Meet Nashville’s Rising Stars: Faith Schueler
An Interview With Edward Sylvan
Spend less time on the negative and more time on the positive. When things get tough, it is so easy to focus on all the bad things happening. But one thing I have tried doing is shifting my mindset, and asking myself “what is something good or positive that is happening”. This allows me to focus on what I do have rather than what I don’t have. To me, having a positive mindset is the only thing that will get me through the tough times and get me to my goal.
As a part of our series about Nashville’s rising stars, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Faith Schueler.
Faith Schueler, a rising country artist, singer, and songwriter shares her own, original sound through her music and vocal presentation. Born and raised in South Carolina, Schueler digs deep into her roots by creating original music with a pop/country and soul twist.
In 2018, Faith Schueler released her first single “Who Holds Your Heart”. Since then, Schueler has released her EP “One Love Song At A Time” and her singles “March On Girl”, “Rainy Day Lover”, “Getting Over You”, and “Bless Your Heart”. Schueler has written and recorded with some of the most well-known writers, and producers in Charleston and Nashville such as Elliott Elsey, Greg Bieck, Kris Bergsnes, Jordan Lawhead, Marcus Hummon, Mary Kutter, Brian Alexander, Andrew Capra, Marti Dodson, Greg Barnhill, Jesse Slack, and Jeff Timmons from the award-winning band 98 degrees. Schueler recently has performed with ACM award-winning country artist, Jimmie Allen. Faith Schueler plans to continue down her path towards her country music dream. Schueler hopes to inspire others and touch lives through her music. Faith Schueler holds on to her strong Christian faith as well as her undeniable passion and love for music.
Thank you so much for joining us in this series! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit of the ‘backstory’ of how you grew up?
I grew up in a small town in South Carolina. I was always surrounded by music. I loved to sing, dance, and perform. When I was a child, my mom would always sing to me. She says I was humming songs before I could even talk. I give my mom credit for introducing me to music at a very young age and for inspiring me to follow my dreams of becoming a singer. I had amazing support from both of my parents growing up, whether it was driving me to music lessons or helping me unload my equipment at a show, they were always there for me. My love for music continued to grow. I learned how to play piano at the age of 9 and then I taught myself how to play guitar and the ukulele when I was 14 years old. I joined the adult worship team at my church when I was only 15 years old. I then began playing in coffee shops and events around my hometown. When I was 16 years old my mom told me that If I wrote a song that I really loved she would take me to the recording studio to cut my first song. This to me was one of the most special moments in my life. I was so excited to be able to record one of my own original songs in a recording studio. That is exactly what I did. When I was 16 years old, I recorded and released my first song “Who Holds Your Heart” on all streaming platforms. From that point on, I was hooked. Since then, I have recorded and released an EP and multiple singles that I have had the honor and pleasure of writing with some of Nashville’s most talented and inspiring writers such as Greg Bieck, Kris Bergsnes, and Marcus Hummon, to name a few.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I was introduced to music at a very young age. I mean as soon as I was born. My mom would sing the same songs to me over and over until I could learn the melody. By the age of 2 years old, I was in dance lessons. I continued to dance throughout most of my childhood which introduced me to different styles of music and learning all about rhythm. I also had a passion for singing and would sing and attempt to write my own songs. As a got older, my love for singing grew even more. I looked at artists such as Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood and said, “I want to be that”. All of these things inspired me to be a singer.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
One of the best things that has happened to me since starting my career is singing on stage with Jimmie Allen. I met Jimmie through my manager and had the honor of talking with him on a zoom call. I mentioned to Jimmie that I would love to come watch one of his shows if he performed in South Carolina. A few months later, Jimmie invited me to one of his shows and I was able to talk with him and watch his performance. It was very inspiring to hear his story and everything he went through to get where he is in life now. He is so kind, genuine, and hard-working. During his set, he sang the song “Shallow” by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. I mentioned to him after his show that I love that song and I’d love to sing it with him sometime. A few months later, Jimmie Allen was coming back to South Carolina and invited me to sing “Shallow” with him live on stage. I was in total shock. It honestly still doesn’t feel real to me. That was a moment in my life and career that I will remember forever.
Can you share with us an interesting story about living in Nashville?
One of my favorite stories about Nashville is probably when I went for the very first time in 2019. I went to record my very first EP with my producer Greg Bieck. I remember how excited I felt to go for the first time. I always heard stories about how amazing Nashville is and all the talented artists who have lived and worked in Nashville. My mom and I packed up the car and drove to Nashville. I got to meet so many wonderful songwriters including Kris Bergsnes, Jordan Lawhead, and Marcus Hummon, who have all become close friends of mine. Meeting new friends and working with new people allowed me to look at my life in a whole different perspective. Surrounding myself with people who love to do what I love to do is so much fun and allowed me to grow more than I ever thought I could. It inspired me and motivated me to keep pursuing my dream and made something that seemed hard to accomplish much easier knowing that I have such an amazing support team.
