♪ "Most likely to succeed"... ♪ Davis: Coming up on "Studio 3 LIVE," we welcome Halle Kearns to the stage.

♪ I'll walk in, they'll ask me how I've been ♪ ♪ I ain't seen them since God knows when ♪ "If I can just, like, look into the audience and see one girl singing the lyrics to my song, like, that's my wildest dream."

Like, I just hope that they see what I'm doing and, like, genuinely know it's not like, "If I can do it, anyone can," but if I can do it, literally anyone can.

♪ And put on a damn good show just for tonight ♪ ♪ I might lie so I can be that girl again ♪ ♪ 'Cause I was really something ♪ to my high-school friends ♪ Announcer #1: Musco Lighting is honored to support Iowa PBS.

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Good evening, and welcome to "Studio 3 LIVE."

I'm your host, Mickey Davis.

Tonight, we're joined by rising country act Halle Kearns.

A Midwesterner by birth, the Columbia, Missouri, native is now based in Nashville, where she continues to build an audience through her honest songwriting and connections with her fans.

With new music, concerts in new cities, and new fans along the way, we're excited to welcome Halle to the stage as she sets the tone for the next chapter in her story.

Please help me welcome to the stage Halle Kearns.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ Well, I don't ever stay out late ♪ ♪ And you don't ever catch red lights ♪ ♪ My friends wanted to try some place ♪ ♪ That you've been to a million times ♪ ♪ Yeah, it was 9:05 when you walked inside ♪ ♪ And we caught eyes like it was meant to be ♪ ♪ But I don't believe in a once upon a starry night ♪ ♪ Right place, right time, Hollywood scene ♪ ♪ And I don't believe it was just my luck ♪ ♪ That the two of us fell in love accidentally ♪ ♪ No, boy, what we got don't happen by chance ♪ ♪ I don't believe ♪ ♪ In coincidence, no ♪ ♪ It's like I've known you my whole life ♪ ♪ I love the way you look at me ♪ ♪ The more I get to spend my time in your arms, I'm sure that we both are ♪ ♪ But we were always supposed to be ♪ ♪ 'Cause I don't believe in a once upon a starry night ♪ ♪ Right place, right time, Hollywood scene ♪ ♪ And I don't believe it was just my luck ♪ ♪ That the two of us fell in love accidentally ♪ ♪ No, boy, what we got don't happen by chance ♪ ♪ I don't believe ♪ ♪ In coincidence ♪ Come on!

Whoo!

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ Ain't no twist of fate could ever make me feel this way ♪ ♪ 'Cause I don't believe in a once upon a starry night ♪ ♪ Right place, right time, Hollywood scene ♪ ♪ And I don't believe it was just my luck ♪ ♪ That the two of us fell in love accidentally ♪ ♪ No, boy, what we got don't happen by chance ♪ ♪ I don't believe ♪ ♪ In coincidence ♪ ♪ In coincidence ♪ ♪ In coincidence, no ♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Thank you so much!

Hi, everyone.

I'm Halle Kearns and I am just so happy to be here.

Thank you guys for coming.

Thank you for watching.

It means the world.

This next one is a brand-new song.

It's not out yet, but... Jonah's gonna take this one away, actually.

It's called "Already Know."

♪♪ ♪ Yeah, boy, I want you to know me ♪ ♪ Better than the back of your hand ♪ ♪ I'm sure I've told all my stories ♪ ♪ And I'm sure I'm gonna tell them again ♪ ♪ And I know that the time takes some shine off the new ♪ ♪ And the more that it flies, yeah, the more you get used ♪ ♪ To me saying what I always do ♪ ♪ Yeah, I know that I always do ♪ ♪ But sometimes, I wanna catch you off guard and take you by surprise ♪ ♪ I wanna hold a few cards, leave some mystery alive ♪ ♪ And as time goes by ♪ ♪ I'll try to keep you on your toes ♪ ♪ But when I tell you I love you, I hope ♪ ♪ I'm just saying what you already know ♪ ♪ Mm-hmm ♪ ♪ Hmm ♪ ♪ 'Cause I say it over and over ♪ ♪ Every morning and every night ♪ ♪ So you don't ever have to wonder ♪ ♪ Even if sometimes, sometimes I ♪ ♪ I want to catch you off guard and take you by surprise ♪ ♪ I wanna hold a few cards, leave some mystery alive ♪ ♪ And as time goes by, I'll try to keep you on your toes ♪ ♪ But when I tell you I love you, I hope ♪ ♪ I'm just saying what you already know ♪ ♪ Mm-hmm ♪ ♪ What you already know ♪ ♪ When I catch you off guard and take you by surprise ♪ ♪ I want to hold a few cards, leave some mystery alive ♪ ♪ And as time goes by, I'll try to keep you on your toes ♪ ♪ But when I tell you I love you, I hope ♪ ♪ I'm just sayin' ♪ ♪ I'm just sayin' what you already know ♪ ♪ Mm-hmm ♪ ♪ What you already know ♪ ♪ Hey ♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Thank you, guys.

