the rest of my life. When we started working together, they took me in like family. They opened doors for me, but really, I appreciate them for the fact that they showed me those doors existed in the first place. They have and continue to keep a fire lit under me and encourage me to pursue this career in music.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Can’t never could. He lives down there on Won’t Street.”

My mother told me that. It’s always on repeat in my mind. When things are difficult or seem impossible, I don’t say I can’t, that just means you won’t. If you want to do something or get something done, you can, and will find a way to manage it.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

Right now, I’m working on getting some writing done for the next album. I’m really looking forward to getting together with some people I’ve written with in the past, and the people we’ve got on the list for some new co-writes. And I’ve done a lot of living since the last album, so I’ve got some stuff to get down into songs that I’m excited about.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film, and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

  1. I think diversity is important, because it’s really easy for people to get hung up in their own world. Which is fine for some folks but sharing experience and different ways of going about things is a good way to come together and better understand one another.
  2. This understanding is important especially because it helps people get along better. We have more in common than we realize, and the things that unite us are part of our humanity. We need to support each other.
  3. Too much similarity is just plain boring! The same thing of any flavor gets old after a while, so why not mix it up and have a large time? We all have so much to offer to each other and the more folks we know, the more of life we get to experience.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

  1. I wish someone had told me when I was younger, that being a singer/songwriter was an option as a career. It always seemed like a fantastical story to me. I always loved writing, and language, and thought I was just the weird kid. If I had known I could do something with it back then, I could have started a long time ago.
  2. I wish someone had told me years ago that being a unique individual is particularly important in the artist world. Growing up, I was held down by the thought that I was just the weird kid. I tried to be who I thought I was supposed to be, rather than who I was already. I just needed to be myself.
  3. I wish someone had told me to ask more questions and write down the highlights. There are people who I’ve lost in my life, for example, my grandparents, who had all this experience in life and love, and I never really asked them important things. I remember asking childish questions, as a child often does. I thought they’d be around forever, so I’d be able to just sit back and listen, and eventually I’d just hear something I needed to hear. I wish I could hear those stories again.
  4. I wish someone had told me that the business side of music is as important to study on as the writing and playing is. Rather than me just jumping in and learning what I need to know in a hurry because I have to get something done.
  5. And I wish that someone had told me that you don’t have to be what you think you SHOULD be. Rather that you should be all you CAN be. Whatever it is. An artist in a particular genre of music, a fence builder or an off-bearer at a sawmill, a farmer, a mechanic, a lawyer or a doctor. If you want to do something, you should do it.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Do what you want to do. Do the things you have to do. But don’t be afraid to change something that ain’t making you as happy as something else might. Try not to dig a hole for gold so deep that you can’t climb back out. And don’t be afraid to walk out on a limb, it may not be all you thought it would be when you get there, but it may be that and more. And you’ll never know unless you try. It may break, but if you’ve got wings, let it break. You’ll fly on to the next opportunity.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

Remember every day to get out and do something that makes you feel good. Whatever it is. And ALWAYS take an opportunity to make someone else feel good. That’ll brighten the day for both of you.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂

The list would be ridiculously long. But Chris Stapleton or Jason Isbell for sure. I’d love to talk to either of them about writing music and living life. Their art seems to come from this place of honesty, earnestness and surety. And that is all I think a writer should be. I think it would be interesting to see how they go about it, and how their deas become songs.

How can our readers follow you online?

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!