Country music singer-songwriter Angel Edwards gains momentum
If you got the chance to see Angel Edwards perform, you already know that the Toledo native has a powerhouse voice and the kind of crossover appeal that’s going to take her places. She has won the hearts of many fans with her newest single “Thank God it Didn’t Work Out” (the music video was recently featured on CMT’s Next Up Now) and the song she wrote with Haley Mae Campbell— “Anything But Yellow”— which has been streamed over 1.7 million times on Spotify.
The country singer-songwriter draws inspiration from experiences while growing up in Toledo, and holds hope that, as a Latina artist in a genre not generally known for its diversity, her success will open doors for others like herself.
Even five-year-olds get the blues
“Music has always been in me,” says Edwards, who was writing songs about her favorite TV shows when she was a child, as early as five. “One of my mom’s favorite stories is that she made me do my chores and I was singing the blues as I was sweeping,” she says with a laugh.
Both her church and school provided opportunities to explore her musical capabilities, and she was influenced by diverse genres from Motown to pop to the Tejano music of Selena. “When I was exposed to country music by my aunts and grandma, it became something I preferred. I love the storytelling in it.”
Edwards gained an appreciation for Miranda Lambert’s lyrics and Carrie Underwood’s “ability to convey strong emotion.” Holding a deep respect for Martina McBride, having grown up hearing songs like “This One’s for the Girls” and “Independence Day,” it was an honor to have the award-winning country music icon give a shoutout to Edwards during a recent Promenade Park concert.
“It was a dream come true,” Edwards says. “She was one of the first female country artists I was ever exposed to.”
That’s our song
Edwards and co-writer, Haley Mae Campbell, while talking about what might have been regarding past romances, were inspired to write the hit single “Thank God it Didn’t Work Out.”
“She was telling me she had a run-in with one of her exes at a wedding, and we were talking about who we were in past relationships. We both took a step back and said, ‘There we go! That’s our song.’” Her singles— “T-Shirt” and “High on the Good Times” and, now, “Thank God it Didn’t Work Out” — have racked up over 70,000 streams, and counting, on Spotify.
As a Latina performer in the world of country music, Edwards knows how necessary it is to have life’s stories reflected in what is, at its core, a genre that has a heavy storytelling element. “I’m very thankful for social media because that’s where I really get to see the connection, that there’s a large group of Hispanic fans that need something to relate to,” she says. “I think about those little girls— like me— who wanted to be like Selena Quintanilla because I saw that she was a singer who looked like me. I want to be that for somebody. I want them to know that if you dream it, you can do it.”
Check out Angel Edwards’ music on most streaming platforms, including Spotify, and keep an eye out for her upcoming single release this month: “Live a Little” and her EP release in 2020. angeledwardsmusic.com
