After dragging a bunch of friends all over Ohio and then a few more to Nashville, one of their husbands asked me a really interesting question, “Why Sugarland, Sarah?” Where does this love come from? What makes you like them so much?
I swear it is a good story!!!!!
I found myself out of radio in 2008 and looking for my next gig. The only station who called back when I left a message was a very small one out of New Philadelphia/Uhrichville, OH- WTUZ, Z Country 99.9. Huh, country. I knew about Garth, Faith, Shaina, George and even Alan, butttt that was where my knowledge of country ended back then. I told myself, I am a fast learner and it is a job!
Day one: training with the Program Director, he let me pick the first song I would ever play on country radio. It was between two artist I had never heard of- Sugarland and Lady Antebellum. I picked Sugarland because I liked their name better. (Sorry Lady A) So, as the story goes, Sugarland, “All I Wanna Do” was the very first song I every played in my country radio career. I. Feel. In. Love. I thought, wow! If this is country music- I am in! Fun, upbeat- I gots this! Little did I know, I was just scratching the surface to a duo that would open my eyes to a genre that is unlike any other.
Not a bad story, right?!
Fast forward to buying allllll their albums, getting my current gig at WQMX and just completely diving into the deep end of the sugar stream, mmmmkay! All I can say is thatI hear so many of you say similar things about Luke, Jason, Miranda, Carrie, Keith, Chris, and so on- Sugarland gets me, is there for me, makes me happy, keeps me happy, makes me sane- I just LOVE THEM!
I met a fellow sugar fan at their recent show in Youngstown, and she told me that Sugarland’s music has helped her through every up and down in her life. Now, don’t get me wrong here, sometimes when I hear other’s say this about other artists I wonder, really?? You would say, for example, you love, Luke Bryan’s “Country Girl, Shake it For Me” so much that it’s helped you through something in your life? (PS, I like Luke and that song!) But after talking to this girl at the Sugarland show, it clicked. I get it! Luke is someone’s Sugarland! And that same thing can be said for any and every artist. I believe, there is a Sugarland song for every situation, feeling and occasion, and trust you me I KNOW there are some Sugar haters in the world.
But I will end with this. I want this wish for every music lover, every music fan, not just in country- every single fan- I wish for you to feel the authentic, enthusiastic, overwhelming, pure joy I feel every single time I hear, see, read or basically think about the music that makes up my Sugarland. For what ever reason, in that small studio in southern T-county, Sugarland struck a chord, and no matter who likes them, who hates them, that is the beauty of music- it happens. We have it forever. I will have the memories of the past few weeks of traveling to see them forever, of truly thinking they are my besties (this is totally suspect), of dancing and singing my face off to music I truly love! That is something every single human should get to experience!
So why Sugarland? I say, why the heck not?!