Thank you, thank you.

Halle, thanks so much for joining us here on "Studio 3 LIVE."

How'd you get started playing music?

I started playing guitar when I was around 13 years old.

I just loved the instrument and wanted to learn how to play it, so I taught myself chords on YouTube.

I just looked up random chords to whatever songs I wanted to learn and pieced them together, and over time, I just fell in love with that.

So guitar was kind of my first love before songwriting and singing.

But all those things kind of followed naturally, and then they took over.

Who were some of the artists that you were kind of playing along to when you were first learning guitar?

Honestly, a lot of Taylor Swift.

Okay.

I loved Taylor Swift growing up.

And, I mean, I still do, of course.

Yeah, yeah.

But I listened to a lot of '90s country, as well, growing up, so Dixie Chicks, Martina McBride, that whole kind of, like, female '90s country era.

That was my bread and butter.

I loved it.

And Jonas Brothers.

Around 13, Jonas Brothers was a big one.

Do those artists still inspire your songwriting or have you kind of moved on to different inspiration?

Yeah, definitely.

I think you always find new inspiration in old things.

Even, like, these songs that I've been listening to my entire life, I'll listen again and be like, "I never caught, you know, this lyric or that guitar lick" or whatever, so you can pull inspiration from things, I think, that you thought you always kind of had a grasp on, I guess.

So, this song, y'all, it's super-special to me for a lot of reasons, but things like this kind of put it all in perspective, to be honest with you.

But I'm from Columbia, Missouri, originally.

For those of you who don't know, I'm a Midwestern gal myself.

I've been in Nashville now for five years, and it's been such an incredible journey.

And there's been a lot of really, really high highs and a lot of really low lows, like in any industry and in any job you could -- any dream you could pursue.

And, you know, some of the highs look like playing to a live studio audience in Iowa PBS, which is amazing, and reaching tons of people you're not even going to get the pleasure of hugging.

But other times, you know, you're like, "How am I going to pay rent this month?"

So there's a little bit of all of it involved.

But, you know, that's the cost of chasing a dream.

And I really just want to say this as an encouragement to anyone listening, that you really can do anything, anything you put your mind to.

And if I can be up here today, pursuing this dream, you can literally do anything.

But this is this song about kind of those lows and fighting some of that.

This is called "High School Friends."

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ I pulled into my old spot right beside the football field ♪ ♪ And it looks the same, it hasn't changed ♪ ♪ Even though it's been 10 years ♪ ♪ And I'm sitting here self-conscious about the tag still on my dress ♪ ♪ And I hope that they can't tell that I've got whiskey on my breath ♪ ♪ Yeah, I hate that I ain't everything they thought that I would be ♪ ♪ "Most likely to succeed," is still hanging over me ♪ ♪ I'll walk in, they'll ask me how I've been ♪ ♪ I ain't seen them since God knows when ♪ ♪ They've all got husbands, all got babies ♪ ♪ I can barely pay my rent ♪ ♪ I'm living the dream, as far as they know ♪ ♪ But they're naive to how this goes ♪ ♪ So I'll do what I do best ♪ ♪ And put on a damn good show just for tonight ♪ ♪ I might lie so I can be that girl again ♪ ♪ 'Cause I was really something to my high-school friends ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ Yeah, they placed the bets that two years, and I'd be a household name ♪ ♪ So I sent 'em off to college while I chased that Nashville dream ♪ ♪ And I'm chasin' it, but I'm waitressing, and they don't get the game ♪ ♪ So I'll make 'em proud and tell 'em how I'm on the edge of fame ♪ ♪ Yeah, I'll walk in, they'll ask me how I've been ♪ ♪ I ain't seen them since God knows when ♪ ♪ They've all got husbands, all got babies ♪ ♪ I can barely pay my rent ♪ ♪ I'm living the dream, as far as they know ♪ ♪ But they're naive to how this goes ♪ ♪ So I'll do what I do best ♪ ♪ And put on a damn good show just for tonight ♪ ♪ I might lie so I can be that girl again ♪ ♪ 'Cause I was really something to my high-school friends ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ Yeah, I hate that I ain't everything they thought that I would be ♪ ♪ But just give me 10 more years, I bet I'll be somebody ♪ ♪ I'll walk in, they'll ask me how I've been ♪ ♪ I ain't seen them since God knows when ♪ ♪ They've all got husbands, all got babies ♪ ♪ I can barely pay my rent ♪ ♪ I'm living the dream, as far as they know ♪ ♪ But they're naive to how this goes ♪ ♪ So I'll do what I do best ♪ ♪ And put on a damn good show just for tonight ♪ ♪ I might lie so I can be that girl again ♪ ♪ 'Cause I was really something ♪ ♪ Yeah, I was really something to my high-school friends ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Thank you, guys, so much.

