feel of “Slow Me Down.”
But Evans has been expansive in other parts of her public life,
too. She’s co-authored a trio of books for Thomas Nelson; advocated
on behalf of the Red Cross; became an active contributor to the
community in Birmingham, Alabama, where she’s lived with husband
Jay Barker for nearly a decade; and established a lifestyle blog —
A Real Fine Place — that captures her flare for fashion, beauty and
cooking. That blog also demonstrates that she understands, and
lives, the solid, practical American work ethic that’s alive and well
in her fan base.
“Kim Kardashian will post, ‘Oh my gosh, you guys, look at this
new Dolce Gabbana thing that I got,’ but everything is so high-end,”
Evans says. “My fans are in middle America – you know, country
music listeners, small town, exactly what I come from – and so I’m
like, ‘Well, I totally found this incredible belt in Target and I put it
with this nice shirt.’ Mine is completely relatable. I feel like the All-
American girl-next-door that you could be a friend and go have
coffee with.”
Evans is such a sign post for women in country that when the
producers of the Nashville TV series wanted to ensure its realism,
they sought out Evans as a consultant to help them understand
firsthand the dynamics of operating as a touring country singer and
a mom, specifically informing Connie Britton’s character, Rayna
Jaymes. With the formation of Born To Fly Records, Evans now has a
life-meets-art moment, with her real life embodying the label-owner
role that Jaymes took on with the fictional Highway 65 Records. Not
that Evans has any intention of copying the on-screen character.
“I’m not trying to be Rayna Jaymes and I certainly don’t want to
die in a car wreck,” Evans says with a laugh.
What Evans does want to do is represent the full panorama of
her artistic vision. By handpicking the team around her and making
self-expression the priority of her work, she’s found songs that
continue to connect her to the emotional core of her audience, and
to adhere to that Born To Fly embrace of risk and adventure.
“I don’t use that word a lot, resilient, but I would say that’s the
best way to define me as a person,” Evans says. “I feel so blessed,
but at the same time, there’s blood, sweat and tears in every single
thing that I’ve gotten in this life. I have gone out and just really, really
sold it, and I’m still doing that to this day.”
Doing it her way. As a mom. As a record company entrepreneur.
And, mostly, as a distinct artist still excited about her unique journey.