Everybody get up for Baylor Wilson!
Baylor is known to some as the innocent girl from the most recent season of CBS’ hit reality program Survivor (where she placed 5th and her mother Missy placed 3rd), but she is also becoming known for her rising star & voice in the country music scene.
Baylor (http://www.baylorwilson.com), who is also a former 2009 High School World Cheerleading Champion, now resides in Nashville and has been climbing the country charts with her hit new song “Everybody Get Up”. And with famed singer/songwriter Jeff Hanna (of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) as one of her mentors, the sky is the limit for this young, bubbly new country artist.
The Levity Ball sat down with Baylor to find out more about her exciting time on Survivor, life and career…
When did you first “know” that you wanted to become a country singer?
I knew I wanted to be a singer/performer at a very young age… I have home videos of me making my grandmother (Gigi) and grandfather (Pops) sit down and watch me for hours and hours dance, sing, and entertain them. A more specific moment was probably in high school when I started playing my original songs for people, and they connected with them. I knew then that I wanted to connect with people through music for the rest of my life!
Who were some of your role models growing up?
As cliche as it probably sounds, my mom was definitely my biggest role model probably. I was pretty into Miley during her Hannah Montana days… In fact, I used to make my friends call me Miley (as a nickname) because I thought I was her. Other role models were probably just older girls on my cheerleading teams and other mentor figures who helped raise me.
Are you still upset about not winning the big million dollar prize on the recent season of CBS’ Survivor?
I am not really upset anymore… I mean I couldn’t of done anything differently I feel like with the cards I was dealt. This season had a very interesting cast and it was difficult to get along with people due to the ratio of boys to girls and the mixture of type-A personalities.
Do you think you would ever go on the show again if they called you up?
I definitely think I would consider going back. I would love a chance to try again and play the game a little differently, depending on who else I was playing with.
What is Survivor host Jeff Probst really like in real-life each day?
Jeff is a definitely quite the character. He means business and doesn’t deal with weak or lazy people very well. He wants Survivor to be drama-filled so he’s going to do everything and ask anything he can to get it that way. He’s a pretty nice guy overall.
What is your favorite memory of Survivor looking back?
My favorite memory is definitely winning immunity… It felt awesome to know I beat out a professional dancer who uses his feet every day, all day (Reed). And it just felt great knowing I won immunity on Survivor – which a lot of people would kill to do.
You just released a new song, Everybody Get Up – What is this song about?
Everybody Get Up is an upbeat, feel-good song that I wrote with two friends of mine in Nashville. Honestly, we were hanging out one day, and had no idea what we wanted to write about. My friend started playing the chords and I just kinda was singing along, and all the sudden we were writing about staying positive and following your dreams. I guess the basic premise of the song is you can’t follow your dreams until you physically get up and do it. So, that’s where the “everybody get up” came from.
What is one thing you “get up for” each day?
Great question. I definitely get up every day to pursue my career and dreams. I have so many aspirations and life goals that I truly aim toward each day. Sometimes, I fall short (or sit down, if you will), but I always find the courage and determination to get my a** back up.
If you could do a duet/perform with one other country artist who would it be?
I would love to perform with Kacey Musgraves or Brett Eldredge. They’re both fantastic songwriters and I love their music.
You live in Nashville now – What’s your favorite thing about your new area?
I love how artsy and busy everybody is. Everyone is doing their thing – whatever that may be. It’s inspiring and keeps me motivated because I know there’s competition out there and someone next door to me is probably working just as hard if not harder on their craft.
What is your advice to others looking at getting into the music industry?
I would definitely tell somebody that no matter what, if they decide to get into the music industry, they better really dig deep. Because, it isn’t always fun and easy. I tend to do well in hard environments that test my character, but a lot of people can’t handle it. I would also say that patience and persistence are the key to going places in the music industry. You never know who will be knocking on your door down the line.
Where do you see yourself in five years from now?
I see myself on tour, headlining in a super cool venue (theatre, maybe arena), chilling with my band, visiting fans in my spare time, and maybe meeting a nice healthy guy who can handle me and my career 🙂
