Photo by David Bradley.
Up-and-coming Nashville singer-songwriter Daisy Briggs makes bright, pop-infused country music driven by relatable lyrics about life and love. A storyteller at heart, she’s used music to process the world around her for as long as she can remember, inspired by pop-country artists like Miranda Lambert, Sheryl Crow, and Sam Hunt. Daisy crafts engaging, down-to-earth narratives of friendship and heartache, joy and anxiety, blending depth and spontaneity in ways that feel true to real life. Her pure voice and passion for translating personal experience into song make her a memorable presence on stage, with a warmth and candor that speak to people of all ages and backgrounds. “I do what I do because I love telling stories. Music has gotten me through everything in life. If I can tell my story in a way that resonates with someone else’s experience, I’ve done my job.”
Born and raised in the small East Coast town of Newport, Rhode Island, Daisy grew up surrounded by a menagerie of rescued pets and farm animals: 14 dogs, 14 cats, a pig, a goat, a pony, donkeys, rabbits, chickens, and even a peacock. “Though we weren’t down South, it felt like living on a farm in a country song.” She started writing songs in middle school, inspired by the mix of country and pop her parents played in the car, and soon asked her mom for a guitar so she could learn to play her own music. Her earliest influences ranged from classic country radio (Clint Black, Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, and Gretchen Wilson) to 70s and 80s Top 40 pop hits. Ultimately it was Taylor Swift’s early work that inspired Daisy to write her first song in the school parking lot. “It was about a boy in my middle school class. We’re still good friends!”
Daisy started taking guitar lessons at 13, then added voice coaching to fine-tune her range. At 14, she convinced her mom to take her to Nashville to play an out-of-town Open Mic Night at the city’s iconic Bluebird Cafe. Though nervous and shaking with stage fright, she performed an original song and decided, then and there, to pursue her dream of a country music career in Music City. At 18, Daisy moved to Nashville and enrolled in Belmont University, where she studied English and Music Business. She fell more in love with the city and local music scene daily. “I never want to live anywhere else. As one of my songs says: Tennessee forever!” Daisy began performing frequently at Nashville’s Belcourt Taps, and in 2019 returned to her hometown to play a small music festival called Bridge Fest. In 2020 she built her backing band, networking with former guitar teachers and musicians from the East Coast, and in March 2021 played her first full-band live show at Tin Roof’s Wednesday night “Bus Call” artist showcase.
On September 10, 2021, Daisy will release her debut single “Once Upon a Time in a Small Town,” a bittersweet tale of summer love set in her hometown of Newport, Rhode Island. “It’s a very, very tiny town by the ocean, where most people grow up, settle down, and never leave. It’s the kind of town that comes to life in the summer.” The track, which will be released with an accompanying music video, was produced by Jake Saghi (Kidd G, Leah Marie Mason), featuring pop-leaning beats and glossy production that feel just right for a summer radio hit. Despite its polished facade, the track is, at its core, a country song, driven by a personal story of love and loss: “We can’t fix it / we only existed / once upon a time in a small town.” The first of several forthcoming singles, “Once Upon a Time in a Small Town” reveals Daisy’s talent for pairing catchy melodies with intimate lyrics deeply rooted in time and place.
“Most days I get in the car, put on music, and just drive around Nashville listening to music. It clears my mind and changes my mood. I want other people to get in their cars and drive around singing along to my words. I want my music to help them process their own worlds.”