Tony Scott: 0:21

Welcome to The Jay Franze Show, a behind-the-curtain look at the entertainment industry, with insights you can't pay for and stories you've never heard. Now here's your host, Jay Franzee.

Jay Franze: 0:49

And we are coming at you live. I am Jay Franzee and this is your source for the latest news, reviews and interviews. So if you would like to join in, comment or fire off any questions, please head over to jayfranze. com. All right, folks, tonight we have a very special guest with us. I said it once, I will say it again we have a very special guest. We have a country music recording artist hailing from the great state of Tennessee. We have Miss Stephanie Rabus.

Stephanie Rabus: 1:22

Stephanie, my friend, how are you? I'm doing very well, excited to be here today.

Jay Franze: 1:25

It is a pleasure to have you. We have at least six, seven hours to cover tonight, so let's go ahead and dive right in. How about that?

Stephanie Rabus: 1:33

Yeah, first of all, I was just jamming out to your theme song. That was really cool.

Jay Franze: 1:37

Well, thank you, thank you for that. What's it like playing in a band with your father?

Stephanie Rabus: 1:43

Well, so he was actually my first drummer many years ago when I turned 21,. I wanted to be in a band and he just happened to have one at the time. So he was like you know what we got to get her in on this and they were doing a lot of kind of oldies you know stuff that I may not have necessarily known at the time. Then it was like you know all the guys doing the thing, but it was called 40 South and my dad was like, well, you know, let's introduce her to the band and see, like, what they think. And so I sat in on a little practice one day after, giving them a couple of girl songs to learn, and they had a lot of fun with it. I had fun with it, and then we just kind of decided to start trying to book some gigs. So this was like 20 something years ago. I'm not going to go exactly on that?

Stephanie Rabus: 2:31

Yeah, so it was, you know, my first experience with a band, and it was a really good time and a very special thing that went on for I think we played for about 10 years or so, so it was good.

Jay Franze: 2:44

Can you just tell us a few of the songs that were covered?

Stephanie Rabus: 2:48

We actually had a band member in our band named Hank Williams Jr Not the same one, obviously and he did a song called like Fire on the Mountain. They did a bunch of kind of old stuff like that. My dad did like Little Sister by Elvis. And then here I come and let's introduce, you know, complicated by Avril Levine, and man, I Feel Like a Woman by Shania Twain, you know, and so you know, we switched up quite a bit, but we had a really good variety of music to share, because we know that there are a lot of people who like certain things, may not like other things, and some people love everything, and so we wanted to give something to everybody.

Jay Franze: 3:26

That's pretty cool. So how did the band feel when you introduced Complicated Well, they were pretty hip dudes.

Stephanie Rabus: 3:32

Okay, there's a guy in the band, our bass player, tom Boyer. He loved all, like he loves still to this day all new music, old music, everything. So and I think he was a fan of Avril. So it kind of worked out really well. Different style than what they were used to, but they had a lot of fun playing that stuff.

Jay Franze: 3:52

I was a fan of Avril's and I was a fan of her production team. I thought the production team did a really good job producing her records. And then I thought Tom Lord-Alge, the mix engineer, did a really good job mixing her records.

Stephanie Rabus: 4:04

Yes, it was really good. We also did a lot of Kelly Clarkson stuff. We probably had like three or four Kelly Clarkson songs on there and I would say she's probably one of my idols, one of the people that I actually get compared to, which I'm like this is a literal amazing compliment Because she's like I mean top notch, so it means the world to me Anytime I get that compliment.

Jay Franze: 4:24

Well, I mean, I can hear that in your voice, but you even have that. Look to you as well, you kind of have a Kelly Clarkson look.

Stephanie Rabus: 4:31

Thank you, yeah, I've heard that one too.

Jay Franze: 4:34

I know Kelly Clarkson's been a big influence of yours.

Stephanie Rabus: 4:41

Can you talk about a couple of the others? Yeah, martina McBride, ever since I was 11 years old, the very first CD I ever bought with babysitting money. I don't know how I was 11 and babysitting, but I think it's just because my next door neighbors were like their children were little kids and they left for like 30 or 40 minutes and were like, hey, you can watch the kids. And they trusted me to do that for a few minutes and they gave me a little bit of money and I was able to buy my first CD and it was right around Christmas time and it was Martina McBride's, the Way that I Am. It was her second CD and I had already gotten the cassette tape of her first one.

Stephanie Rabus: 5:11

The time has come a year or so before that, but yeah, that was the CD that had Independence Day, my Baby Loves Me, life Number Nine. And Independence Day is a song that I pretty much sing at almost every gig nowadays, so that has stuck with me. But I've always really respected her vocal ability, her range, her power. Those are the type of singers that I grew up with, like watching, like her and like Celine Dion and Whitney Houston. It's a wide range, but I love those kind of diva ballad singers.

Jay Franze: 5:43

Well, I know one of the other influences you had was Pat Benatar Uh-huh, yeah. Now Pat Benatar and Martina. They did a Crossroads episode where they swapped songs. Now I have mixed feelings about it, but did you actually see that episode?

Stephanie Rabus: 5:57

I did, yes, actually, that's kind of how I became a fan of Pat. I didn't really know as much of her music before that, but seeing that and just the respect that they had for each other and how they were just together belting each other's songs, I went in and kind of started learning Pat's stuff and started to gain a respect for her on that.

Jay Franze: 6:19

She's amazing.

Stephanie Rabus: 6:20

Yeah, we did Heartbreaker and Hit Me With your Best Shot in the 40 South Band with my dad 40 South being after the interstate. Well, I think they were like oh, we're all south of 40 or something. It was like a little joke, you know, because it's crazy to think that they were like the age that I kind of am now. You know, time flies by. So, yeah, it was kind of a play on words, but with like the interstate, and then like their ages at the time, nice.