And give it up for Jonah up here, please.

[ Cheers and applause ] This is Jonah Krull, everybody.

He's my right-hand man.

So, you talked about how you started playing guitar.

That was kind of your first -- kind of what you were first drawn to.

What was the moment or kind of the inspiration to start writing your own music?

Oh, man.

Well, I think as early on as -- I think it was like 5 or 6 years old.

My mom tells this story all the time.

But Martina McBride, "Concrete Angel" was playing in the car, and I'm in my car seat and I'm sobbing.

Like, sobbing in the back seat.

And he pulls over.

She's like, "What's wrong?

What's wrong?"

Thinking I'm hurt or something.

And I told her -- I was like, "The little girl.

Like, the little girl got hurt."

And she was just, like, amazed that I could, I guess, compute the lyrics and I was, like, empathizing with these emotions through the lyrics.

And I think that was kind of, like, where my love of dissecting a song came from and where my interest in lyrics and that kind of thing sprouted.

I've just always been, like, hyper-emotional and very aware of that kind of thing.

So I think it was just a really good outlet for me, of really -- Around 13, 14, you know, a lot of stuff was going on family-wise and whatever, and I think that that was a cool time for me to lean into something that channeled my emotions in a healthy, very healing way.

And so that's where my songs started coming from.

But I want to tell you a little story about my left-hand man, if you know what I mean, okay?

That was pretty smooth.

Y'all, I got married in November.

[ Light cheering ] We got two people who love marriage in here.

Love it.

[ Laughter ] Yes, I got married in November, and he's the sweetest man on the planet.

I wish I could tell every single person everything about him, because he's just the sweetest thing.

And I wrote this song about him.

And I -- So, obviously, I'm a traveling musician.

I'm all over the country all the time, and I love being on the road.

I love being gone.

I love the chaos and the change and all of it all the time.

I think it's a blast.

And because of that, I just thought it would be a really long time until I settled down, and kind of in my head, I took settling down as settling, in a way, for what I want and my career and just what I want in life.

Until I met this guy, and he changed everything for me and he taught me that, you know, I actually am the settling kind.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ I've never been a stranger to some blacktop ♪ ♪ Just running from whatever slows me down ♪ ♪ And chasing everything out in the headlights ♪ ♪ And hiding from what make you stick around ♪ ♪ I used to say I ain't afraid of leaving ♪ ♪ Now those are words that you won't hear from me ♪ ♪ Because the way you love the hell out of me, baby ♪ ♪ I'm seeing things a little differently ♪ ♪ All of a sudden, it's all making sense ♪ ♪ Small towns and babies and raised flower beds ♪ ♪ A house on a hill and a wrap-around porch ♪ ♪ A thousand "I love yous" behind our front door ♪ ♪ One look in your eyes ♪ ♪ You got me thinking I'm the settling kind ♪ ♪ This morning, I drove by that church on Third Street ♪ ♪ The one I must have passed a million times ♪ ♪ I never would have thought that I'd be wishing ♪ ♪ That I'd be walking out of there in white ♪ ♪ But all of a sudden, it's all making sense ♪ ♪ Small towns and babies and raised flower beds ♪ ♪ A house on a hill and a wrap-around porch ♪ ♪ A thousand "I love yous" behind our front door ♪ ♪ One look in your eyes ♪ ♪ You've got me thinking I'm the settling kind ♪ ♪♪ ♪ If you're the one I'm with ♪ ♪ Well, baby, I'm not settling ♪ ♪ Because all of a sudden, it's all making sense ♪ ♪ Small towns and babies and raised flower beds ♪ ♪ A house on a hill and a wrap-around porch ♪ ♪ A lifetime with you, plus a hundred years more ♪ ♪ One look in your eyes ♪ ♪ You've got me thinking I'm the settling kind ♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Thank you, guys.

When you're writing new music, how much are you pulling from kind of autobiographical experiences and how much are you just trying to kind of tell a compelling story?

I think there's a little bit of both in songwriting.

I've learned, like, the healthier I am mentally, the more I can pull from, like, emotions right now.

Sure, yeah.

But sometimes, when you're just kind of going through the motions and runnin', runnin', runnin', it can be easier to not think about where you're at currently and write about -- you know, reflect about past experiences or someone else's experiences.

But I always pull from things I've learned, whether it's through other people that I love or watching someone else's life or something I've also been through.

Something that I think why people gravitate towards your music is in those stories, some universal themes that people feel like they can see themselves in those songs.

Is that something you're conscious of when you're writing, of kind of finding ways you can empathize with others or whatever situation you're writing about?

