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Washington native and aspiring country music singer-songwriter, Bailey Gerard, released her first single, “Something Southern” on June 21.

The beachy, breezy tune evokes images of rural landscapes on summer evenings and the feeling of falling in love.

Gerard wrote “Something Southern” with her best friends while in college, several years ago. The song is inspired by having a crush on someone who isn’t your “type.”

The love interest in Gerard’s song has a west coast, Los Angeles look, but there’s something Southern about their personality that is attractive.

“Well you don’t look like you’re from around here boy / in those faded out Converse straight from a west coast scene…Cause you’ve got something southern in the way you move / How about me and you kickin’ up dust in our cowboy boots,” Gerard sings.

“I had a person in mind and I just took details from what they wore to where they’re from and we literally just put it into the song. So everything you hear in that song is super raw and super real,” she said.

Professors, friends and family encouraged her to release the single. She recorded in Raleigh with her brother-in-law and his friend who are in a band. It was mixed and mastered in Nashville.

“I feel like ‘Something Southern’ – everything I’ve wanted in a song was to honor where I’m from, but also recognize that I live in Nashville as well,” Gerard said.

Gerard’s passion for music began at a young age. She took vocal lessons from Neva Cashion, and sang at local spots like Ribeyes Steakhouse and the former Wine Crate.

“I grew up in Washington doing that, and I knew I wanted to do that as a career. What that looked like, I didn’t know, but I knew I needed to go to Nashville,” Gerard said.

Gerard graduated from Lipscomb University in 2022 then interned at the BlueBird Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee. The BlueBird Cafe has gained worldwide recognition where songwriters perform their own songs. Chart-topping artists in all genres of music have performed at the BlueBird.

Gerard wrote “Miss my Momma” in 2021 with Cordell Bay and Micheal Mullins. “Miss my Momma” is about being homesick in a large city. Listeners can find it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fhbm4YQfxiM

An Easter egg for local listeners is that when Gerard mentions the Carolina coast in “Something Southern” she’s actually talking about Washington. “I love Washington. I love where I’m from, and I kind of name dropped that a little bit with the coast of Carolina – and that’s exactly what I’m talking about is Washington. Everything in this song I tried to bring back home as much as I could,” Gerard said.

Listeners can find “Something Southern” on all streaming platforms.