Jay Franze: 6:51

Okay, it works, being in that area, it works anyway. But, yeah, that episode of Crossroads where they played together and they swap songs and sing each other's songs. I think individually those are two of the most powerful and best vocalists in the world Martina and. Pat Benatar. Those are amazing vocalists but for whatever reason, when they switched songs and sang each other's songs, I felt like they each struggled Again. Just my opinion.

Jay Franze: 7:20

Keep the emails going somewhere else. But yes, I thought they struggled a little bit. I didn't think they hit them as powerful as they hit their own songs.

Stephanie Rabus: 7:28

That kind of happens when people cover stuff and release a cover. You tend to be more partial to the first version you heard, whether it's the original or if you heard the later version. But yeah, I get where you're coming from on that. I don't know. I was very partial to Martina so I just thought everything she did was perfect. So I loved her stuff. I thought maybe Pat was struggling a bit on Independence Day, but she just sounded great on her stuff. So, like you said, I get where you're coming from on that.

Jay Franze: 7:59

Yeah, and I don't know how much time they had to learn and prepare for each other's songs, so I mean you don't know what's going on behind the scenes. Oh no, I mean. But especially pet benatar, being classically trained, and she's very, very good and a very strong vocalist oh, yeah, so I mean, so is martina yeah, I thought I heard a little bit about that.

Stephanie Rabus: 8:18

but but yeah, definitely, which is crazy when someone goes to rock and roll and you're like, wow, you have that background and you're a rock singer, yeah, it's crazy that's why she's lasted all these years is just the ability to sing and control her voice and do it properly. Oh yeah, you learn all about the breathing and all that stuff for sure.

Jay Franze: 8:37

So you've got that wide range of influence. So let's talk about how you incorporate that influence into your own music.

Stephanie Rabus: 8:46

Yes, definitely, when I had the opportunity to make my own album as an independent artist without you know a label or someone kind of telling me what to do, which is, you know, the upside of being an independent artist. There are upsides and downsides, but the upside is creative control and the fact that I could go in and make an album that, like everything sounds a little different and it's not kind of like you hear a lot of artists that are like, oh wow, every song sounds the same and I didn't want that Like. I wanted to really incorporate like a little bit of blues feel to it. Like one of my songs is I Want what I Shouldn't have.

Stephanie Rabus: 9:23

It has a little bit of a bluesier sound to it and then a little more of a pop, like the Kelly Clarkson stuff was a song called Safe Place to Fall, Kind of more of that pop ballad range. And then there's a song on my album, the album called by Time Now, by in time and living now, and that's got more of like a rock country edge to it. So I wanted to incorporate a little bit of all of these influences in the songs and there are some that are a little more traditional too. Back in the Bottle has kind of more of a traditional, like acoustic, kind of sound to it. But yeah, I definitely being able to do my own thing wanted to kind of showcase all of those styles and influences.

Jay Franze: 10:05

You've got all these influences and you get all these different songs that you're singing that kind of take you on a rollercoaster ride. They all are different, like you're saying, but they all feel like they belong on the same album. It's not like completely far off, but what I've noticed is it has a different level of what I would almost say is. It's more adult than most country. The songs have a deeper feel to them. The stories are deeper than what you would typically just hear from a new artist out on the country scene. New artist out on the country scene. So is that something you do intentionally?

Stephanie Rabus: 10:49

You know, I don't think that it started as intentional it was.

Stephanie Rabus: 10:50

Really with this album I kind of wanted to tell my stories and kind of get that out there. But I know that a lot of the things that I've experienced that those songs are about other people have experienced and I know a lot of people want to know and feel that someone has kind of been in that place before. So you know there's a lot of songs about drinking and partying and you know the cutoff jeans and the you know all that stuff and those are fun. I mean I you know buying time and living now is kind of that way and I'm not opposed to writing, you know, more fun type of songs in the future. But I think I do. I'm a very like empathetic and very like emotional person and I think that I wear that like my heart on my sleeve when I put my music out there and when I write it and, again, knowing that people might kind of need some of these messages and or at least to know that they're not alone. So I like to be able to give that to people through my music.

Jay Franze: 11:46

Well, let's talk about your latest single Pray you Down.

Stephanie Rabus: 11:50

Yes.

Jay Franze: 11:51

It definitely has a much deeper meaning and feel than your average country song. So can you take us down that path for a minute?

Stephanie Rabus: 11:59

Yeah, so this is actually one that I didn't write, but it was pitched to me and it was pitched by a couple of writers that I worked with on my album and on my Christmas singles and stuff. And when they pitched it to me I was like kind of immediately very attracted to the song because I had well, okay, the story kind of goes like it got pitched to me, I thought it was a beautiful song and then at the time was getting ready to release another song, which was, I believe, my song, halo, outside looking in and I was like, okay, well, we're going to kind of put that on the back burner for now, because we have to do this one and get this out and promote whatever. Then, a couple of months after that, one of my best friends passed away and he was in my band, borderline, that I'm currently still in now, but he had actually quit the band a couple years prior, but we were so close I mean, he would call me all the time and he believed in me so much, like he'd always tell me like you're gonna make it big and and it just really really hit me. It was like one of the worst losses that I've ever experienced.

Stephanie Rabus: 13:05

So I really felt like, oh man, we need to revisit this song, because now I'm really feeling this. You know, this is something that I'm going through. And then again, you know, months went by and things just kind of happened where it couldn't come to pass. And then my boyfriend's mother passed away and she's someone that I was also very, very close with. Again, like she would say, she was my biggest fan and you know she had my T-shirt. She would come to my gigs wearing my T-shirt, which my dad does. That too.

