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Nicolle Galyon made her Grand Ole Opry debut as an artist this past Friday, a performance that coincided with the 20th anniversary of her move to Nashville. Across the past two decades, Galyon has written nine #1 singles, won numerous awards, founded the female-focused label and publishing house, Songs & Daughters, and most recently, released her debut album, Firstborn.
Released last month on Songs & Daughters from Firstborn is a striking personal statement and tells Galyon’s life story in song form. From her humble beginnings that lead her towards a life of overachieving, to grappling with knowing only half of her family tree, to the constant juggle between motherhood and career and everything in between. The project is a musical memoir and fully realized artistic declaration from one of Nashville’s most successful and beloved songwriters.
Produced by King Henry and Jimmy Robbins, the eleven-track album features songwriting collaborations with Robbins, Kelsea Ballerini, Hillary Lindsey, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Sasha Sloan, Emily Weisband, Rodney Clawson and more.
In her own words, Galyon shares, “It is not lost on me that most artists releasing their debut album are about 20 years younger than me, which is often why the themes of this recordrarely see the light of day. This record is not for Nashville. Or the radio. Or even for me necessarily. It is for my kids, Charlie & Ford, who I hope—partly because of Firstborn — will one day do the precious work of digging deep into their own life stories. I pray they will one day know where they came from … because I fought to leave them something that showed them who they came from. And today this woman is bold and vulnerable and tough and honest and fiercely committed to showing up. Much like my own mother did for me, 38 years ago, when I was firstborn in a town called Winner.”
Born in Winner, SD, raised in Sterling, KS and now based in Nashville, TN, Galyon has written nine #1 singles including Miranda Lambert’s ACM Award-winning “Automatic” and Dan + Shay’s multi-platinum, ACM Award-winning “Tequila.” She’s also received a Grammy and CMA Awards nomination, earned a Triple Play Award and was honored by BMI as their 2019 Songwriter of the Year. In addition to her work as a songwriter and artist, Galyon founded the female-focused label and publishing house, Songs & Daughters, in 2019, which includes artists Hailey Whitters, Tiera Kennedy, Madison Kozak, Lauren Watkins and more. Galyon was named 2020 Kansan of the Year for her continued service and commitment to her home state, which includes partnering with SongFarm and Save The Music to install a recording studio in Sterling High School and others throughout the country.