I really do.

My favorite part about any of this is the way I get to meet new people through it and connect with people, and having anyone understand me on a deeper level because they listened to my song I think is the coolest emotion ever.

But I would say, the songs that were almost more niche to me, that felt kind of like a really me-specific scenario are the ones that have kind of translated the most, which blew my mind a little bit.

Wow.

Okay.

You know, I'm seeing, like, the more specific I got about an emotion or an experience, I think that people are grabbing on to that and being like, "I've actually lived that, too."

Because it's so unique, you're like, "Oh, wait, actually..." We're all in tis together, and there's not a single unique experience on this planet, I think.

Yeah, yeah.

I love this song a lot.

We wrote this one a few months back, and I think everyone's been here at some point.

just avoiding your way home or avoiding a certain road or whatever to avoid seeing something that brings up a little bit of pain, maybe an ex, you know, that kind of thing.

This song is called "Scenic Route."

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ I'm passing Percy Priest on my new way home from work ♪ ♪ It takes an extra 15, but I tell myself it's worth everything ♪ ♪ I get to see even more of what I don't ♪ ♪ Yeah, I know Third Street is faster, but I can't go down that road ♪ ♪ 'Cause it'll lead me past your place ♪ ♪ Stuck under that traffic light ♪ ♪ And I'll see her Georgia plates ♪ ♪ And it'll keep me up all night ♪ ♪ No, it won't be a pretty view ♪ ♪ Seeing what you're doing now ♪ ♪ I'll never get over you unless I stay taking ♪ ♪ The scenic route ♪ ♪ Yeah, I'll notice if my roses bloomed again this late spring ♪ ♪ See Nash out on the front porch and wonder if he misses me ♪ ♪ So I'm seeing things I've never seen and going places I don't go ♪ ♪ Yeah, I'm taking the high road, 'cause if I don't ♪ ♪ It'll lead me past your place ♪ ♪ Stuck under that traffic light ♪ ♪ And I'll see her Georgia plates ♪ ♪ And it'll keep me up all night ♪ ♪ No, it won't be a pretty view ♪ ♪ Seeing what you're doing now ♪ ♪ I'll never get over you unless I stay taking ♪ ♪ The scenic route ♪ ♪ The scenic route ♪ ♪ Well, if you're out of sight, you're out of mind is what I tell myself these days ♪ ♪ Over rivers, through the woods, avoiding memory lane ♪ ♪ 'Cause it'll lead me past your place ♪ ♪ Stuck under that traffic light ♪ ♪ And I'll see her Georgia plates ♪ ♪ And it'll keep me up all night ♪ ♪ No, it won't be a pretty view ♪ ♪ Seeing what you're doing now ♪ ♪ I'll never get over you unless I stay taking ♪ ♪ The scenic route ♪ ♪ The scenic route ♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Thanks, y'all.

So, you moved to Nashville in 2019, kind of after building, you know, a good -- you were doing a lot of reps, like you said, playing a lot of shows in Kansas City.

And moving to Nashville, you know, I think working in country is such an important step, but also, it's such a huge step, as well to kind of go to the epicenter of everything.

What was the hardest part of that kind of transition and that move for you?

I did it in kind of an interesting way.

I moved there in 2019, but the whole year prior, I was taking trips up to Nashville about once a month.

So it was cool to slowly build a community out doing that.

I'd go and write and try to meet friends and go to all these, like, writers' rounds and stuff, just trying to network and everything.

And I think that probably just establishing yourself as a new writer in town -- it's tricky, and you get a lot of nos.

But I think that the bars and the coffee shops and all those places I'd reached out to to play, they say for every 10 nos, you get one yes.

And I took that so literally and was like, "I'm going to e-mail, e-mail, e-mail any place that allows live music in a 300-mile radius, and if I get 10 no answers or 10 straight-up nos, I know that I guess is coming."

Yeah, yeah.

So I kind of took the same theory to, like, writes and that kind of thing starting out and just would be like, "If someone doesn't answer me, that's called the 'Nashville no,' just a no response, and I'm going to just take my 10 nos and fight for my one yes."

And then you just keep getting in more and more rooms and opportunities and stick around with the people who want to do it with you, you know?

I wrote this song, actually, right when I met my now-husband.

And I had no idea, you know, "Is this who God has for me?

Is this --" I didn't know at first.

You know, you just -- Sometimes, you don't know until you know, and when you know, you know.

So this song came in the place of being really unsure of just like, "I don't know what your plan is for me, but I know you know, and so I'm going to hand it off to you."

It really came from a journal entry just talking about like, "I know my future person is in your hands."

This is called "God Only Knows."

♪♪ ♪ Well, I've heard that cowboys and angels are a match made in heaven ♪ ♪ So how come I still haven't found my happy end?