Can you share with us a few of the best parts of living in Nashville? We’d love to hear some specific examples or stories about that.
Nashville is full of all the things I love including amazing music, delicious food, and adorable dogs. Everyone is so kind and so friendly. I love how people in the industry support each other and come together as a community to grow and flourish. The environment is always so welcoming. I also love that I feel safe there. I feel like it is a safe place to create, to think of new ideas, to become the best me I can be. There are so many talented and knowledgeable musicians, artists, songwriters, and producers. I am able to learn so much just by making new friends and learning from others.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I was first starting out music, I was learning how to keep going when I messed up. If I forgot the lyrics to a song, or messed up a chord on guitar or piano, I would always make the funniest faces. Making it so obvious I just messed up. Eventually, I learned that mistakes happen and to keep going like nothing happened. As they say, you have to stay calm, cool, and collected.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I give my wonderful parents so much credit for helping me along the way. They have spent so much time taking me to lessons, driving me to shows, unloading equipment, working my merch booth, coming to performances, and so much more. They have inspired me to follow my dreams and helped support me along the way. I am so blessed to have them and I could not have done it without them.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
In 2022, I plan to release new music and perform in new places. I have the honor of opening for Scotty McCreery in June and continue to fill up my calendar with shows! I have been recording in the studio and am constantly working on new projects. This year I hope to inspire others and impact their lives. I hope to show people that no matter how young you are or no matter what you want to do in life, if you are willing to work for it, you can achieve it.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- You will make mistakes and not everything is going to happen the way you want it to. I am a perfectionist. I admit it. When I mess up or something doesn’t work out after I invested time into it, I tend to get frustrated and very hard on myself. I have learned that sometimes things take multiple tries to get it right and if it doesn’t happen, then maybe it wasn’t meant to be. That doesn’t mean you’re a failure or you aren’t good enough. It simply means it wasn’t your time and that is okay. Do not let that discourage you or make you give up.
- Spend less time on the negative and more time on the positive. When things get tough, it is so easy to focus on all the bad things happening. But one thing I have tried doing is shifting my mindset, and asking myself “what is something good or positive that is happening”. This allows me to focus on what I do have rather than what I don’t have. To me, having a positive mindset is the only thing that will get me through the tough times and get me to my goal.
- Things take time. I am not a patient person at all, and I am working on that part of myself. In this industry or in any industry, you must have patience. Have patience in the time it takes to make things right and have patience in yourself. Nothing happens overnight and things take work. Some things take months or years to accomplish. If you set little goals for yourself along the way, it will be easier to have patience for your end goal because you are accomplishing things throughout your journey.
- Be kind to yourself. It is easy to say negative things to yourself when you aren’t quite understanding something, or you feel like you aren’t doing what you want to be doing yet. But the truth is if you know you are doing your best and you are trying, then that is all you can do and eventually you will get it. But saying negative words to yourself will only discourage you. So encourage yourself by saying, “I can do this”, “I will do this”, and “I am proud of myself”.
- Make connections. Go out and surround yourself with people who like to do what you like to do. Making connections is huge because it allows you to learn from others. Take everything as a learning experience. Instead of getting jealous of someone who knows more about something than you do, be happy for them and learn from them. Understand your strengths and things you want to work on, and don’t be afraid to ask others for help or more knowledge. The best way to grow, is to grow together and to help others in the process. This is always a great way to make new friends and relationships which will help you have a better mindset and support system throughout the process.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Take your time, be patient with yourself, and pace yourself. Don’t expect things to happen right away. I like to make a list every day of little goals I want to accomplish to continue pushing forward in my career. When you break things down into smaller goals, it makes it much easier to accomplish the larger goals.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I think it would be amazing to have a follow your dreams foundation where you can share with the world what your lifelong dream is and have people help invest in that dream or give you words of encouragement. Sometimes, we just need a little help or a push from someone to really go after what we want. I think this would allow so many people to be successful and to have the motivation to achieve their goals. I think this would be great for mental health and allow people to have a support system and a community to go to where they feel loved and accepted. Growing up, I had an amazing support system from my parents but not everyone has that. I know it’s hard to start something when you don’t have someone to support you or motivate you. So, think of this as a way to help inspire one another and motivate each other.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
One of my favorite life lessons quote is the Bible verse from Jeremiah 29:11 which says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and future.” This Bible verse has motivated me throughout my entire life and has been a constant reminder that God has a plan for me. It brings me peace of mind knowing that God knows my plan and will guide me along the path I should be on as long as I have Faith in Him.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
I would love to have breakfast or lunch with Taylor Swift. From a young age, Taylor has inspired me. I love her look on life and the way she writes and creates music. I think she holds so much knowledge and wisdom and I would love to sit down and be able to share stories and have a conversation with her.
How can our readers follow you online?
You can follow me on my Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, or Tiktok account @ faithschueler. Also check out my website at https://www.faithschueler.com/.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!