Recording Artist Chelsea Crites: Reaching the Stars By Staying True to Herself

by Cyrus Webb

Country recording artist Chelsea Crites has been on one wild ride.

I first had the pleasure to chat with her in 2013, and it was obvious at that point that she was destined for greatness. In 2014 she released her EP driven by singles like "4 Wheel Drive" and "What Goes Around" and has been enjoying radio airplay as well as performing live at events throughout the year.

She slowed down enough for us to talk about the journey and the response to the single during her appearance on Conversations LIVE in May. "It's been amazing," she told me with a smile in her voice when I brought up the response to "4 Wheel Drive". "That's what I really wanted: a single that people could respond well to.  I'm really happy about that."

The success of the single is not just from the fans that have been with her since the beginning. Because of her many appearances and the power of word of mouth new listeners have jumped on the bandwagon as well. "It's awesome to look back and see how much it's grown," Chelsea says. "I've met so many new people.  I absolutely love what I'm doing."

This passion for music began some time ago. "My mom entered me in a talent show in my hometown at my elementary school," she relates. "I got the courage to do it and sang Patsy Cline's "Crazy"." After seeing the crowd response she fell in love with the experience. "I haven't stopped since," Chelsea says.

Since she mentioned her mom I wanted to know how much having the support of her mother has benefited her career. "It's absolutely great to have someone like that in your corner," she explains, "someone you can trust to be there for you and share the excitement with you. It makes it more special."

Chelsea also says her family and friends have been instrumental in helping her stay grounded as well. "I'm a super down-to-earth person, and I never want to change.  I just love being myself, and I think that's important for someone to be."

With over 10k supporters joining her on Facebook alone, it is obvious that others are gravitating to the rising star as well. One of the reasons she believes she has had this type of following is that she has learned to be comfortable just by being herself.

"When I first started out I would compare myself a lot to other artists," she says. "I looked up to so many people, then it really hit a point in my life when I realized if I'm like someone else that doesn't set me apart from anybody. It triggered something in me to be who I was. If I can make it with who I am it makes me unique. I think everybody should be their own person because that is what makes them special. That makes you who you are."

The songs on her EP mirror that sentiment. Chelsea says it relates to who she is and where she has been in her life. Though she wanted to release it before now the saying "Quality has no important time" reminded her that it was best to wait until it was ready. It's available on itunes and you can stay connected with Chelsea through her Facebook page and on Twitter at @chelseacrites as well as her website www.chelseacrites.com.