Stephanie Rabus: 13:37

But yeah she would always be so excited to hear me sing. And so, again, a very, very, very hard loss and I was like, okay, this is it, we have to get this out. So finally we went in the studio and cut it and it was just like so emotional for me because I had all of this in my head when recording it, so it was a very raw and real vocal, like a real place for me. So, yeah, I definitely had to get out there. You know, I see people all the time posting about losing loved ones, so I know everyone can relate to just wishing they could talk to that person again.

Jay Franze: 14:10

you know, Absolutely, I mean it's rough. It's rough when you lose somebody and it's rough when you get a song like this that makes you connect to that feeling. It brings things back that you weren't expecting to be brought back to you. Yeah, but one of the things you mentioned in there was that you didn't write it. It was pitched to you. So can you talk about the difference between how you go about getting them pitched to you versus when you're sitting down to write songs?

Stephanie Rabus: 14:33

For the most part, I like to try to write my stuff, so it's pretty rare that I will release a song that is just pitched or isn't one that I've written. But I feel like I don't know. I just always have this thing where, like, everything happens for a reason and you know, god moves things around and makes certain things happen in certain timing and whatnot. And so in this instance, when the song was sent to me, I was just like you know, this is a song that I can relate to. I mean, again, I thought it was a beautiful song.

Stephanie Rabus: 15:08

In the beginning I had lost, obviously, grandparents and people in the past and I'm like I know I can relate to that and others can relate to it. But then, like I said, as time went on, I was like, okay, this is very personal now for me and it was almost something that I could have written. You know, and I feel like whenever you are pitched a song that's how you know that you should record is, if it feels like something you could have written it feels like something you wish you'd written.

Stephanie Rabus: 15:36

Yeah.

Jay Franze: 15:37

That's to me when I wish I, oh man, I really wish I wrote that one. Oh, I know, yeah, yeah those are the ones so you mentioned. Again, it doesn't happen often that you take a song that was pitched to you, so how did this one even get to you in the first place? Who pitched it to you?

Stephanie Rabus: 15:55

So the songwriters were Corey Lee Barker, ava Page and Mark Roma. Corey Lee Barker co-wrote, I believe, three of the songs on my Time Now, as well as two of my Christmas singles, and Mark Roma was on one of those same Christmas singles with him. And then Ava Page I actually did a writing session with. That song didn't end up on the album, I think there was like 18 songs and then we picked like 11. But but she's like so talented. She's a young artist. I don't know if you, if you've seen Ava, but she went through a battle with cancer. I mean, she's just very, very talented.

Stephanie Rabus: 16:36

So Corey emailed me the song and you know I always love Corey's writing anyway, so I trust anything that I'm going to get in my inbox from him. So just listening to it and I was like oh, immediately thought it was like gorgeous. And you know I did forget about this part of it. Another reason for the delay in getting it recorded was so he had sent it to me and I was like, oh, yeah, I want to record that. And then, but I go, I'm working on this other song. And then I got back to him and then he replied to me and was like, okay, so actually, my publisher has sent this to a major artist and we're going to see if they're going to record it and then I'll get back to you.

Stephanie Rabus: 17:21

So, with everything that ended up happening, and once I lost these people that I loved, I hadn't heard anything in a while and I had reached back out to Corey and I was like, hey, is that song available? Did you figure out what's happening with the artist? And he was like actually no, they're not going to do it, you're free to have it. So, again, kind of a divine thing I felt like it all just kind of worked out for me, yeah.

Jay Franze: 17:45

All right. So now you're talking about these people that you respect their writing ability, so can you talk to us about the approach and how you set out to write?

Stephanie Rabus: 17:55

a song, what your process is. Well, for me it really just always kind of comes with ideas. You know, every now and then I'll just hear like like a clever line, or I'll hear something from a TV show or something goofy and I'll just like write it down or put it in my notes on my phone and I'll have all these little one liners you know available and then whenever I have time because I'm very busy, I'll sit down and just try to start writing lyrics. And again, I work a lot with co-writers. I have a few songs when I was way younger that I wrote by myself, and then my latest Christmas song I wrote all the lyrics by myself. But for the most part I love just like the creative, like the creativity that flows of working with co-writers because of everybody's ideas and stuff. So a lot of times, you know, I'll just take those ideas to these sessions and then we'll just kind of brainstorm on how we can put that into words and music.

Jay Franze: 18:53

So you go in with an idea and you sit down with the other writers, usually one to three, maybe.

Stephanie Rabus: 19:00

Yeah.

Jay Franze: 19:01

And you sit down with them and then you go ahead and start tossing the ideas around until you guys are formulating an actual song so as you're doing that. Are you crafting the melodies, or is the melody something that's coming from all of the writers as well?

Stephanie Rabus: 19:16

I think it just um depends. I think sometimes somebody will just kind of start playing guitar and singing along to something, and then then I might chime in with oh I think that we should go up on this part, or you know. And then it's like a really cool, like collective effort, and it's just crazy the way that it ends up coming together because everybody has their input on it and then it just creates this great thing. Like it's crazy, it's a fun process.

Jay Franze: 19:43

It's got to be. But I asked you because earlier I mentioned how your songs are different, but feel like they all belong together and one of the things I think that makes them different is the melodies are not always predictable. So a lot of commercial songs, the melodies become predictable. The benefit of them being predictable is that it's easy to pick up on and easy to sing, and people remember them.

Jay Franze: 20:06

But your songs have an ability to be memorable without being predictable. So, as you're writing these songs and as you're putting these melody lines together, what's the next step? Do you take them into a demo studio first, or do you just go straight to the studio to record them?

Stephanie Rabus: 20:22

Well, pretty much the album and any other singles that I've had.