♪ ♪ And I've learned that patience is important ♪ ♪ And you're not supposed to force it ♪ ♪ Because out of the blue, love finds you when you're least expecting ♪ ♪ But I've still got questions ♪ ♪ Well, God only knows why you ain't mine yet ♪ ♪ Maybe he's waiting on perfect timing ♪ ♪ Are you down the road, are you out of state ♪ ♪ Or are you still one heartbreak away?

♪ ♪ And I know there's a little magic ♪ ♪ In not knowing what's gonna happen ♪ ♪ But I can't wait to see the day when we both know ♪ ♪ What God only knows ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ Well, are you in a high-rise apartment ♪ ♪ Or a small town where the stars live?

♪ ♪ You got your mama's soft and your daddy's tough ♪ ♪ Or somewhere in between?

♪ ♪ And do you think about me?

♪ ♪ Well, God only knows why you ain't mine yet ♪ ♪ Maybe he's waiting on perfect timing ♪ ♪ Are you down the road, are you out of state ♪ ♪ Or are you still one heartbreak away?

♪ ♪ And I know there's a little magic ♪ ♪ In not knowing what's gonna happen ♪ ♪ I can't wait to see the day when we both know ♪ ♪ What God only knows ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ Well, God knows, by divine intervention ♪ ♪ One day, it'll all make sense ♪ ♪ And till then, it's out of my hands ♪ ♪ 'Cause God only knows why you ain't mine yet ♪ ♪ Maybe he's waiting on his perfect timing ♪ ♪ Are you down the road, are you out of state ♪ ♪ Or are you still one heartbreak away?

♪ ♪ And I know there's a little magic ♪ ♪ In not knowing what's gonna happen ♪ ♪ But I can't wait to see the day when we both know ♪ ♪ No, I can't wait to see the day when we both know ♪ ♪ What God only knows ♪ ♪ What God only knows ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Thank you, guys.

Thank you so much.

You know, you grew up in Columbia.

You moved to Kansas City.

You were in Kansas City for a couple of years.

And I know, in that time, you were playing a lot of bars and wineries and breweries, you know, places where you may or may not be the thing that people are kind of paying attention to, right?

Or you might be playing some of your own music, but then also some covers, as well.

What did that teach you about connecting with people and how to perform onstage?

I think, for me, it built a lot of confidence just night after night after night.

These shows have been really, really wild this last year or two, because for the first time, you almost feel like you do have something to prove.

Like, going to these bars and the coffee shops and the wineries and everything, they didn't know me.

And then some of these people are showing up and they know my songs and they know who I am.

Yeah, yeah.

I'm like, "This is wild."

And now it's time to sing you these songs you came for.

But it's the most special thing.

I love it so much, and there's nothing like it.

I've dreamed about this since I was a little girl.

That's really -- That's cool.

There's always a unique moment when, like, people are coming to your show for you and it's not just, like, your mom and dad and your siblings, right?

It's like people you don't know are there to see you.

That's such a different, but probably, you know, affirming moment, as well, to see that at your shows.

For sure.

Me and my dad used to joke all the time, because there were so many -- And you just have to laugh at it, but there's so many gigs I would show up, and he's like, "Me, you, and the bartender.

Like, let's go."

He's like, "Play like it's 1,000," you know?

Like, every time, we just -- I don't know.

He, a lot of times, would be like, "Paid rehearsal.

Paid rehearsal.

Just do it."

Like, and whether you get 20 bucks in the tip jar or, you know, whatever, it's just -- It was all worth it, you know?

This was on my first project I ever released.

This is on an E.P.

I have called "Finally."

And it was the first song I ever released, actually, to kind of, like, move it all and get some cool traction going, streaming-wise and all that.

And it was on SiriusXM's The Highway and CMT and all these really cool, fun things.

But it was funny, because I just wrote the song about a crush I had on spring break.

And I was like, "That's all I had to do.

Okay, cool."

This is called "Whatever You Do."

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ A warm breeze blew a palmetto flag ♪ ♪ At a dive on the coast, had a duffel bag ♪ ♪ With just me and my girls ♪ Where my girls at?

[ Crowd cheering ] ♪ Not a care in the world ♪ ♪ And you walked in with a couple of friends ♪ ♪ And a look saying, "I'm only here for the weekend ♪ ♪ And pulled up a seat ♪ ♪ Right next to me ♪ ♪ Well, now, whatever you do ♪ ♪ Don't stop sliding over closer ♪ ♪ And don't you stop talking over the music that's making you move your lips a little closer to mine ♪ ♪ Whatever you do ♪ ♪ Keep on dancing all around me ♪ ♪ And keep on trying to make me forget that we just met, 'cause I'm really getting into whatever you do ♪ ♪ Hey ♪ ♪♪ ♪ We got two Coronas and a booth in the back ♪ ♪ We won't say forever, won't mention the past ♪ ♪ But the sky is clear ♪ ♪ So let's get out of here ♪ ♪ You're kicking off your shoes and taking my hand ♪ ♪ And asking if I know how to dance ♪ ♪ I said, "Boy, you ♪ ♪ Couldn't teach me if you wanted to" ♪ ♪ But whatever you do ♪ ♪ Don't stop sliding over closer ♪ ♪ And don't you stop talking over the music that's making you move your lips a little closer to mine ♪ ♪ Whatever you do ♪ ♪ Keep on dancing all around me ♪ And keep on trying to make me forget that we just met, 'cause I'm really getting into whatever you do ♪ ♪ Hey ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Y'all, come on.

