Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Penry.
Courtney Penry was born and raised in Houston, Texas. She prides herself in being a versatile, genre-less singer/songwriter. She loves the lord and tries to use her gift to bring love, joy, peace, and laughter to her audience. She hopes to inspire others with her gift to be themselves through her music and sprinkles love through song everywhere she goes. She’s an American Idol Alumni and has been on the show twice. The first time was when she was 17 on Season 10 – and then made a comeback on ABC’s American Idol Season 2 on March 6th, 2019.… eight years later as a 25 years old! She’s not one to care what people think- and it shows through her music and performances. She has a big heart for people and loves to love…mostly through hugs and serenading! She also loves making people laugh. She is a free spirit always ready to entertain!
She’s been singing since she was a small child where choir was always a big part of her life growing up. All the way up until college where she founded the first all female a cappella group at UT Austin. After college is where she started to record originals and pursue music hardcore while working full-time jobs that had nothing to do with music. She finally decided to take a leap of faith and pursue music full time and make it her full-time career- and she couldn’t be happier.
In 2017, she met the love of her life and got married the next year in 2018. She currently resides in Abilene, Texas with her husband who is stationed in Abilene for the United States Air Force.
She now has her own band- “The Courtney Penry Band” that she is so excited for! They have upcoming performances at the Dyess Air force Base, The Clyde Festival and hope to plan for a tour by the end of the year!
She continues to write, record, and perform anywhere and everywhere she can! Her new song “Time For A Change” is out now that she wrote about moving from the big city of Houston to small town Abilene. Her first single #HairFlip is also on all music platforms. It showcases her big vocals and shows the world she doesn’t care what anyone thinks because she is who she is.
She’s excited for her future and can’t wait to continuously walk into her purpose!
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not always been a smooth road. One of the biggest struggles I’ve had in my career was forgetting the lyrics on national television. I was on this season of American Idol and let my emotions take over. There is a back story to that of course- I had a spiritual experience right before I hit the stage. Of course reality TV didn’t show that part. I know in my heart that was meant to happen, but it still didn’t change the fact It was one of the hardest pills I’ve ever had to swallow. I went through a very deep depression because of it for months. I beat myself up constantly and couldn’t seem to shake it off. I’m proud to say I have walked through that and now I am stronger than ever before. I plan to write a song in the near future about rising from the ashes and to encourage people to keep going no matter what trials they face. I’m not gonna lie- I thought my career was over after being exposed on national TV messing up. Boy was I wrong- it actually fuels me more to be the best I can be and to be excited for the path I’m supposed to be on! God definitely redirected me that day.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
As an artist, you have to treat yourself as a business. I am a singer, I am a songwriter, I am a booking agent, I am a performer. I am a recording artist, I am a networker, I am an encourager, I love, I feel, I am a friend to all. I am everything rolled into one and that is what it takes to make it as an independent artist in the music industry.
I believe what sets me apart is being a genre-less artist, I sing what I want to sing and that’s that! 🙂
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I feel like Houston is a GREAT place to start as a musician! There are so many different music scenes in Houston so you can find where you belong pretty easily! At the top of my head they have jazz, rap, country, and metal music scenes! I’m sure there’s more too, haha!
You could literally find a place to sing on every corner of Houston – there’s so many venues, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, etc.!
So if you’re just starting out you could start at the small venues and work your way up to the big ones! Everyone is super supportive and loving in Houston too – which makes it even more fun to dive into the music scene!
Contact Info:
- Phone: 832-963-6639
- Email: courtneylynnpenry@yahoo.com
- Instagram: @courtneypenrymusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/courtneypenry/
- Twitter: @courtneypenry
Image Credit:
Amber Deardoff, American Idol
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