Nick Tressler

Introducing Shelby Raye & ‘Call Me Crazy’

March 14, 2023
, 10:00 am
, Country Music, Featured Articles, Music, Recent Posts

If you have been in Nashville for the last few months in the Country music scene you might have heard of Shelby Raye. Her voice is distinct, she’s ambitious, and she’s gotten to work quick since moving to town in 2022. Having played a lot of writers’ rounds in town like Rowdy on the Row and In the Round, as well as many others, Shelby has put folks on notice.

While Shelby is new to town in Nashville, she has been making music in the Columbia and Charleston SC regions for many years now. After wins at many local and national talent competitions, as well as being nominated by the Carolina Country Music Awards, her hometown has seen the promise we now get to enjoy in Nashville.

So we know how she got here, and after you hear her debut single, you will get an idea of why we are so excited for her original music to start gracing your ears.

But let’s talk about what makes Shelby stand out in a very talented crowd in Nashville first. Let’s start with her voice. Her sound is distinct and she has the range to make beautiful runs in a song. In a writers’ round format you will find people paying close attention whether they knew they wanted to or not.

Then to the songs. It seems each time we see Shelby she has more and more songs that we love, and honestly from the first time we saw her play to the most recent time, you can already see so much growth in her stage presence. She’s comfortable on stage and she knows how to take a room with her voice.

Her personality and look is also pretty distinct if you ask us. She is memorable. Once you meet her you won’t forget her. Sometimes with artists, interactions can seem forced but Shelby is comfortable in front of fans or co-writers in town.

Now let’s talk about her debut single.

We are so excited to get to bring you her debut single “Call Me Crazy” that she penned with Sam Johnson and Callie Prince first!

“I have always felt as though many people of my generation don’t want to give commitment or loyalty. It’s become common for someone to give up on things when the first sign of hard times come to the surface. In my opinion, our grandparents didn’t make it all these years without fighting through the hard times. You must take care of the things you love, and my mom instilled in me at a very young age that nothing worth having ever came easy. I have had my fair share of facing trials and tribulations, but I refuse to let those things tear me down. You have to push past the pain, and if that makes me insane… then Call Me Crazy,” Shelby told us.

Hard work, authenticity, and loyalty are characteristics that can definitely lead to a lot of success in the country music world. Artists like Ashley McBryde and Lainey Wilson have taken their brands and music to national levels and honestly we think Shelby is one of the folks you will be hearing a LOT more from in the near future.

Now let’s hear about how she and her co-writers got to her single “Call Me Crazy.”

“I had the idea of ‘Call Me Crazy’ for the hook of a song for a while. When I had my first co-write with Sam Johnson and Callie Prince, I approached them with the idea, and we ran with it! We didn’t want to settle for the ‘easy out’ on this song. So halfway through we decided to take a lunch break, shout out to Jack Browns and their Jack Brown Sauce, if you know you know! When we got back, we knocked out the second half of the song and fell in love with everything about it. I knew from the moment we finished it, ‘Call Me Crazy’ was going to be my first single.”

“Call Me Crazy” ends up as more than just a song for Shelby. It is a testament to hard work, believing in yourself, being true to who you are, and that with a little help from some talented friends anything is possible.

We are so thankful to have Shelby in Nashville Tennessee, and we are so excited for you all to hear this song we have loved hearing so much at events and rounds in town.