Stephanie Rabus: 20:26

Like you kind of do a thing on your phone like a little voice note type of situation, and then later on, either in that moment or maybe at a later date which for me with the album I think we ended up just doing one day of kind of a session of just a guitar vocal like little demo thing. So we went and did like what we'd called a work tape that way and went in and did a bunch of them, I think one day, and then another day so got all those knocked out. So I had like 18 little vocal and guitar demos and then we kind of just went through and decided to pick which songs we wanted to go with. And then, once we had that figured out, then we started scheduling the, the sessions for like the players and everything. So then they ended up having the players come in and do all their stuff and then I went back in and did my vocals and then later on came back and did harmony. I did all my harmony vocals on my albums and all my singles.

Jay Franze: 21:24

So that would explain why they're they're so tight and sound like they blend well together. That's another good thing. So again, let's just go ahead and paint the picture a little bit. So you're in the writing room, you're with the writers that you're, you're working with, you come up with a song, you pull out a phone or a little recorder where you can just quickly capture the idea.

Jay Franze: 21:44

So the goal of the session is to not only just write but to capture the idea that you came up with. Then you think about it for a day or so and go record an actual true guitar vocal where you're focusing more on arrangements and melody at that point, and then you're taking that into the studio and you're going to go ahead and record that for your finished product. So when you're going into the studio to record that as your finished product, do you first work with a producer or are you working with a session leader?

Stephanie Rabus: 22:17

so the way that actually my producer did my album, she actually did like had the sessions, Um, like I wasn't there for the sessions, but I don't really know why that was. I think that my schedule just wasn't coinciding, I guess, with what they had. So she did like a couple of days of sessions and knocked out like half the songs and then the other half. And before all of that I kind of told her like what I would like like, for example, on the song Falling Deep in Love Again, I wanted the guitar solo to be similar to like a Keith Urban vibe, like that kind of energetic. You know, like I just love Keith, I'm a huge Keith Urban fan. So I kind of gave her that. And there was like a Tennille arts song that had a sort of that bouncy upbeat vibe and I said like something kind of similar to that. You know, just this the feel of that.

Stephanie Rabus: 23:18

And then, you know, gave pretty much some input on each song of like some direction of what I wanted, and for the most part everything turned out exactly kind of what I had in my head. There was like two things that I was like okay, might need you to go back in and do a couple different things on that, Like, for example, the song Back in the Bottle, which is a very personal song and you know it's kind of emotional and everything. It came back with a train beat and I was like it's not really what I'm hearing. On that one it was amazing, though, Like I mean, the all the musicians she had on the sessions were just top notch, but it sounded great, but it just wasn't getting the feeling, emotionally, that I was looking for.

Stephanie Rabus: 24:06

So I did have them go back in and change that drum part to like more of a halftime thing, I think. So yeah, but it for the most part turned out really well. I wasn't there for that particular session, but later recordings that I did with my producer, Brandon Henneger, who was like my producer on Halo, my two Christmas songs Well, I have three, but my two later Christmas songs and then Pray you Down. I was there pretty much for most of the process of that, and so we kind of worked together on how to put everything together on that.

Jay Franze: 24:40

All right. Well, there's a few things in there. I want to make sure we hit First of all your producer. What was her name?

Stephanie Rabus: 24:46

Justine Blazer.

Jay Franze: 24:47

Justine Blazer. Okay Now, normally I would like to know kind of what her process is, but it seems like this process is a little different than normal where you're not there, so she has to work to get an understanding of what your expectations are and then try to reach those which you said she did, so that was pretty cool that she was able to capture what you wanted.

Stephanie Rabus: 25:07

Yeah.

Jay Franze: 25:07

Without you being in that room. So you also mentioned Keith Urban. Keith Urban produced by Dan Huff and Dan Huff on Keith Urban's records. To me they have a much different sound than your other country records that are out, because they're a little bit more music forward than vocal forward so it's more like a band and it sounds like you were going for more of that band vibe I kind of consider him a bit of an influence because I like like the contemporariness of his music, like that.

Stephanie Rabus: 25:40

It's not because I love traditional country too, but I love that he kind of, you know, teeters on the edge a little like.

Jay Franze: 25:47

I think that's always pretty neat yeah, he could have been a pop artist, for sure oh yeah but no, he's a great country artist and definitely wouldn't want to lose him oh yeah so, but I mean, and not only just the vocals and the writing ability and the ability to craft such a great song working with a great team like Dan Hough, but his guitar playing and his musicianship, and everything he's definitely the full package. If you ever truly have a great all-around country artist, it would be him, even though he's from Australia, yeah.

Stephanie Rabus: 26:22

Well, and I've seen him in concert probably gosh five or six times. He's one I've seen a lot Like the three top concerts. The people I've seen the most in concert would be him, martina McBride and, back in the day, brian White. I don't know if you got to see any of this in my info, but I got to sing with him a few times. Actually, I did a duet with him at a fan club party of his. It's got like tons. I don't even know I should have probably looked up the numbers, but on YouTube there's the duet of us, the original one we did of From this Moment On with him and Shania Twain. It's got like a bunch of views on YouTube. So yeah, if anybody's interested, you should check that out. Stephanie Ray was in Brian White.

Jay Franze: 27:04

That is pretty cool.

Stephanie Rabus: 27:05

But yeah, he's a he's really sweet person and you know, like, like I said, I just loved his albums, you know. I mean I may have also had a little bit of crush on him back in the day, but you know, like every girl back then, yeah, those were the three that I saw the most in concert, for sure.

Jay Franze: 27:21

That's funny. My very first gig when I moved to Nashville was working with Keith Urban. That was the very first gig him and Phil Vassar.

Stephanie Rabus: 27:31

Oh, Phil's great too.

