Up & Coming New Nashville- Leslie Christian (With Exclusive Interview)

With the recent smash success of Darius Rucker, Leslie Christian hopes there’s an upcoming female African-American country music success story in the near future.

Leslie Christian learned to sing, the official story goes, sitting on the back porch with her grandmother. But that’s not the entire story.

Her grandfather owned a convenience store to which her grandmother was denied admission because she had a habit of reducing the beer inventory.

So, it became Leslie’s job to go inside, smile sweetly, grab some beer and make for the back porch, “and Grandma would be there, playing Charlie Pride.”

Leslie Christian was born in Shelby, North Carolina. She is the second of four children and got her start singing and performing in various talent shows and functions with her siblings.

At the age of seventeen, Leslie was a full time singer traveling throughout North America and abroad. She has had the privilege of working and recording with Murlyn Music, (Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez) R. Kelly, Ralph Stacey, (Dru Hill, Mya), SoulShock and Karlin, (Whitney Houston) also, with Nashville musicians and producers Kenny Greenburg, (Pam Tillis, Gretchen Wilson) Matt Rollings, (Keith Urban, Faith Hill) and Gordon Mote (Rascal Flatts, Martina McBride).

Though very versatile in her profession, country music has stolen her heart. She has even refused many opportunities to sign with major labels, because the direction was geared toward urban music. She is not only an artist, but a songwriter as well, having penned all her recordings to date- except for this fun country cover of "Shook Me All Night Long" below...



We had a chance to catch up to this up and coming songstress and talk a little about her past and future in music.

That Nashville Sound- What brought you to music in the first place?

LC- I grew up in a very musical family. Both my parents were in bands, so music was a part of my life from birth. My dad used to put my brother and sisters and me in every talent show within 100 miles. And my grandma used to listen to country music stations all the time. I was actually introduced to country music by my grandma, BettySue.

TNS- Describe your music- what's the mission behind the music?

LC- I listen to so many different artists, from Dolly to Stevie, and those influences help me to write my songs. I want my music to touch people, make people laugh, cry, and fall in love. Music means so much to me and I want to share that love with people through "my" music.

TNS- What might people be surprised to find out about you?

LC- People are surprised that I am in love with country music. I love it so much that when I was a little girl I used to think my grandmother was Loretta Lynn because she looked so much like her. I think around the age of 11 I found out that she wasn't, because I saw Coal Miner’s daughter. I was crushed when I found out. I think I'm still a little sad.

TNS- What kind of music are you listening to? What's in your iPod?

LC- I'm listening to everything... Celine Dion, who never leaves my iPod. Faith Hill, Heart, Avalon and Journey are currently in rotation.

TNS- If you had a crystal ball and looked forward five years, what do you see for yourself?

LC- In five years I see myself performing my music to a larger audience, writing for other artists, and just enjoying life. As long as I'm making a living doing what I love, life is good.

TNS- Nickname for your guitar or other instruments?

LC- "Learn Me" is the name of my guitar. (Laughter)