Country Next: Tenille Arts

Though she may not be a household name just yet, Tenille Arts isn’t new to the country music scene. Already well-known in her native Canada, she has accomplished quite a bit since making the move to Nashville. Along with releasing a self-titled EP in 2016 and her debut album, Rebel Child, the following year, she signed a record deal with Reviver Records, made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry and guest-starred on ABC’s The Bachelor twice and will soon return to the show for an unprecedented third appearance.

Arts made her first appearance as a featured act on the popular reality television series in January of 2018 when she performed her song “Moment of Weakness.” She returned the following year to perform her single, “I Hate This.” The latter of the two songs took the top spot on both the U.S. and Canadian iTunes Country Charts following her performance.

In January, Arts will appear on The Bachelor for the third time, this time to perform “Somebody Like That” for new bachelor Peter Weber. The song, along with the previously mentioned “I Hate This,” will be included on her upcoming 12-track sophomore album, Love, Heartbreak, & Everything in Between, due out January 10.

Country Now recently caught up with the rising star to talk all about her current single, her experience on The Bachelor, her upcoming album and more.

Read on for our exclusive Q&A with Tenille Arts.

Melinda Lorge: What led you to want to pursue music full-time?

Tenille Arts: I grew up in a small town in Saskatchewan in Canada. I loved singing. There are videos of me from when I was younger singing made-up songs at age two. When I was about 8-years-old, my neighbor heard me singing and told my mom she thought I had a great voice. So my mom ran with that and put me in voice lessons and let me join the choir. I just dove right in! I knew that was the thing that I wanted to do with my life. At about age 13, I started learning guitar and posting videos on YouTube. A manager in Nashville found my music channel and told me to come down and start writing and meeting with people. I made my first trip to Nashville, and it’s been a whirlwind ever since.

Lorge: Who were some of your musical influences growing up?

Arts: I was a huge fan of the Dixie Chicks and Shania Twain. I also listened to a lot of early 2000s female country artists. I loved Kelly Clarkson. At the time, she had just won American Idol, and there were a lot of things about her that I admired.

Lorge: What’s the inspiration behind your current single “Somebody Like That”?

Arts: I went through a breakup last year and wrote a ton of sad songs. Then there seemed to be a point where I was okay with everything that had happened. I started looking around at relationships, like my parents and my grandparents, and I was in the writing room with Alex Kline and Allison Veltz, and we were saying we want to love somebody like that. The first part of the song is the kind of love you don’t want, like going out to the bar and meeting somebody and it being a one-night thing, I’m not interested in that so, for me, it was looking at other relationships. So this song is really about wanting to love somebody like that.

Lorge: Can fans expect to hear more songs that come out of that emotion in the future?

Arts: Yeah, I’m releasing new music in 2020, and there are quite a few songs that are about the breakup. The immediate breakup is about getting over it, and then there are always different stages that you go through. So, for me, there’s a point when you move on and look forward to something else.

Lorge: How long did it take to shoot the music video for “Somebody Like That”?

Arts: It was a full day shoot. That video was so much fun! The director had such great ideas to go through line-by-line of this song. It focuses on all of these bad relationships and how you move on from them. Then, at the end of the video, you end up seeing me walk out into the real world and stepping away from the fake Instagram world and finding somebody great.

Lorge: Is there a song from your upcoming album that you can’t wait to release?

Arts: I have a new song coming out called “Nothing To See Here.” It’s about my hometown and my breakup. If somebody were to go to my hometown, they would say there’s not a whole lot to see there. For me, it brings back memories of places where that guy and I used to hang out and all these different things. I feel a lot of different things when I go home. It makes going back to my hometown a little difficult. I have a lot of songs on my upcoming album that I’m excited about.

Lorge: Speaking of back home, did you experience any kind of culture shock when you moved to Nashville?

Arts: I miss home all the time, but I’ve been coming to Nashville since I was 15, so I knew what I was getting into when I moved here. It was a cultural shock for me. Before I moved to Nashville, I had graduated high school, been living at home, and saving up money. It was a big step, not only moving to another country but also living on my own for the first time. It was a big transition, but I’m glad I did it.

Lorge: Did your family and friends support your decision to move?

Arts: My dad helped me find my apartment, and then my mom came with me when I moved. Everybody knew this was what I wanted to do, so it wasn’t a surprise to anyone. It was a big change, and I knew my parents were a little worried about me being on my own and taking on a big city, but everyone was supportive.

Lorge: Can you talk about your experience appearing on The Bachelor?

Arts: I’ve always been a huge fan of the show, so it made me an even bigger fan! It was an awesome experience, and because of that show, millions of people have heard my music. I still have people come up to me after shows now and say, ‘I saw you on The Bachelor, and I love all of your music.’ People come up to me and tell me they discovered me on the show. It’s cool that a TV show, which isn’t typically known for music, made a huge impact on my career.

Lorge: What is it like being a performer on The Bachelor? Is there anything that viewers wouldn’t know from watching the show?

Arts: There are cameras everywhere, but it is a real surprise for the couple walking in. They don’t know what’s happening, so that’s fun. It’s a little bit more real than I bet people think it is. For me, to get to play for that couple and make it an intimate moment for them, hopefully, it’s something they’ll remember forever because it’s very special.

Lorge: Aside from returning to The Bachelor, what’s next for you?

Arts: We’re working on the album, and it will be out in early January 2020. We have a cool idea for releasing this album. It’s in sections and with themes, so I’m excited to release that and see how people react to it.

Fans can keep up with Tenille Arts on Instagram.