Jay Franze: 27:33

Oh, super, super talented and what an amazing writer. He's written for just about everybody under the sun.

Stephanie Rabus: 27:38

I know Jodi Messina, I do. You know all my cover gigs. You know you might've caught some of those lives and when I play on Broadway I do a lot of her stuff. And actually today I played a gig with Dink Cook, who's the bass player for Phil Vassar right now. Used to be Toby Keith's bass player and he also does some stuff with Wade Hayes, so I just played a gig with him today. I know I better pick up that name I just dropped.

Stephanie Rabus: 28:04

Sorry, it's a name I haven't heard in a long time, so yeah, yeah, he man, he sure loved playing with Toby, like yeah, there's stories and you know whatever, but but it's so cool I get to play. You know, to be in Nashville and to get to play with people. Like that. I mean it's crazy like I play another. Another bass player that I work with a lot is Dow Tomlin, who is the bass player for Wynonna Judd, and so like I mean it's crazy Like I get to play with all these very talented people and I just feel very grateful and blessed that I get to do that.

Jay Franze: 28:38

That's one thing. Nashville is no shortage of great musicians. Now I've had a chance to work around the country and work in New York or California, some of these other places and I will say that the musicians in Nashville are hands down the most talented musicians I've ever had a chance to work with.

Stephanie Rabus: 28:57

Oh yeah.

Jay Franze: 28:59

You mentioned Brian White and we won't talk about the crush, but you mentioned Brian White and having a chance to perform in Open for him. But you've also had a chance to open up for some other artists and Brian White is kind of different than the other artists. So let's first start with Brian White. And how did that come about, that you had the opportunity to work with him?

Stephanie Rabus: 29:18

Well, the very first time that I opened for Brian White was I was like 14 years old and I had been in this contest.

Stephanie Rabus: 29:28

It was like a little karaoke contest that was like it was a national thing but each kind of state or whatever had their own one, and then you would move on to like the nationals, and it was in St Louis and I ended up actually winning that at the age of 14, winning a trip to Las Vegas to be in the finals, where I apparently got fourth place.

Stephanie Rabus: 29:49

I mean, you didn't know, because only one through three knew and then would go on. But the one that was my host, he told me oh, you got fourth place, so you just missed it. I'm like, oh, okay, but it was a really cool experience. And out of that, at the venue where this took place, which I believe was called a little bit of Texas maybe I think it changed later on to in Cahoots in St Louis, missouri, but they would have these concerts and they would get some of the people from this karaoke contest to do a little, you know, a one-song opening thing. So they had like a whole little show with each of us doing a song, and so I got to go and perform to open for him on that one for the first time.

Jay Franze: 30:37

Did you perform it as a karaoke song?

Stephanie Rabus: 30:40

Well, that's what they did. They had us do the track, so they they did play the tracks for us and what song was it?

Stephanie Rabus: 30:47

um, I think I did. It matters to me by faith hill, which was the one that I did when I won the contest. I'm pretty sure that was the one I chose. And then the full circle moment happened when I was at that fan club party and I was just talking with some people that were huge fans of him and I was like, yeah, you know, I would love to sing with him. That's a big dream of mine. And this girl, who was just not shy at all Tara, she's still on my Facebook and we're good friends. We literally met that day. It was like 2010 and she was like, well, I'll tell him, I've been to all these fan club parties and he knows me and she stands up, she goes, hey, this girl she can sing and she wants to sing with you. Like she actually had me like sing a little bit to her first so that she how embarrassed were you.

Stephanie Rabus: 31:34

I was like, oh, and then he, sure enough, was like, all right, sure, come on. So that was how that whole thing happened, and then later on my band, borderline, did an opening show.

Jay Franze: 31:51

So I've had a few experiences with Brian and got to do that duet a few times after that. So you again had an opportunity to open and play with a lot of these artists, but one of the ones on your list is Lee Bryce. I've had a chance to work on a couple of Lee Bryce's records, so can you tell me what you thought it was like working with Lee Bryce?

Stephanie Rabus: 32:07

Oh my gosh. First of all, I mean the talent level is like insane, so good, so good live. I really appreciate a good live singer, because sometimes you go to a concert and you're like, oh, I just love this person's music, they're great. And then you see them live and you're like, oh, I just love this person's music, they're great. And then you see them live and you're like what? And it's like they can't even sing live. You know, and that was not the case with him like he was so good and he actually led us on his bus and like we got to look at his bus and we got a picture taken with him. He was very down to earth and very nice. You know, borderline, we've opened for a lot, of, a lot of and not a ton of them have met us, like there's been a few that were nice enough to do that. But yeah, he was definitely at the top of the list of the nice guys.

Jay Franze: 32:55

Yeah, a lot of times the artist that you're opening for doesn't even know you're there. I know.

Stephanie Rabus: 33:00

So Confederate Railroad we opened for them in illinois, like just this little, this little place in illinois, and they were like listening to us and you know, came out and they were like you guys were great. And they were like telling me like I sounded good and you know and like took pictures and even talked about like oh, we should write, you know, to get compliments from those people and just to like for them to be so down to earth and interact that way is like huge. And we have had band members from the artists like that were kind of waiting, you know, for their turn and they came back and listened to us and they would compliment us on how we sounded and stuff too. So that's always pretty neat too.

Jay Franze: 33:49

Well, it's funny you mention that, because I know a lot of guys who are out with big artists and they're part of the band and they often don't spend much time with the actual artist. Yeah, they're on a separate tour bus, you know. The artist comes in, either flies into the venue or shows up right before the show starts. They might sing a song or two to warm up and then they're're performing and then they're gone.

Jay Franze: 34:05

So, it's not quite what we picture or what we think of when we see movies that you're with the artist at all times and you're laughing and joking and having those moments.

