10 Questions with ... Danielle Bradbery

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Danielle Bradbery got her start in Country music as the winner of Season Four of NBC-TV's "The Voice" in 2013 at the young age of 16. Shortly after the show wrapped, Bradbery earned some success with her self-titled debut album nearly four years ago, and she is currently gearing up to release her sophomore project, "I Don't Believe We've Met," on Friday, December 1st. Bradbery sat down and answered "10 Questions" for All Access, discussing her musical background and influences; her forthcoming album, which stands as a re-introduction to her as an artist; her current single at Country radio, "Sway;" and upcoming plans for the near future.

1. Danielle, thank you for taking the time to answer "10 Questions!" Let's start by learning a bit about your Country music background. What sparked your interest in the genre?

I grew up with so many different influences from different genres, but my dad's side of the family always listened to Country music, and my dad sang a little bit, but only to himself - he never did anything or sang anywhere. So, he made cassette tapes singing to Billy Ray Cyrus, The Eagles, and all of those artists. It was around all the time; they always put George Strait on and Garth Brooks - you name it. So, I always heard it.

2. You won NBC-TV's "The Voice" back in 2013 at the young age of 16, which is definitely something not every teen can say for themselves. Can you talk about your experience on the show - how you decided to go on national television at such a young age and what did you learn from the experience?

That whole experience was insane, but the best insane. I was so shy in the beginning, and everybody was like, "Well, those two don't match. You're going on national television, but you're really shy..." In the beginning, my mom actually signed me up for "The Voice," because she knew I was gonna do it myself. I guess she saw something in me, and at first, I was mad, but then I went and did it. The adrenaline took over me. Throughout "The Voice," it was almost like a boot camp; it taught me a lot of things and taught me how to gain confidence in a lot of areas, so it was really awesome.

3. You're gearing up to release your new album, "I Don't Believe We've Met," on Friday, December 1st. As you've told All Access during your visit, the project is a re-introduction to you as an artist. Can you explain the album's title to our readers, and what it really means for you as an artist?

This album's title, "I Don't Believe We've Met," is like a re-introduction for myself, because being 16 years old starting out in all of this, and now being 21, there's a lot that I wanted to learn, just about everything - the business, myself as a person, who Danielle Bradbery was gonna be as an artist. There was a lot that I wanted to sit down with and figure out. I got into songwriting along the way, which was a huge jump for me and helped me with a lot of things to figure out and shape this next album. So, it felt very appropriate to tell me fans and hopefully new fans, "Okay, I don't believe we've met properly. There's a lot more of who I am now." So, it's really exciting to share with everybody.

4. The album's lead single, "Sway," is fun, catchy track. What was the songwriting and recording process behind this track, and how did you know it was the right one to ship to radio first?

Kinda how we wrote this song was the writers asking me, "What are you feeling right now? What are you needing right now for your second record?" I thought about it, and I was like, "Well, I've never had that crowd participation song - something that people can hang out and chill to." For me, personally, I love listening to music while I clean or in the background. I get that from my mom; I'm always listening to whatever it is on the phone while I'm doing something. So, I thought about this song being one of those, too. With so much going on in the world, we wrote this song to tell you to take off your shoes, have a drink, take a break from reality for a second, and let it drive you to do whatever - dancing and stuff! "Sway" came very naturally, and for it to be the first single from this new record, it seemed appropriate, because, again, there's a lot going on in the world. It's very free-spirited. It's was really exciting to go out of the gates with this song.

5. We've seen all the fun go down as you tackle radio tour. How has the experience been for you? What have been your favorite and least favorite parts about it?

Radio tour has been really awesome - it's actually my second go-around with radio tour. So, I feel like - speaking of the whole re-introduction of myself - I feel like it ties into all of that, too. I'm very lucky to have a sort of second chance to see everybody again and re-meet them, because I was so young. Who knows how 17-year-old Danielle came off in the beginning? So, I have been loving seeing everybody and getting to show them what I've been up to for the past four years. The only downside about the whole thing is just the traveling; that can get very tiring with the early mornings, because I'm not a morning person, so I don't know how the radio people do it! I give a lot of credit to them. It's so fun, though!

6. There are only a few female artists currently being played at Country radio. What do you believe female acts bring to Country stations?

There are very few girls. Naturally, males have been so dominate over the years, and I feel like that's been natural. So, when people ask me that question, I don't mean to not have an answer, it's just kind of natural for me to be like, "I really don't know why females kind of have the short end of the stick." I've never find it out or figured out why, because females are awesome! Hopefully, it will change over the next month or year, and we can get up there again. I'm just hoping for the best!

7. Other pre-released tracks from the forthcoming album include "Potential" and "Worth It," which are two extremely personal songs. Did you find it difficult or easy to be so vulnerable with your new music?

In areas, it can be difficult, because you're sharing vulnerable words and the song itself - it's like a diary. Usually you want it to stay between just you and the diary, but now I'm like, "Oh, here, everybody, just read all of it!" Even though not every song is exactly what I've specifically been through, it's all honest feelings. "Worth It" and "Potential" are the most vulnerable tracks on the album. At times, it's been really exciting, because I have been wanting to be very honest and real, and those songs are [honest and real]. It's a mixture of emotions, but all around, I am excited to get to be honest with my music.

8. Speaking of your new music... Although this new album marks a total re-brand for you, are there any artists/songs/albums that have inspired your new image?

It's kinda both sides of the family. Again, my dad was the Country influence, but my mom - when I said I grew up around so many different genres of music - my mom's side of the family listened to R&B, Hip-Hop, and - kinda a curveball for people - we listened to Latina music a lot growing up. So, there's such a wide genre chart for me; I've been interested in a lot of things. Making this new album, I was more open-minded to sprinkling a little bit of the R&B and Soul into this new album, which I'm very excited about, because a lot of music is changing these days. I'm trying to steer away from the whole term "Pop Country," because I love the R&B/Soul mixture with Country; I feel like they mend very well together, and growing up, listening to all of that, it was very exciting to experiment with that type of music and Country. It's definitely in my new album.

9. You've previously toured with Thomas Rhett, Hunter Hayes, Dan + Shay, and others. If you could pick any two to three acts to tour with next year, who would you pick?

Probably Sam Hunt, and I'd love to do a tour with Florida Georgia Line. I know that's a big one, but they seem so fun and awesome, and I'm a big fan of their music. And, on a female side of it, I would absolutely love to tour with Carrie Underwood. So, we will see!

10. With the release of your album coming up in the next couple weeks, what can fans expect from you in 2018?

We're already starting to brainstorm on tours just to see what would be the perfect fit, and we won't know one-hundred percent until the whole album is out, but hopefully I'll see [the fans] on tour stops, and there's a bunch of places that I haven't been yet - I know I see a lot of fans asking. So, hopefully tour. And, I'm hoping to have a lot of really exciting promotion opportunities. I'm just really excited to see what this second album has in store for me!