‘I Felt The Calling By God To Pursue This’: Lakelin Lemmings On Faith And Country Music
Article excerpt
Lakelin Lemmings, a 20-year-old singer from West Tennessee, is heading to her second CMA Fest in Nashville this week, crediting a divine calling for her pursuit of country music. Growing up with a guitar in hand near Music City, the young artist has deep roots in the genre and appears poised to make her mark on the country music scene. Her story centers on faith as the driving force behind her musical ambitions, reflecting themes common to many country performers who intertwine spirituality with their craft.
Thank God For Country Music. That’s what Lakelin Lemmings is saying as she heads into her second CMA Fest, the Country Music Association’s annual festival in Nashville, this week, just up the road from where the 20-year-old grew up with a guitar in her hand.
The West Tennessee native’s ties to country music began the day she was born. Her father toured in a band, and when Lakelin wanted to get involved in the music industry, he knew just who to call.
Ash Bowers, the lead singer of her father’s band, had already established himself as a hit songwriter, securing cuts with Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, and Dustin Lynch, before getting into the management side.
Bowers, who is now the executive vice president for Quartz Hill Music Group, signed Lemmings at 19 years old, making her the record label’s youngest artist.
Since signing her deal, Lemmings has released a flurry of songs, with her single “Get Around Boy” landing on a prestigious list as a “Top 5 Most Added” song in April.
“I just want to make good music that if you’re six years old, you can listen to, if you’re 90 years old, you can listen to it,” Lemmings told The Daily Wire.
“I’ve been called to do this. I just felt like it’s only right that I mention the guy that got me here,” she said.
The artist draws on her faith, penning the song “Life of Mine,” which echoes the melody of the beloved hymn “This Little Light of Mine.”
“My faith is super important to me,” Lemmings said. “And not only was this like a dream of mine as a child … growing up, but I remember I felt the calling by God to pursue this.”
“There [are] so [many] drinking songs and cheating songs and all this kind of stuff, and some of them are great, but I feel like there was a need for just positive, good country music.”
She’s putting an album out this summer, and you can expect her southern roots to shine through on tracks like “American Dreamin,” which drops later this June, focusing on the things that shaped her in her small Tennessee town: family, faith, and the obvious… country music.
“It kind of leans a little bit faith-based, but I like to say that I’m not a country Christian artist, I’m just a country artist that’s Christian,” Lemmings said.
As she’s already started making her CMA Fest rounds, which Lemmings says is surreal, knowing she’s playing at the premier Nashville country fest she’s grown up coming to since she was a little girl.
“Going to the free things like the Riverfront Stage, and then in 2023 to have actually saved up some money to go to Nissan Stadium to see it, which was super fun … but as an artist, CMA Fest means a lot just because it’s a way to connect with fans.”
Lainey Wilson and Ella Langley are just a couple of big names in country music who, not too long ago, were playing a small stage for an even smaller number of fans. Lemmings is aware of their rapid trajectory and is prepared to work hard to headline CMA Fest one day, too.
“I think for me that goes to show that I need to buckle up because it can happen quicker than you think,” she said.
Lemmings self-titled album drops in July.