Stephanie Rabus: 34:15

Yeah, well, I heard a couple of people that have met or played with a couple artists two artists that I would love to meet because I've heard through people who have worked with them that they are really actually very down-to-earth and nice and like interactive and all that would be. Wynonna with Dow he told me, like that, she's just like the coolest. And Reba, like everyone I've ever heard of that has met, reba has been like she's the sweetest and Like everyone I've ever heard of that has met, reba has been like she's the sweetest and I love that so much. If anybody would be like Ego or Big Head, like that would be.

Jay Franze: 34:48

I mean she could have done that Reba could have been that person.

Stephanie Rabus: 34:50

The fact that she is so down to earth like is crazy. So I would love to get to meet her one day.

Jay Franze: 34:59

And Wynonna, like just hearing that they're that way is just so cool. We had Jeff King on the show a while back, a year or so ago, and he's an amazing studio guitarist, but he also goes on the road with two bands, and one of them is Reba. He's one of the most amazing guitar players I've ever seen and we've had him on some of the Lee Bryce stuff.

Stephanie Rabus: 35:17

Jeff.

Jay Franze: 35:17

King is one of the ones that I really enjoyed working with, because he has a sense of humor. He does not take things too serious. When he's in there, yes, he can play, and when it's time to play he's very serious about what he's performing. But in between.

Jay Franze: 35:30

He's great to work with. So we talk about these times you have opening for these bands and the writing sessions that you've had with some of these amazing writers, and then you go into the studio and you're getting to work with all these great people and to do all these great things. What's been the thing that sticks out in your mind the most?

Stephanie Rabus: 35:50

um, I was nominated for, uh, some josie music awards. I mean, every artist wants their album to be nominated, you know, like I mean winning artists is always huge, but like your album that's, you know, and especially with it being such personal stories and everything, most of the songs but so that was a huge deal. I got to do that Modern Country and Song of the Year or single for I Know when Love Lives, which is a song on the album that I wrote with Corey Lee Barker and that was like a song that was like I kind of wrote about my boyfriend. So, again, a very special song. So, yeah, that was a pretty cool thing.

Stephanie Rabus: 36:37

Also, earlier in my like Nashville career, I got to sing background vocals for Jimmy Fortune on a Christmas special. So that was pretty neat. That was through my first little record deal that I had, so that was a pretty cool experience too. I mean, there's so many things. If I really sat down and thought about it, I would just have a huge list of stuff to say, because I am very grateful for a lot of the things that I've gotten to do.

Jay Franze: 37:09

Oh, of course, but you mentioned again the Josie Awards and being an independent musician, and earlier you talked about the difference between having a label contract and being an independent artist. So you started tell us about the, the pros and the cons. Can you give us a little bit of what you feel the pros and cons are for you?

Stephanie Rabus: 37:22

yeah, yeah Well, like I said before, you know, pros a lot more creative control, like I've heard that, you know, a lot of times with a label they kind of want to just put you in like a little box and they just like this is the one thing you get to do and this is the one type of outfit you have to wear and this is, you know, like this is a one persona, you know, and all these things. So they kind of streamline it and make you like one little thing. And you know, the human being has a lot of facets to them and I feel like artists have a lot of influences and so the fact that you know, as an independent artist, you can do a little bit more of all of that and kind of incorporate it. And I feel like they kind of thought it would confuse fans if it was like one song's kind of rocky and one song's got steel guitar and one song's pop. But I feel like everybody I mean most people I know love different types of music. I don't think there's anyone that's just like oh, I only like country, I only like rock and roll. You know, I think most people have a wide variety of music they like. So I think that fans appreciate that that when someone can be versatile that way.

Stephanie Rabus: 38:36

So the fact that as an independent artist you have a little more control that way and kind of can really be yourself and not have to be like this cut out of what they want you to be. And then the cons is, you know, at least with having a label, you know they have money and they can like back you and they can pay for everything you know and you get to have music videos and you get to put out music every two months or whatever you know singles. And it's a little more difficult as an independent artist when you're like living life and having to work other jobs and do different things. Luckily now I'm kind of in a place where I am only doing music. I was having to do stuff like DoorDash and little extra things on the side, but things have been picking up a bit more. At least the bills are covered now. But as an artist there's just a lot of expenses with like photo shoots and recording and hiring musicians for things.

Jay Franze: 39:30

Do you ever think about using your love for makeup to get endorsements from makeup companies?

Stephanie Rabus: 39:39

Well, you know, I do TikTok shop, so I do the little like TikTok affiliate things with that, so I make videos for those things. Yeah, in terms of like actual, like big endorsements, like I haven't really thought about that, I haven't, I don't even know where to start with that, but that that is a good point. I mean, that's something to maybe explore. For sure, I know that some things come from the TikTok shop, stuff like some people get, you know, little contracts and things you know. Another thing that I'm kind of learning about is a UGC, user generated content, which is like all these ads that you see of like real people that are basically doing reviews of stuff. So that's something that I had learned about as kind of a more creative way to make money while working on music, where you don't have to go to a job, and I think through UGC sometimes people get little deals like that. So, yeah, it's definitely something that I wouldn't mind pursuing for sure.

Jay Franze: 40:41

Well, it seems like you have a love for it. Oh yeah, it's music adjacent right so yes every artist is definitely got their own makeup. I mean, that's just part of being an artist. I think it would be just a natural connection for you to work with a makeup company yeah, wrote those products I have three daughters, but one of them is 15 and she is on tiktok and does all that stuff as well, always doing the outfits of the day and all that yeah, so she gets people reaching out to her to promote their products and to do those things so that stuff exists even for a 15 year old that doesn't have the backgrounds you have.

