By Becca Nelson Sankey
Kim Torres Photography & Becca Sankey Photography
In late 2014, a prominent music producer heard Garet’s CD and brought her to Nashville, where she recorded an EP with backup singers, Jimmy Buffett’s drummer and Dolly Parton’s guitarist. Three months later, Sony wanted to sign her. But, uncomfortable with the contract terms, Garet made the painful decision not to move forward. “If I don’t have peace about something, I don’t care if it’s a million dollar check, I can’t,” she said. “I felt like God was saying, ‘Put the brakes on; you’re not supposed to go down this road.’”
She grappled with the grief over what could have been, but found solace in her songwriting. "A lot of good music came out of that time.
I love to write, and all these songs were going, ‘boom, boom, boom',’” she said, snapping her fingers with each ‘boom,’ the stack of bangles on her wrist jangling.
Despite her melancholy vibe, Garet’s goal is to encourage others through her music. “Every time I play a show, I pray before: ‘Lord, please let me sing to these people. Tell me what songs to sing and let them be touched,’” she said. “Music is light and dark. It can take someone from the peak to the pit, or the pit to the peak. And I want to lift people up.”
Her faith helps her to listen to God’s will and adapt accordingly. “God is good and He has good plans,” she surmised in her Facebook post. “Some may seem to be a frustration and inconvenient at times, but they are teachable moments along the journey. And boy howdy what a journey it is!”
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