Give it up for Jonah.

[ Cheers and applause ] ♪ Whatever you do ♪ ♪ Don't stop sliding over closer ♪ ♪ Just quit talking over the music ♪ ♪ Boy, just do it ♪ ♪ Put your lips on mine ♪ ♪ Whatever you do ♪ ♪ Keep on dancing all around me ♪ ♪ And keep on trying to make me forget that we just met, 'cause I'm really getting into whatever you do ♪ ♪ Oh, whatever you do, boy ♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Thanks, guys.

You talk about how music can be healing.

Do you have kind of a specific song that you perform or kind of a specific moment where that -- the kind of healing power of music was really driven home for you?

Yeah.

I have a couple songs, actually, that I've felt that way about, but one in particular, "Happy in This Bar," I released that -- I don't even know how long ago it was now, a couple years.

But that song was the first time what we were talking about earlier, with the writing in the moment, writing about things that you're experiencing or have experienced, that was one of the first times I was in a room writing a really, really honest song about where I currently was in life.

And I felt like it was -- It felt really specific, because I hadn't had that conversation yet with anyone else, but I told my co-writers -- I'm like, "I'm in this, like, going-out scene.

I'm with these friends that, like, aren't very great friends.

I'm just, like, trying to keep up and put on this face that I'm this, like, party girl that wants to go out all the time.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, like, look at me.

It's so fun.

Everything's great."

And I was, like, really, really broken at the time and, like, really struggling.

And I think that writing that song, like, released something in me, and I was like, "Oh, this is -- this --" It just felt so good to write it, but, again, it felt really specific and it felt like, "Well, other people don't really feel this way."

And then, when I put it out, it's been, to date, like, my most successful song, which is really wild, but it was so cool to watch this thing that -- I actually tucked it away in a demos folder.

My manager found it later on.

He's like, "Were you just gonna keep this from me?

Like, where was this song?"

And I was like, "I feel like it's so specific."

And he's like, "No, this is great."

And I ended up putting it out.

And, yeah, fast-forward, all the streams and everything is so great and amazing, but the relation to people and them understanding where I was at almost felt like it gave me this freedom to write more honestly when I'm there and know that I don't have to have the answer to it.

It can just be talked about.

♪♪ ♪ I gave in at a quarter till 10:00, tore the tags off a brand-new dress ♪ ♪ City street, some Lyft's back seat, on a night that I might forget ♪ ♪ I'd be in bed if it was up to me ♪ ♪ But, hell, I'm here, guess it's time to be ♪ ♪ Happy in this bar ♪ ♪ Just another night ♪ ♪ Making everybody think that I'm alright ♪ ♪ Lead another toast ♪ ♪ Fake another smile ♪ ♪ Be the life of the party for a little while ♪ ♪ As long as they don't know that I'm so far ♪ ♪ From happy in this bar ♪ ♪ The pressure's on, time to play along, and keep putting on the show ♪ ♪ It's crazy how, in a downtown crowd, I can still feel so alone ♪ ♪ But if they saw the girl inside of me ♪ ♪ They'd understand why it's hard to be ♪ ♪ Happy in this bar ♪ ♪ Just another night ♪ ♪ Of making everybody think that I'm alright ♪ ♪ Lead another toast ♪ ♪ Fake another smile ♪ ♪ Be the life of the party for a little while ♪ ♪ As long as they don't know that I'm so far ♪ ♪ From happy in this bar ♪ ♪ I'm happy in this bar ♪ ♪ I'm happy in this bar ♪ ♪ Just another night of making everybody think I'm alright ♪ ♪ Lead another toast ♪ ♪ Fake another smile ♪ ♪ Be the life of the party for a little while ♪ ♪ As long as they don't know that I'm so far ♪ ♪ No, I'll never let them know that I'm so far ♪ ♪ From happy in this bar ♪ ♪ Hmm ♪ ♪ Happy in this bar ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] So, I've already told you my entire life's story up here.

I'd like to continue that.

The whole point, y'all, you know, I was, again, talking about this earlier, but I love music so much for the connection it brings and, like, the relatability.

