To Tenille Townes, there’s no such thing as dreaming too big — and why should she restrain herself? So far, her wildest dreams are coming true, whether it’s performing at the Grand Ole Opry, playing to arena crowds or teaming up with her musical heroes.
“It’s really been surreal knowing this crazy dream that I dreamt as a kid is actually happening,” the 25-year-old Canadian tells PEOPLE. “It’s wild.”
Her latest dream-come-true is a collaboration with Grammy-winning Americana artistBrandi Carlileand country iconTanya Tuckeras part of “Five Decades, One Voice,” Cracker Barrel’s 50th-anniversary initiative that celebrates women in country music.
Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker and Tenille Townes.Courtesy Cracker Barrel
“That song is just so brilliant and beyond her years,” Carlile says. “For me to see that innate worth in someone, it actually took having kids and being in my thirties,” adds Carlile, who is 38 and the mother of two. “The fact that she does not have kids and that she’s in her twenties is astounding to me.”
What’s more astounding — and something that Carlile didn’t even know at the time — is the fact that Townes has been the driving force behind a $1.5 million fundraising effort to support the shelter for teenage “somebody’s daughters” and sons in her hometown of Grande Prairie, Alberta. It’s no wonder Carlile didn’t know. When talking about the song, Townes doesn’t bring up the volunteer undertaking unless she’s asked about it, and she quickly deflects the credit.
“I just feel honored to be a part of it,” she says.
Brandi Carlile.Courtesy Cracker Barrel
Of course, Townes confirms, she immediately thought of the shelter when she spotted the Nashville panhandler. Her impulse to respond with a song was just as natural: One of her prime motivations as an artist, she says, is music’s power to do good.
“Music or writing songs or being able to stand on this platform of sorts is like a spiritual experience to me,” she says. “And I somehow am learning to be a vessel for that. What means the most to me in all of this is the fact that music has the potential to make people feel like they’re not alone in what they’re going through.”
The whole way, Townes says, she was convinced she somehow would end up on stage with her idol. “I was, like, I’m going to sing with Shania tonight,” she recalls. “I don’t know how. I just believed it.”
Tenille Townes.Courtesy Cracker Barrel
Finally, Twain noticed. “She reached her hand out and I threw the sign behind me, grabbed her hand and danced around this stage with my hero,” Townes says. “And I remember looking out into this curtain of lights, and 18,000 people are screaming behind it. And then I look into Shania Twain’s eyes, going, am I dreaming this? This is insane.”
As the two sang “Honey, I’m Home” Townes says, “that was really the moment when I went, this is it. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life, and I can’t wait to pack out some arena someday and pull up some 9-year-old kid and light that same fire the way that she did for me.”
It’s just one more crazy dream, but she’s already closer to it than a lot of up-and-comers. She’s been playing arenas this year asDierks Bentley’s opener, reappearing during his set to sing his duet “Different for Girls.”
“He’ll bring me on stage and say all kinds of things [about me] that honestly make me want to cry so much,” Townes says. “He’s just such a kind soul. He’s definitely walking the walk to lift up female voices.”
Brandi Carlile and Tenille Townes.Courtesy Cracker Barrel
“It’s incredible, thematically, how much these songs tied together,” Townes says. “When I found out the songs we were doing, I was like, wow, these could literally be the same girl.”
Reflecting on the collaboration, Carlile says she came away even more impressed with Townes. “She was prepared, she was humble, she was confident,” Carlile recalls. “And she delivered a really potent performance. Tanya and I both became huge fans of Tenille’s that day.”
Courtesy Cracker Barrel
As for Townes, she recalls driving home from the session, savoring the experience and wondering, “Did I just dream that whole thing up?”
Well, yes, she did. And not unexpectedly, it also came true. Crazy.
source: people.com
