2 July 2025

Picture of Denitia - Photo by Chase Denton - Maverick

Denitia: A Journey Through Sound and Self

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From her roots in Texas to the bustling streets of New York City, and back to the heart of country music in Nashville, Denitia has traversed geographies and genres. Some artists set out to break the mould. Others grow around it, finding cracks where light leaks through.   With a path stretching from the backroads of Texas to the shoreline of Queens to the quiet expanse of Nashville, Denitia has never seemed content to pick just one direction. Her music doesn’t chase genre so much as haunt it – drifting between R&B, indie pop, Americana and country, without asking permission or offering explanation.  Born in Houston, raised in small-town Texas, Denitia Odigie grew up absorbing sounds as varied as Al Green and George Strait. Her household was a blend of musical dialects – Motown, gospel, country radio – filtered through the prism of a young girl who felt both part of and apart from her surroundings. She has spoken about her early years with both affection and awareness: a place where roots were deep, but the view was narrow.  Escapism through music  In that early tension – between belonging and longing – something essential formed. By the time she reached her teens, Denitia was writing songs and playing guitar, using music not just to reflect her world but to escape it. She later moved to Nashville to study at Vanderbilt University, but it wasn’t until she relocated to New York City that her first real transformation began.  Brooklyn introduced her to a broader creative community and gave her permission, she’s said, to experiment without explanation. She found early acclaim as one half of the electronic-soul duo denitia and sene, a project that showcased her talent for atmospheric production and velvet-smooth vocals. But even then, her voice felt like it was tugging at something more grounded.  The pull became too strong to ignore. After years of city noise and genre-blending, Denitia left Brooklyn for the beachside stillness of the Rockaways. There, she recorded Ceilings – an EP that floats between electro-pop and dreamlike confessionals. It marked the beginning of her solo redefinition. She’s described this period as a turning inward: quieter music, deeper questions.  The sounds of childhood  In this quieter phase, Denitia’s songwriting process also began to shift. She’s spoken about how physical spaces – empty beaches, quiet streets, long drives – fuel her creativity, allowing melodies to emerge slowly, almost subliminally. Her lyrics often begin as fragmented phrases or emotional impressions scribbled in notebooks or voice memos. Writing, for her, is less about chasing ideas and more about listening for them. She tends to build songs layer by layer, pairing guitar lines with ambient textures, then folding in words that hold both weight and breath. It’s a process defined by patience and instinct, grounded in solitude but tuned toward communion.  To read the full article, see our last issue here. Never miss a story… Follow us on: Instagram: @Maverick.mag Twitter: @Maverick_mag Facebook: Maverick Magazine Media Contact Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com     

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Dasha: From Coastal Roots to Country’s Vanguard

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With roots in sunlit California and eyes on country’s future, Dasha weaves melodic daring with emotional depth into a sound that’s both personal and borderless. A balance of edge and ache, of shimmer and spine, her music carries the imprint of both ocean air and open highways, blending the candour of country with the restless pulse of pop. In a landscape often defined by lanes and labels, Dasha is quietly reshaping the map.  Born Anna Dasha Novotny in the beach town of San Luis Obispo, California, Dasha grew up where the coast meets the quiet, learning early that stories don’t need to be shouted to be heard. From early on in her life, music was never just a pastime – it was a language, a lifeline, and eventually, a reckoning.   Today, in the shimmering crossroads where pop polish meets country grit, she’s forging a path that’s both forward-looking and steeped in the emotional truth of tradition.  The rhythm of applause  By five, Dasha was already on stage, acting in musicals and discovering the rhythm of applause. By eight, she was playing guitar and piano; by 10, she was booking gigs at local wineries and coffee shops with the help of her father, who acted as her first manager. These were formative years – small-town stages, dusty roads, the echo of dreams whispered into California wind.  Dasha has said that growing up performing in front of adults, often in spaces where no one her age was listening, forced her to read a room quickly. She learned how to gauge attention, when to dial up vulnerability, and when to simply let a song carry the moment. This early calibration of emotion and delivery would later become one of her trademarks. Even now, critics point to her uncanny ability to command stillness – inviting rather than demanding that her audience lean in.  As for influences, her childhood soundscape was a mosaic. The storytelling of Johnny Cash, the sparkle of Shania Twain, the introspective lyricism of Kacey Musgraves – all threaded into her own voice. Yet pop’s modernity pulled at her too, with Taylor Swift’s genre-crossing defiance serving as both a blueprint and a beacon. In those early hybrid influences, the foundation for her stylistic duality was laid.  A leap into the unknown  After high school, she moved to Nashville and enrolled at Belmont University – a traditional rite of passage for many aspiring country artists. But tradition, Dasha soon realised, was just one thread of the tapestry she wanted to weave.   When the pandemic struck in 2020, the sudden stillness forced a decision. She dropped out and moved west, back to Los Angeles. It was there she released her debut album Dirty Blonde in January 2023, a work that leaned into pop and R&B aesthetics while keeping one boot heel firmly planted in the roots of country storytelling.  If Dirty Blonde was a palette test, a flexing of genre and identity, it also clarified something essential: Dasha wasn’t merely looking for a sound – she was searching for resonance. In interviews, she’s said that while LA nurtured her sonic curiosity, it also reminded her what she loved most about country: its bones-deep storytelling, its unflinching sincerity.  To read the full article, see our last issue here. Never miss a story… Follow us on: Instagram: @Maverick.mag Twitter: @Maverick_mag Facebook: Maverick Magazine Media Contact Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Caylee Hammack: Forged in Fire, Blooming in Song