Jay Franze: 41:21

So for someone like yourself, who is, you know, playing shows and doing things and truly out in the public and have a have a following not only on the internet but actually in real life, then I think you would be a natural fit for some of that stuff. Again, we've talked about all of the opportunities you've had and everything that's coming your way. Can you tell us maybe a couple of challenges that you may have faced along the way?

Stephanie Rabus: 41:47

Well, like I said, you know, I did have a little record deal and pub deal early on. And that was a mistake that I made was not getting a lawyer to look at that contract, Because for me it just did not end up working out so well. It was like a pub deal that didn't even have a draw, so I was literally not making anything. And then you know, the the record deal was like an artist development deal and I got to do, like I said, a couple of cool things, Like I mean, I did get to sing backup for Jimmy fortune and then I put my very first album out with which was just all acoustic, it was just guitar and me pretty much, and and so I had that released.

Stephanie Rabus: 42:34

But you know, nothing really went anywhere with any of that and it took up a lot of time, like many years of my life and where I was kind of stuck within that contract and I couldn't like branch out to do anything else. So that was a little bit of a hiccup. That kind of cost me a few years in the process. Um for sure.

Jay Franze: 42:55

I can understand that. I've worked with several artists, development companies and have been part of that with artists before and working on on projects for artists that come in with no budget. And you're working with people and you're trying to put together deals in hopes that they make it right yeah so it's another one of those things where people are putting in effort because they believe in you it's not that they they don't deserve to get a piece of the pie.

Jay Franze: 43:21

they do deserve to get a piece of the pie because they're putting in that effort, but the fact is that the pie will probably never come. So I can see challenges like that.

Stephanie Rabus: 43:32

Yes, but what?

Jay Franze: 43:32

we're talking about challenges and normally I wouldn't bring this up and feel free not to answer if you don't want to. But the reason I'm bringing it up is because it's in your bio. It says early in life you had some challenges growing up. Is that something that you're willing to talk about?

Stephanie Rabus: 43:47

Yeah, that's fine. Well, you know, I mean it stems a lot from how I kind of started singing anyway, because when I was little, you know, and I mean in my opinion, I felt like, you know, I was more like overweight than like I have three siblings and they're all like stick figures and they didn't even have to try, like they just were. And then I like felt, you know, I was like a little chubbier or whatever and I was like I'm not doing anything different than them. It's not fair.

Stephanie Rabus: 44:15

But but you know, the first, one of the first experiences that I had with even having a crush on a boy was when I was in second grade. And I had with even having a crush on a boy was when I was in second grade and there was a little boy that I liked so much and like they moved the desks together, like you know, every quarter they would move the desk and we were like right across from each other and I was just like, and then he goes, you know what, you're fat, and that just like hit me like so hard. And then I think, like it just from then on it gave me kind of this like self consciousness and you know and everything, and so again having like these siblings, who are like thin and you know, and then I again, I mean.

Stephanie Rabus: 44:52

I've never been obese, but like I've always wanted to be a little thinner, and it just seems like very, you know, challenging for me over the years and I've, you know, I've gone into like all these different things with working out, like you know, back and forth and up and down with that stuff, even to this day. But there's a lot that happens to you when you're a kid that really shapes who you are, and then it's kind of hard to let go of. And so for a long time it was, you know, hard for me to like open up and everything. And so when I got to sing in school I mean not long after that and like at age 11, the teachers heard me and they were like, oh, you need to be in the chorus, you need to sing the national anthem, and and then people started like complimenting me for that. So it felt like it just felt like okay, there's something good here, you know, and one thing that I can be confident in.

Stephanie Rabus: 45:41

So, and also, I had a cross eye, so I had surgery on that when I was 15. And I had open heart surgery, you know. So I had, like I went through a lot of stuff growing up and I just had to really overcome a lot of self esteem issues and like I still find myself to this day kind of falling into that trap at times and I have to, like you know, bring myself back to like I love myself and you know all the affirmations and all the things like to be positive and you know all of that. So so yeah, it's, you know it's a very personal thing, but it did kind of shape a lot of of you know who I am and why. It's kind of a, in a way, like a triumphant story, because I've just kind of learned more about, like, loving myself and accepting things. And still it's like a lifelong struggle, but I've definitely gotten a lot better with it in recent years.

Jay Franze: 46:34

Well, that's what I was going to ask you. I mean, I have three daughters, and those are the type of things that I hope they never have to hear, right? The?

Jay Franze: 46:40

things that you heard as you're going through school no-transcript, and my thing is that I hope they have the strength to get past it and realize that those things don't matter. I mean, somebody may have picked on you in grade school, but look at who you've become right, you're a beautiful woman. All the things that you mentioned, none of them exist, you know. Yes, you may have had surgery on your eye or on your heart and those things have been corrected. At least, I hope your heart has.

Jay Franze: 47:19

I can see your eyes now, if I can't tell, if you have a heart, but you go through those things and, like I said, you're a beautiful woman, you've got a hell of a career going on right now and you're an artist that people look up to. That has to make you feel good.

Stephanie Rabus: 47:34

Yeah, well, yeah, and that's also kind of like with when we were talking about the songs and stuff. You know, like the song One Moment at a time is just kind of like everybody goes through a hard time in their life and you know that song kind of tells you like, yeah, you know this is a normal thing, but you have to like really just take a breath and and really just trust yourself and have faith and and god in the process and take it one moment at a time and you get through things in life. So that's the thing about music is that you know it can be healing and people can relate to things, and that's why I want to write that kind of music that people can really relate to and feel seen and heard.

Jay Franze: 48:17

Well, I hope that that has happened for you and I hope that your songs are connecting. I know I listen to your songs a lot and I can find connection to them, so I know that that has happened for you and I hope that your songs are connecting. I know I listen to your songs a lot and I can find connection to them, so I know that other people can as well.