And I hope that there were some songs tonight that you guys could relate to and pull from.

And that's just -- Thank you, guys.

Thank you.

That's the whole reason I do any of this is just I know what music's done for me and it's made me feel not alone in so many ways and it's the whole reason I wanted to get into this crazy, crazy industry.

So thank you for letting me be up here and letting me sing to you guys and welcoming me into the studio and into your homes.

And it just means the world to me.

I wrote this song called "Every Girl."

This is the title track of my second E.P.

And it's just kind of walking through, if you want to know me, you got to know all the versions that I've been.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ That little brick house on Apple Tree Lane, got to know her first ♪ ♪ All wide-eyed, innocent, always been a daddy's girl ♪ ♪ Or that 17-year-old who had a boy lying to her ♪ ♪ That spring break, she had to learn ♪ ♪ The hard way that lovin' can hurt ♪ ♪ I want to show you ♪ ♪ Every version of the person that ♪ ♪ I've grown into ♪ ♪ And take you with me through all of the memories that ♪ ♪ Made me who you see ♪ ♪ From who I used to be ♪ ♪ If you want to know the woman that I am ♪ ♪ You gotta meet every girl I've ever been ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ You gotta meet the ballerina, the child of divorce ♪ ♪ Just wanted mom and dad to love each other like before ♪ ♪ And you gotta meet the new-to-town twenty-something with a dream ♪ ♪ Who had no idea just how much she was shaping me ♪ ♪ Yeah, I wanna show you ♪ ♪ Every version of the person that ♪ ♪ I've grown into ♪ ♪ And take you with me through all of the memories that ♪ ♪ Made me who you see ♪ ♪ From who I used to be ♪ ♪ If you wanna know the woman that I am ♪ ♪ You gotta meet every girl I've ever been ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ No, there ain't nothing that I would change ♪ ♪ 'Cause who I was made who I am today ♪ ♪ I wanna show you ♪ ♪ Every version of the person that ♪ ♪ I've grown into ♪ ♪ And take you with me through all the memories ♪ ♪ That made me who you see ♪ ♪ From who I used to be ♪ ♪ If you wanna know the woman that I am ♪ ♪ You gotta meet every girl I've ever been ♪ ♪ You gotta meet every girl I've ever been ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Thank you, guys.

I don't know if you got that "daddy's girl" line in the last song.

I wrote this song for my dad.

He is the most amazing person ever.

I'm such a daddy's girl.

I have been since the day I was born.

But my dad raised me and my three sisters, and he's just incredible.

And I wrote this song for him just kind of as a way to thank him for everything he's done for us girls and also kind of warn whoever I ended up with that, like, you got some big shoes to fill, you know?

So that's what I titled this song.

It's "Big Shoes to Fill."

And, yeah, this one's for Kevin.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ In first grade, I fell down in the driveway ♪ ♪ Scraped my knee, and dad ran out with a Band-Aid ♪ ♪ Well, he sat down beside me eye-to-eye there on the concrete ♪ ♪ Just let me cry and wiped my tears away ♪ ♪ And at 16, when I wrecked my first car ♪ ♪ Well, I thought he'd be mad 'cause it was my fault ♪ ♪ But he picked me up, dropped everything ♪ ♪ And swore he wouldn't say a thing ♪ ♪ Just let me cry and wiped my tears away ♪ ♪ Well, he spent my whole life setting the bar ♪ ♪ For the man who gets to have my heart ♪ ♪ So if you want to take the hand that he held first ♪ ♪ You have gotta be the man he showed me I deserve ♪ ♪ And if you're gonna love me like nobody ever will ♪ ♪ Well, baby, you've got big shoes to fill ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Well, it's been four years since I left my home state ♪ ♪ But he's still my first call when I need to talk through my days ♪ ♪ He's paid some bills I wasn't making ♪ ♪ And held my heart when it was breaking ♪ ♪ And cheered me on through every girl I've been ♪ ♪ So if you wanna take the hand that he held first ♪ ♪ You have gotta be the man he showed me I deserve ♪ ♪ And if you're gonna love me like nobody ever will ♪ ♪ Well, baby, you've got big shoes to fill ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Yeah, I know he's been trying to let me grow up ♪ ♪ But I'll always be that little girl he loved ♪ ♪ If you want to take the hand that he held first ♪ ♪ You have got to be the man he showed me I deserve ♪ ♪ And if you're gonna love me like nobody ever will ♪ ♪ Well, baby, you've got big shoes to fill ♪ ♪ Yeah, baby, you've got big shoes to fill ♪ [ Cheers and applause ] As a woman working in the music industry and as someone who is kind of deeply personal in your writing, when you talk about your song, "Every Girl," you know, one of the people you hope, you know, someone can embrace is you as a young person, as a child.

What do you hope for young girls who are listening to your music or watching you perform?

