Songwriter Feature - The Springs

The Springs are a married country music duo who met playing music in Nashville at the Bluebird Cafe.  Holly and Stewart are two of the sweetest souls I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, and if you know me personally you'l know that my birth name is Holly Stewart and we always get a laugh about being name twins! I believe they once even closed out a tab of mine at a bar by mistake! Stewart was one of the first people I met in Nashville back when we were both teenagers but I didn't see him again unitl one day when I went into a blind co-write with Holly, Stewart and Lydia Dall.  I've loved getting to know Holly and Stewart over the last few years as a friend and as a co-writer. Their music is so uplifting and wholesome and it always makes my heart feel lighter. Be sure to check out their music video below for "I'm Gonna Love You," I had the pleasure of being on set for that shoot! See if you can spot my hair in the background! 

I hope you'll join us tonight on Instagram LIVE at 8pm central time for some original music! In the meantime, I would like to pass the mic over to The Springs so you can get to know them!

When did you start singing/playing music?

My dad always grew up singing and so of course I would sing along with him too. My parents realized I enjoyed singing so much that they would buy me a karaoke machine for Christmas just about every year with new karaoke tracks to sing along to. I performed in my 6th grade music class concert and from then on, I fell in love with it. Instead of playing sports in high school, I told my parents I wanted to sing at any local fair, festival and coffee shop that would have me on the weekends. Once I graduated high school in 2010, I moved to Nashville and the rest is history. -Holly

I played sports mostly in school and thats where a lot of my focus was until I was injured and couldn't play as much as I wanted to. I then picked up my guitar and started trying to learn to play along to songs I would hear on the radio. I then joined the Future Farmers of America band that my high school FFA teacher put together. But, I would say the one thing that really got me into music was when my high school was hit by a tornado. It killed several of my friends, and just grieved by writing a song. I wrote this song, and people were telling me how much it meant to them and how it really helped them "heal" from that sad day. From there I started a band, moved to Nashville. -Stewart

How did you get into songwriting?

It's funny because when I was younger playing all the fairs, festivals and anywhere that would let me ha-ha, I never really even thought about songwriting until this couple came up to me (Donny & Susan Grace) and had listened to me at one of the festivals I was singing at and had asked me if I had ever written. Of course, I said no, so they were kind enough to kind of take me under their wing and teach me the ropes of songwriting and how it all worked. -Holly       

For me, it was definitely when I went through that tragic day of my high school being hit by a tornado. I realized how music can be healing, so I wrote a song about it, and that was the first song I had ever written. 

Who are your biggest influences?

Mine would definitely have to be Garth Brooks, Keith Whitley and probably Conway Twitty. -Stewart     I have ALWAYS loved Lee Ann Womack, Faith Hill and Shania, of course. I just grew up in that era, when they were at the top of the charts and they were ALL I ever listened to ha-ha! -Holly

What are you listening to right now?

We are such variety people. Once day we maybe listening to Keith Whitley (90's Radio on Spotify) and then the next, we are listening to like 1970's funk! It's the craziest thing, but we love it ALL!! haha!! -Holly

If you could only listen to one artist for the rest of your life, who would it be?

I would have to say Garth Brooks, for sure! -Stewart     I would say Celine Dion! I'm a HUGE Celine fan. I could listen to her voice day & night! -Holly

What is "Dont Need Fixin'" about? What do you want listeners to know about what the song means to you?

The song we are currently promoting is about not having everything you want but being happy with everything you need. As humans, we get so caught up in what everyone else HAS and is doing, and sometimes what we are doing and what we have is exactly what God has planned for us! Nothing more and nothing less. This song "Don't Need Fixin'" is all about how it's OK to not keep up with the Jones's. With social media and the time of life we are in right now, it's so hard not to compare ourselves to others, and we hope our listeners know that it's OK not to be on top. Sometimes what you see about others are highlight reels. Be thankful for the life you do have. 

If you could write a song with any person dead or alive, who would it be?

I have always been a Jimmy Yeary fan, so I'd love to write with him. -Stewart     I would say Nicolle Galyon. -Holly 

What was/is your experience in quarantine like as a musician?

BORING! haha! Kidding, but seriously! We are the type of people who love to GO, so having to stay cooped up in our home has been challenging. We are slowly and safely getting back to some sort of normalcy, but it's still been challenging! We are just ready to get back on the road, play shows and hug our fans!

What advice would you give to an aspiring singer/songwriter?

Be yourself, everyone else is taken. This is a favorite quote of mine by Oscar Wilde, but I think it pertains SO well to those who are aspiring singer/songwriters in the industry! 

MORE ABOUT THE SPRINGS

Although they both grew up in Alabama, Holly Helms and Stewart Halcomb of The Springs first met playing the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. “Up before me was this girl. She sounded great. She was beautiful. I instantly knew I had to talk to her,” says Stewart. Little did they know they would become partners, offstage and on, amassing over one million streams across platforms, and opening for stars like Florida Georgia Line, Kelly Clarkson, Reba, Little Big Town, Eric Church, Alan Jackson, and many more. 

When it comes to The Springs, the only real surprise is that it didn’t happen sooner. “It took three or four years before we became a duo,” explains Stewart. “We didn’t pursue anything initially but the more we dated, we realized that we made a great team,” details Holly, “We each have our strengths, and when we put them together, people in the industry noticed.”

Once together, there was no stopping them. Their live shows began to endear them to a rapidly growing fan base; they have made regular appearances at CMA Music Festival; charted on the Billboard Country Chart with their latest release, “Old Fashioned,” hitting #33; and their albums have landed on top 10 lists on iTunes, Google Play and Amazon Music. But perhaps most importantly, the two are now married.


“We got engaged at the Bluebird, right where we met,” smiles Stewart, “I was able to get her parents and my parents there on both sides of the stage. It was magical.” Several years on, they are strong as ever, with new music coming in the spring, a tour in the works, and more. “God has truly blessed us in so many ways. We are so thankful for the success we’ve had thus far, and are so excited to see what happens next,” says Holly, “The best part is we get to do it with our best friend, and the person we love the most.”