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In a music industry often dominated by fleeting trends, Caylee Hammack stands out as a beacon of authenticity and resilience. From her humble beginnings in Ellaville, Georgia, to the release of her sophomore album, Bed of Roses, Caylee Hammack’s journey is a testament to the power of perseverance and self-discovery.  Born on March 17, 1994, in the small town of Ellaville, Georgia, Hammack’s early life was steeped in a rich tapestry of musical influences. Her brother introduced her to Southern rock, her sister to pop icons like Britney Spears, but it was Hammack’s own discovery of classic country legends such as Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash that ignited her passion for storytelling through music. By the age of 13, she was performing in local venues, honing her craft and dreaming of a future in Nashville.  At 16, a health scare – a benign tumor initially misdiagnosed as cancer – became a pivotal moment in her life. The experience deepened her commitment to music, leading her to write her first song, “Addictive,” about the painkillers she was prescribed during recovery.  The Nashville leap  Despite earning a full scholarship to Belmont University, Hammack chose to stay in Ellaville, influenced by a romantic relationship. When that relationship ended, she packed her belongings into trash bags, saved up $1,000, and drove to Nashville with her dog and a copy of Kacey Musgraves’ Same Trailer Different Park.  In Nashville, Hammack faced the harsh realities of the music industry. She slept in her car, used a fake ID to perform in bars, and eventually secured a weekly gig at Honky Tonk Central on Broadway. Her persistence paid off when she was introduced to Universal Music Publishing Group, leading to a staff writing position.  Hammack has since talked about how those early Nashville years shaped her voice and values. The grit it took to survive – sleeping in her car, playing four-hour cover sets, and fighting for a place in writing rooms – imbued her songs with a lived-in realism. She credits this period with sharpening her musical instincts, but also teaching her how to navigate an industry that often undervalues originality and vulnerability.  A deeply personal debut  Hammack’s debut album, If It Wasn’t for You, released in August 2020, is a deeply personal collection of songs that chronicle her life’s trials and triumphs. The album features collaborations with Reba McEntire, Ashley McBryde, and Tenille Townes.  The lead single, “Family Tree,” is an autobiographical track that showcases Hammack’s storytelling prowess. Another standout, “Small Town Hypocrite,” co-written with Jared Scott, delves into the heartbreak of a failed relationship that once kept her from pursuing her dreams. The song resonated with audiences and critics alike, with Chris Stapleton later joining her for a reimagined version.  Critics noted how Hammack’s debut felt unusually mature for a new artist. She’s described the record as a kind of emotional archive – tracking moments of pain, hope, defiance, and release. Drawing on her lived experience, she brought to each track a raw vocal delivery and lyrical directness that set her apart from more polished debuts. For Hammack, it was an attempt to tell the truth as she knew it, however complicated or unrefined that truth might be.  To read the full article, see our last issue here. Never miss a story… Follow us on: Instagram: @Maverick.mag Twitter: @Maverick_mag Facebook: Maverick Magazine Media Contact Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Waylon Jennings – A Voice That Changed Country

