Shares her “crazy stories” in highly personal, witty songs
By Preshias Harris
Nicolette Hayford has some impressive songwriting credits with cuts on artists such as William Michael Morgan, Lainey Wilson, Meghan Patrick, Chrissy Metz and Little Big Town. Most notably, she has co-penned hits like “One Night Standards” and “Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega” for Ashley McBryde. Nicolette was hailed as MusicRow’s Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year in 2021 and was nominated for both CMA and CMA Song of the Year Awards.
However, much as she was writing songs that she loved, these weren’t her stories. That was what led to the creation of Nicolette’s ‘alter ego’ Pillbox Patti. During CMA Fest in June, we sat down to talk about what motivated her to step into the spotlight as a performer and the music she is creating as Pillbox Patti, including her debut project Florida (Monument Records). Add/listen to Florida here.
“I have all these crazy stories and I’ve come through a lot of crazy stuff,” she told me. “I got to a point where I sort of felt that I was disappearing because I was never telling the whole truth of my truth. I felt it was just time to share those stories and celebrate the stuff that I went through in my own voice and my own music in my own way.”
Read my entire interview with Pillbox Patti at Center Stage Mag here.
“’Pillbox Patti’ is a song I wrote in the middle of the night and I knew when I wrote that song that I was going to use that as my artist name and kind of just reintroduce myself as an artist,” she explains during the interview.
With Florida, Patti is able to create songs that are her truth. Although the subject matter is sometimes raw, Patti delivers the stories with a wry wit that is uniquely appealing. As a sample, check out the music video for “Young and Stupid” at YouTube here.
Upcoming show info, tickets and more about Pillbox Patti at her website, her Facebook page and on Twitter and Instagram (@pillboxpatti). Find her music on Spotify here. And read our in-depth interview at Center Stage Mag.
Preshias Harris is an advocate for songwriters and a music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at www.collegeofsongology.com Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com #PreshiasHarris