Holli Garet wanted everything to be perfect. 

In anticipation of a sit-down interview with Create Magazine, the San Angelo singer/songwriter drove her four children to school and returned home to shower, apply her makeup and straighten her hair. Afterward, when Garet adjusted the sprinkler in her yard, a stream of cold water shot her in the face. She pointed the sprinkler in another direction, only to have it drench her whole body.  

“It hit me in that moment that obviously God wanted to make sure I stayed humble…just his way of saying, ‘I like you with curly hair, anyway,’” Garet said in a Facebook post later that day. 

In the nearly seven years since the gregarious blonde arrived on the local live music scene with her piano and soulful voice, she’s developed a thick skin. Criticism, loss and heartbreak have had a dichotomous influence on her career, sparking both doubt and inspiration; she’s documented much of it with raw and honest Facebook posts. Curled up in a chair in her living room - a space awash in a kaleidoscope of color with walls of lavender, lime and yellow festooned with framed children’s art and paintings - Garet recalled the rollercoaster ride. 

"I love to write, and all these songs were going, ‘boom, boom, boom!’”
- Holli Garet

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.

Garet was a late bloomer as a performer (she was 30 at the time of her first local gig), but music has always been a part of her life. “I never took lessons,” she admitted. “My grandmother was amazing. She played blues piano, gospel. She passed away in ’88 and left me her piano. I would spend hours and hours sitting there. I sort of joke that she taught me how to play.” 

Once in college, Garet was encouraged to sing at an open call talent event, where she met her now husband, Shawn Gould. The couple formed a Christian band, with Garet singing backup. To this day, she said, most of her music is rooted in praise and worship, even as her voice – a sound reminiscent of Norah Jones and Adele – gravitates toward blues. “I’m a happy person, but my music gets you,” she said. “And I guess that is the blues.” 

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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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