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Waylon Jennings wasn’t just an outlaw — he was a revolution. This is the story of a man who changed country music by refusing to follow the rules. Waylon Jennings didn’t just say these words — he lived them: “Don’t ever try and be like anybody else, and don’t be afraid to take risks.” In a country music era defined by polished rhinestones and industry conformity, Jennings was a gravel-voiced outlaw who burned his own trail across the genre’s neatly trimmed pasture. With a Fender Telecaster slung low and a stare that said don’t even try, he didn’t just rewrite the rules — he refused to acknowledge them in the first place.  Waylon’s rise wasn’t conventional, and that’s exactly why it mattered. At a time when Nashville’s sound had become synonymous with commercial polish and predictable sentimentality, he kicked open the saloon doors and let in the dust, the grit, and the truth. His music wasn’t built for radio formulas — it was carved from the hard edges of real life. And in doing so, he gave a voice to those who never quite fit the mould.  In the years since his passing in 2002, Waylon Jennings has only grown larger in the legend of country music. Not because he chased legacy, but because he ignored it. He made music on his own terms — fierce, flawed, and ferociously honest. Today, in a landscape where authenticity is currency and the outlaw spirit has gone from rebellion to rallying cry, Jennings’ influence remains stamped into every chord that leans left of centre.  This is the story of a renegade poet from West Texas. A man who survived tragedy, challenged tradition, and wrote country music with a clenched fist and a wild heart.  West Texas Roots and Rock ’n’ Roll Dreams  Waylon Arnold Jennings was born on June 15, 1937, in the dusty town of Littlefield, Texas — a place where the air smelled like cotton and the radio dial spun stories of heartbreak and salvation. Like so many sons of the South, Jennings was raised on the sounds of Hank Williams and the blues that crept up from the Mississippi Delta. But even from a young age, it was clear that Jennings wasn’t interested in simply absorbing those influences. He wanted to bend them, push them, make them his own.  By the time he was twelve, Jennings was already hosting his own radio show on KVOW in Littlefield. His voice — still unpolished, still learning — crackled with confidence. His teenage years were spent not in the bleachers but behind the microphone, spinning country records and slipping in the occasional live performance. Music wasn’t just a pastime; it was a calling.  The real turning point came when Jennings crossed paths with a fellow Texan who was already blazing trails of his own: Buddy Holly. Jennings joined Holly’s band as a bass player in the late 1950s, stepping into a new world of rock ’n’ roll energy and fast-moving fame. Holly, always the innovator, saw something in Waylon — a kindred spirit, a rebel in waiting. It was Holly who gave Jennings his first taste of professional touring, studio sessions, and the chaos of life on the road.  To read the full article, see our last issue here. Never miss a story… Follow us on: Instagram: @Maverick.mag Twitter: @Maverick_mag Facebook: Maverick Magazine Media Contact Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com . 

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Angel White: Riding the Ghost Trails of the American West

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From Deep Ellum’s grit to the Texas plains, Angel White’s debut rewrites the cowboy story with quiet force, carving space for overlooked voices in country. It was in north Texas, where the ranchland rolls for miles under an open sky, that Angel White found his voice.   Raised in the rural outskirts of Cleburne, this fifth-generation horseman’s musical sensibility was shaped by old soul records, gospel echoes, and the lived reality of those too often left out of the country music canon. His path through the industry has been quiet but deliberate – rooted in tradition, but never confined by it.  Before the headlines, White was a busker in Deep Ellum. The nights were long, the pockets often empty, but the education was priceless. Playing to indifferent crowds forced him to sharpen his voice – and his resolve. It also gave him a front-row seat to the beauty of imperfection – a lesson he still carries into the studio and onto the stage. That grit still underpins his live shows today, a reminder that even the most layered studio albums begin with unfiltered connection.  A powerful musical tradition  White’s connection to music was forged early. He’s described how his childhood home was filled with sound – everything from gospel records to ‘90s soul. His family’s deep roots in Texas ranching culture ran alongside a quieter but equally powerful musical tradition. Sundays often meant time in church, where White first began to understand the emotional resonance of live performance. While he never formally studied music, he’s said those early environments taught him everything he needed to know about vocal control and presence.  In March this year, White released Ghost of the West, a debut album that felt like an act of reclamation. Recorded over 12 days in Austin with producer Dwight Baker, it draws on histories that country music has too often overlooked – Black, Native, and Mexican cowboys whose legacies still echo across the plains.   For White, the cowboy is more a costume than an inheritance. His identity as a Black cowboy is central not only to his image but to the very fabric of Ghost of the West. He’s spoken about how people are often surprised to see a cowboy of colour, and how he feels that figures like him – along with Spanish and Native cowboys – still move through the genre like ghosts, rarely acknowledged despite their real and lasting presence.  Personal and political   White’s understanding of cowboy culture is both personal and political. He challenges the mainstream image of the cowboy as exclusively white and male, drawing on his own lineage and broader historical truths. There’s a mythology, he’s suggested, that country music was built on, but many voices were left out. For him, Ghost of the West is a form of cultural reckoning, one that sheds light on overlooked legacies and reclaims space through story.  In many ways, the album serves as a tribute to those cultural ghosts. It doesn’t just reclaim narratives – it complicates them, showing that country music’s foundations are more diverse and intertwined than the mainstream has often acknowledged. Tracks like “Down by the River” and “Wild Painted Horses” unfold more like ghost stories told around a dying fire – layered, aching, and curiously comforting.  To read the full article, see our last issue here. Never miss a story… Follow us on: Instagram: @Maverick.mag Twitter: @Maverick_mag Facebook: Maverick Magazine Media Contact Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com . 

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