I promise, if you're having yourself a bad day, throw this bad boy on your stereo and instantly, you will be dancing like you just had 10 Mountain Dews and a bag of candy. There is nothing like a good, fun, upbeat song to get you moving and Regan Stewart dials up a home run with "Dancin' Around It".
Get To Know Regan
"Yeah, I'm from Auburn, Alabama and moved to Nashville after college. I was always in music for fun, like growing up I would write songs in my room. And I was in the church choir during high school. I played sports growing up in middle school and junior high. Then our high school did a musical during my 9th grade year. I considered quitting sports to pursue music and to do plays and stuff. I did end up actually quitting sports. From there I started to learn how to play guitar and joined all the choirs at school. It was super weird for my family because they didn't know I was into music like that. I randomly came home from school and was like "I'm quitting sports to be in the musical". So that's what really started my love for music. I have lived in Nashville for about 7 years and I play rounds all around town. I moved here not really knowing anything besides that I love to write songs. So I started by playing open mic nights and doing writer's rounds and meeting people that liked to do the same thing as me. I feel like everyone goes through a time where you are trying to find yourself as an artist, and I went through that. Finally I met a producer that helped me find my sound and it changed the whole game for me. I released the first song we worked on back in August of last year. My latest release, "Dancin' Around It" came after that. I feel like I'm finally painting the picture I want with my songs."
A Voice That Makes You Stop And Listen
This song just puts a big smile on my face and makes me feel like I'm strolling through town at the beginning of a movie where nothing could go wrong. From the beginning, "Dancin' Around It" is a vibrant and upbeat jam sandwich that flows beautifully from start to finish. As Regan mentions, she feels as if she's found her sound. She's damn right! Very few songs make me want to physically get up and throw on the boots, grab a nice young lady and dance away with our two left feet, but this song is worthy. If I didn't say this is one of the catchiest songs of 2021, I'd be lying. You know you are listening to a star when you hear 10 seconds of a song and instantly stop what you're doing. Future is brighter than the night sky on the Fourth of July for Regan Stewart.
Inspiration Behind "Dancin' Around It"
Written By: Regan Stewart, Lauren McLamb & Christian Wood, Produced By: Brandon Hood
"I think I heard someone say it on a movie or TV show that I was watching and then wrote it down in my notes. I started thinkin' about it before going into a write. Usually I'll do that - think about an idea I have and how it resonates with me. I liked a guy when I moved to town. We wrote songs together, he was a friend of mine. I knew he was interested in me because he’d tell my roommate, but not me. I was kind of interested in him. I'm the kind of person that if he told me he was interested in me, I would have 100% been like "alright cool". He didn't say anything so I was shy. That was where the idea came from. I brought the idea in, wrote it with Christian Wood and Lauren McLamb - who are two very good writers in town. They liked the idea, so we went with it."
Q & A With Regan Stewart
Q: What was your "lightbulb moment" when you knew you wanted to pursue a career in music?
A: "I went to school one year in Minnesota and interned at a radio station while I was there. I did a promotion internship, so I was basically in the studio doing stupid work. This girl came in for the country station and was doing her radio tour. At that point, I didn't know what a radio tour was. But they told me there was free pizza and we needed extra people in the room to make it seem like a crowd was there. Me and like 10 other interns came in. The other people were kind of there chatting in the back, but I wanted to actually listen to what she was saying. It honestly made me cry. She was telling the stories of her songs and what they mean to her. It clicked, then, that this is what I wanted to do. I talked with a couple people and they told me I would have to move to Nashville to do that. Well, I moved to Nashville because of that girl. What is actually so cool is, I work at a restaurant in town and after like 2 years of being in town, that girl came into the restaurant. She was actually at my table. I told her "I know this is going to be super weird, but you are the reason I moved to town, I saw you on a radio tour". She started crying and was really excited about it. Now we are friends on Facebook. I know that she used to be signed to a record label and was doing that thing. Now she's on Broadway singing and has a family. It's cool to see you can do music and not have one specific path."
Q: What does songwriting mean to you?
A: "I feel like when you write a song, everyone can relate to it in some way. Like when I started writing songs, I wrote about how my brother dated a lot and I didn't, so I would write songs about his life. I feel whether it's about your life, a friend or someone close to you that's going through something, you still relate. It just might mean something different at different points in your life. For instance, my aunt passed away a couple of years ago. If I write or hear a song about someone passing away, it means something totally different to me now than it would have 5 years ago. That's what I love about songwriting. It can mean so many different things at different moments in your life."
Q: What's some of the best advice you've ever been given?
A: "This is going to sound really stupid, but my dad always would say "people all put their pants on the same way" and I've always thought about that. Especially in this industry and living in this town. You are always comparing yourself to others, one way or another. It's a very opinionated industry and I feel like you are put in a room with a lot of people that have power or have a deal or something. Just having the mindset that God made me this way for a reason, and that we all put on our pants the same way, has helped me. No one person is more special than another, everyone has something to give."
Q: Favorite thing about Nashville?
A: "I love that there is always something to do. I love going to shows. I work at night and usually get a few days off a week. I always spend them at shows. It’s like seeing people do what they love is the reason I love Nashville - whether it's art or Country Music or Pop Music. I feel like there are a lot of creatives in town and seeing them chase their dreams is encouraging to me. I come from a small town where they chase their dreams. But most people have a family and settle down and don’t necessarily do a job they love because they have to support their family. It's cool to come to a place where people have the attitude of wanting something and putting everything on the line to get that."
If you are just discovering Regan Stewart follow her on Apple Music, Spotify, Instagram, Facebook & Tik Tok