Jay Franze: 48:29

And you know, like I said, as a father of three, three girls that I hope that they have the strength to get through those type of things as well.

Stephanie Rabus: 48:38

Well, yeah, and the thing is too, and that's even scarier is, you know, back then they didn't have social media, they didn't have, like, the people to go on there and troll on social media. And I've seen so much of that and I think it's just really sad. I think there are people who literally show up because they just want to be mean, like I don't know and I don't understand, like I just don't, I don't get it. One. I don't know why. I'm even gonna tell you this, but I'm going to because it's a fun little fact. I had one video go viral two million views, okay but let me tell you why it went viral. So I did not know. I don't know why I didn't know this, because apparently it's common knowledge.

Stephanie Rabus: 49:20

I found out later, but I didn't know, that in the wintertime, when it snows and ices, that you're supposed to put your windshield wipers up. You might have even seen this video If you looked at my TikTok. You might have seen it, but I didn't know. You were supposed to put your windshield wipers up, like to help them from not getting iced or whatever. So like at the apartment that I lived in before I moved to this house. One day I came out and my windshield wipers were up and I saw everyone else's up and I was like and I think it was because it was mine is why it threw me off, because I'm like, so, I like, so what do I do?

Stephanie Rabus: 49:53

I'm like, oh, everything is content, so I go on TikTok and I'm like I don't know what's going on out here, but somebody's messing with all of our windshield wipers. So yeah, I got a lot of hate on that video of how stupid I was. And oh, you're blonde, no matter, no wonder you didn't know that. Oh, you must not be from the cold.

Stephanie Rabus: 50:11

Like I mean they were just like nonstop mean comments coming in and it like really hurt me and I'm not even in that video, like my face isn't in that video, it's just me like scrolling through a parking lot. But I was like it really hurts to get these mean comments like that. So I can't imagine people going on there and like being told just mean things about their appearance or about their singing. Like there's an artist and I'm not going to mention names, but there's an artist that I see on and she's like a pretty popular artist and like almost every video, people are like she can't sing, she's a Barbie doll. They're just. Why is she even? And I'm like this girl has got to be so heartbroken going on here and seeing these comments.

Stephanie Rabus: 50:54

I just don't get the meanness in this world you know, so definitely, I hope I do hope your daughters don't have to go through any of that stuff, but I guess we all got to kind of develop a thicker skin now with this crazy social media stuff it is crazy, I'll tell you, like I said, three daughters.

Jay Franze: 51:11

The oldest is 15 and she's got some, some medical issues she's going through right now that are challenging. Yeah, and she posts about it on her tiktok account and she she gets nothing but positive comments.

Stephanie Rabus: 51:24

I'm like I don't know how you're getting positive comments. Yeah, well, that's really amazing to hear. That makes me happy to hear that she gets positivity. I'm going to have to follow her account too, because I'm curious now, but that's really really good. I love to hear that.

Jay Franze: 51:39

Yeah, I don't know what it is, but people seem to like her and her account does very well and I'm happy for her because she puts a lot of thought into all those things.

Stephanie Rabus: 51:49

Yeah.

Jay Franze: 51:50

All right. Well, we do this thing here we call Unsung Heroes, where we take a moment to shine the light on somebody who's worked behind the scenes or somebody who may have supported you along the way. Do you have anybody you'd like to shine a little light on?

Stephanie Rabus: 52:01

Well, my dad who my dad, jerry Rabus, also known as Gerald Rabus you all probably if anybody here is on X Twitter you probably have seen my dad share my stuff, or on Facebook or anywhere else. He's, like you know, probably my biggest fan.

Stephanie Rabus: 52:20

Well, my mom would probably have to argue on that because she's a huge fan of me. They are a little biased, though, but my dad is like, I mean, he's kind of doing stuff all behind the scenes, Like he's always looking oh you know, they want this on this, you know streaming services Like he's like always like, oh, they want this on here and they want that on there. And you know, you did submit your song and you got to do this and go to this email, you know. So he's really, like always believed in me and I mean, it's this is, like you know very many years in the making, and he still trusts and believes that in his mind, I deserve to make it or whatever, which, again, there's all these different versions of making it these days. But he's a huge fan and a huge supporter and he does a lot of unpaid work for me and so I would have to put him in that category for sure.

Jay Franze: 53:10

Well, I agree with you. He seems to be doing a great job. So, thank you, thank you to your dad. But you mentioned not knowing what success is. And if I were to look at you and your career and your music and everything to this point and you're still early you've got a long way to go. You're making a living, you're writing songs that you love, you're sending out a positive message and you're a role model that young girls and boys can look up to. So I think that's success.

Stephanie Rabus: 53:44

Oh, thank you.

Jay Franze: 53:46

All right, folks, we have done it. We have reached the top of the hour, which does mean we have reached the end of the show. If you've enjoyed the show, please tell a friend, and if you have not, well, tell two. You can reach out to both of us over at jayfranze. com. We will be happy to keep this conversation going. Stephanie, my friend, I cannot thank you enough for being here tonight, and I would like to leave the final words to you.

Stephanie Rabus: 54:07

Well, thank you very much for having me. I'm just grateful to be able to share a little bit about my story and, you know, get the message out there that you know I do have music that I hope you know anyone out there can relate to, and I would love for you all to be a part of the journey with me. Thank you for having me. I'm very honored to be here.

Jay Franze: 54:26

It has been my pleasure. All right folks on that note have a good night.

Tony Scott: 54:32

Thanks for listening to The Jay Franze Show. Make sure you visit us at jayfranze. com. Follow, connect and say hello.