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Songs I Grew Up On: Tenille Townes
From Canada to Nashville, the talented Tenille Townes has been cruising along in the country music world. While eager to get back on the road to perform live music again, she found time to chat with The Nash News to join our original series Songs I Grew Up On. There is a common theme across Tenille’s choice of songs; they are all rooted in memory with various members of her family.
1. “Any Man of Mine” by Shania Twain (1995)
“Her voice is what shaped me,” Townes proudly noted. For her, especially being from Canada, Shania Twain is a “fearless example of someone who just really went for the dream,” so she admires this most about her. She recalls being in the car with her mother, as they both would sing Twain’s music together. She admitted that she could have picked any of her tunes because she knows them all by heart.
2. “Coat of Many Colors” by Dolly Parton (1968)
This is a “humanity song” said Townes. It’s a Dolly track that makes her feel most connected to her family and reminds her of the “long line of fierce, independent women” she came from. Growing up, Townes remembers her great grandmothers mentioning “this [song] is about my childhood” – referring to the scraps they would sew into something both beautiful and valuable for their family. It was also a track she learned to sing and play from a young age for her grandparents.
3. “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2 (1987)
For this popular U2 song, Townes explained that the type of music she listened to depended on who was driving the car. Each member of her family would play different musical genres, and her dad enjoyed rock, so that’s what she’d listen to when she was with him. She expressed that this tune holds a unified experience of seeking something in life, and it's about discovering “what we belong to.”
4. “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac (1975)
“Every time I hear that song, as I do get older, it speaks to something in every season” – the iconic track, “Landslide” shifts meaning for her over time. There’s something poetic about the music from Fleetwood Mac. Townes feels nostalgia with this song and mentally paints us a scene of her and her dad in his garage as they’d listen to Fleetwood Mac on his yellow radio. She laughed as she included a detail of the radio having a long antenna, something we don’t often see anymore.
5. “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack (2000)
When thinking about songs that shaped her as she grew up, she recalled this infamous Lee Ann Womack tune being on repeat. It’s one of her mother’s favorites and is one that Tenille has often performed at singing competitions and talent shows when she was a young and growing artist. “The messages and verses are stunning,” Tenille said. “The music feels like it’s wrapping around you, holding you, and making you feel better. It’s a “go get the world” tune.
During our Insta Live, Tenille discussed the release of her latest song, “When’s It Gonna Happen.” She found it comforting how listeners resonated with this piece. It can sometimes be scary to be out and honest about emotions, but she came to the realization, “I can’t be the only one. I need to write this and share this.” The Canadian singer-songwriter is looking forward to future adventures, such as singing her latest songs with her fans when she goes on tour this winter; she is ready to be together and in person again.
Be sure to check out our song review for Tenille Townes’ “When’s It Gonna Happen.”
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