What do you hope they take away from seeing you perform?

Oh, my gosh.

That one would make me cry.

Um...

I used to say -- I think that has always been something that's really important to me.

And I used to say all the time like, "If I can just, like, look into the audience and see one girl singing the lyrics to my song, like, that's my wildest dream."

Like, and I still mean that.

Like, every time that happens, it makes me so emotional, because it's -- Like, children are just so pure and wonderful, and I just hope that they see what I'm doing and, like, genuinely know it's not like, "If I can do it, anyone can," but, like, if I can do it, literally anyone can.

And it's not music or whatever.

Just, like, anything they want to do, any job, any craft, anything, like, genuinely, you can do it.

I did not grow up in a musical family, a wealthy family, anything like that, and I'm accomplishing my wildest dreams.

Just because you got to work really, really hard, and it's going to be hard in a lot of ways, but, like, if there's something you want, like, you can go after it and you can make it happen, regardless of whatever boundaries have been put on you or you've put on yourself.

Like, you can do that.

And just be kind to people along the way.

And that's all I hope, that -- Be kind and hard-working.

That's literally it.

Whatever you do.

That was a great, great answer.

Yeah, I like that a lot.

It's a great question.

Yeah.

Halle, thank you so much for being here and being part of "Studio 3 LIVE."

We're excited to see where you go next.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

This is our last song for the evening.

It breaks my heart.

You guys are seriously amazing.

Thank you for being here.

Thank you for watching.

It means the world.

Mwah!

[ Cheers and applause ] This is one of my latest singles, and it's been so fun to play live, because I have to teach you guys this little part, okay?

And if you're watching at home, you got to do it, too, okay?

I don't care if you're on your couch, whatever's happening.

Okay?

So, this is -- It's just a double clap.

Super-simple.

But on the chorus, it's gonna go like this.

♪ Salt on the rim ♪ ♪ Kitchen-cabinet libations ♪ Clap, clap.

I'm not gonna say "clap, clap," but you will clap.

Ready?

Let's try it.

♪ Salt on the rim ♪ ♪ Kitchen-cabinet libations ♪ [ Audience claps ] Yeah!

Perfect.

Okay.

Ready?

♪♪ ♪ Yeah, I know what you're thinking ♪ ♪ You need that tropical feeling ♪ ♪ We don't need the money, honey ♪ ♪ Don't need a dime for ♪ ♪ You and me to kill another Saturday night ♪ ♪ Salt on the rim ♪ ♪ Kitchen-cabinet libations ♪ ♪ All we've been needing is a little staycation ♪ ♪ Sunset through the pines ♪ ♪ A little squeeze of lime over ice ♪ ♪ You, babe, and Jose ♪ ♪ We'll make homemade margaritas ♪ ♪ Homemade margaritas ♪ ♪ Don't need a beach in Tijuana ♪ ♪ Or a boat going down to the Bahamas ♪ ♪ If we're gonna go postal, we don't need to go coastal ♪ ♪ Every ingredient we need is right here ♪ ♪ Salt on the rim ♪ ♪ Kitchen-cabinet libations ♪ ♪ All we've been needing is a little staycation ♪ ♪ Sunset through the pines ♪ ♪ A little squeeze of lime over ice ♪ ♪ You, babe, and Jose, we'll make homemade margaritas ♪ ♪♪ Okay.

Keep going.

Y'all, give it up one more time.

Jonah over here.

[ Cheers and applause ] ♪ Strawberry, mango, lime ♪ ♪ Little sweet or some spice ♪ ♪ As long as it's you and I ♪ ♪ And some salt on the rim ♪ ♪ Kitchen-cabinet libations ♪ ♪ All we've been needing is a little staycation ♪ ♪ Sunset through the pines ♪ ♪ A little squeeze of lime over ice ♪ ♪ You, babe, and Jose, we'll make homemade margaritas ♪ ♪ Homemade margaritas ♪ Y'all, thank you so much.

[ Cheers and applause ] Oh, it's been so fun hanging out with y'all.

Thank you again.

I'm Halle Kearns.

It means the world.

Thank you.

Come on!

♪♪ ♪♪ Kearns: Come on, y'all.

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♪ I hate that I ain't everything they thought that I would be ♪ ♪ "Most likely to succeed," is still hanging over me ♪ ♪ I'll walk in, they'll ask me how I've been ♪ ♪ I ain't seen them since God knows when ♪ "If I can just, like, look into the audience and see one girl singing the lyrics to my song, like, that's my wildest dream."

Like, I just hope that they see what I'm doing and, like, genuinely know it's not like, "If I can do it, anyone can," but, like, if I can do it, literally anyone can.

♪ And put on a damn good show just for tonight ♪ ♪ I might lie so I can be that girl again ♪ ♪ 'Cause I was really something to my high-school friends ♪