Husband-and-wife duo the Dryes, Katelyn and Derek, came into many homes through their appearance as part of Team Black on season 22 of The Voice. However, the duo is by no means new to digging in and carving out their path. They’ve been doing that for the past decade, building a grassroot following one step at a time. We had the incredible opportunity to catch them during CMA Fest at the Hard Rock Stage and check in with them about their debut CMA Fest experience, their current single “Mama Does,” touring with Jo DeMessina, and much more!

(Interview by: Jeffrey Kurtis

1) The 50th CMA Fest just wrapped up and you were a part of it. Tell us a little bit about your debut experience with the fest?

KATELYN: It was nuts! We had just played our biggest show yet in Myrtle Beach (33K+) and drove back to make it in time for our Saturday slot and Fan Fair signing at CMA fest. Despite the travel schedule, that whole week just felt like pure joy and pure adrenaline. Actually before the week even started, Derek had a steroid shot in his right butt cheek after succumbing to laryngitis, so he was definitely jacked as it was already, haha. We powered through our CMA Fest performance/signing and got to go see some friends at other stages, and then went out to Robert’s afterwards to celebrate. Then…we crashed for a couple of days.

2) You played on the very popular Hard Rock Stage. Go in depth with us about your performance. How did the fans react? Which songs went over really well? Etc.

DEREK: That stage is incredible because not only do you have a parking lot full of fans, but all of Broadway turns into Hard Rock when the band gets going. We could interact with people on the rooftop across the street, and it might as well have been an arena show! Country fans reacted how country fans do…they’re hungry to meet new artists, and we were honored to do some hard-hitting songs that day. Our up-tempo unreleased tracks really went over well, and I could see the excitement when we introduced our next single, “Sawdust.”

3) You mentioned that you not only played during the fest, but also did a meet-n-greet inside Fan Fair X. What cool stories did you hear from your fans that were maybe overwhelming about the impact that you and your music have had on them?

DEREK: We met some die-hard country music fans! There was this sweet blind girl named Sarah (Hardwig) who wanted to meet us, and she’s actually a student down the road at Belmont, and a singer-songwriter. It was really humbling to encourage her because she encouraged us.

There was also a guy who handed me a thumb drive of songs that he wrote, haha, so that was cool. He wants us to check those out, and that’s another example of how country fans really do respect the craft of songwriting. As a writer in country music, there is a saying that “lyric is king,” meaning that what you sing about really has a lot of weight in this town. Fans get that.

4) With your debut at CMA Fest now behind you, what are you already looking forward to with being a part of it again next year? And is there anything you learned this year that you might go about different next go round?

KATELYN: I don’t know about doing things different, but we want to expand our interaction for sure. It’s such a great privilege to be a storyteller. It’s our therapy and I can tell for so many, it’s theirs as well. We will be playing a lot more shows this year all over the United States since we just signed to booking. We will also be releasing more music, so our goals are to work our way to bigger stages each year!

5) Obviously many people will recognize you from your time spent on Team Blake during season 22 of NBC’s The Voice. What do you feel you learned most from Blake during your time on the show that maybe you weren’t expecting to?

DEREK: What I learned from Blake, and some other mentors, is that the more “heroes” we meet, oftentimes they are the most genuine and down to earth people. I’m always so glad to see that humility in artists that we’ve looked up to. It’s energizing and keeps us all grounded, which again is why we love country music!

6) Tell us a little bit about your most recent single “Mama’s Do?”

KATELYN: “Mama’s Do” was written at Curb off of Music Row with Michael Farren and Tiffany Goss, a few weeks before Mother’s Day in 2022. Tiffany came in with the title, saying that her mama’s prayers always seem to work. I think that we all lit up because of how endearing that statement is; that parents’ love for their kids can be embodied in the prayers that they pray. No matter how we see things in our own life, our family wants the best for us and for Derek and I. They have been active in helping us get to where we are now, and I know they would love us the same whether we had “made it” or not!

7) You’re certainly no strangers to music fans as you’ve been at this for a decade now. So, for those longtime fans of yours, what major differences do you feel they heard from this song that they haven’t heard from you in the past, but also what similar characteristics were weaved into it?

DEREK: I think for “Mama’s Do,” fans see themselves in it, which is really all we hope for in a song. I love a great confident lyric no matter the song, but when it’s confidence in something that we all share (a mother), it’s really endearing and great to see such an emotional response in the moment. For me, my mom isn’t here, and I still talk to her when I mow my grass or just get certain feelings that she’s looking out for me from heaven. This song took on a whole new meaning for me, even in the second verse: “I ain’t ever seen her angel wings, but I know Jesus hears most everything. From busted arms to broken hearts, burned out dreams and wrecked out cars, and everything in between.”

8) With the single out now and doing its thing…what’s next for The Dryes? A new EP? New album?

KATELYN: Honestly, we certainly have enough for an album! The way that the songs are turning out in production/recording, it seems obvious to do two separately themed EPs.

DEREK: Yeah, one EP is a mix of rock n’ roll and Texas two-step, and the other is more of that “House on Fire,” big sounding chorus with some moody production that pulls at the heart strings. More on that to come, but I can’t say for certain at the moment!

9) Moving over to a recent tour for one question; You were direct support for Jo Dee Messina on her ‘Heads Carolina Tails California Tour.’ What were your main takeaways from watching her show night in and night out that you’re now applying to your own shows?

DEREK: Jo Dee is about as consistent as it gets, and its been quite an honor seeing her perform her heart out like it’s her first tour. She carries a lot of confidence and inspires us to sing what’s on our heart for sure. She’s also about as pitch-perfect as it gets…her vocals are stunning. That energetic performance always has fans in her pocket, and then she’ll sing about Jesus and bring us to church. For us, we’ll continue to be honest in our songs and not pretend to be anything else. We aren’t a perfect couple, but we’re for each other and know what compromise is, and we know what it is to stand your ground. As a couple that works together on the road, we have to be extra intentional with each other and check in all of the time. Even on the hard days, a song always reminds us of what we’ve been through together, and how we really care for each other. Jo Dee’s crew carry a lot of character, and it’s the perfect “first” tour for us to be on.

10) We always end with this one, but what one piece of advice can you offer to someone who is just starting out and trying to break into the music industry?

KATELYN: My dad always told me to not compromise who I am, and I can say the same for Derek and how steady he is. It’s a wild ride, and you need to know where your anchor is, and how to center yourself and your mind. Health is a big priority, and it keeps us focused and energized as artists. If we didn’t take care of ourselves and our mind, we just couldn’t do this. It would be too much, but it’s also the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done…to sing these songs with your husband and believe them for us, night after night. To rediscover the person and not ever think that I have them figured out…it’s helped me see myself that way, including how I talk to myself.

My biggest advice for people wanting an “outcome” in the music industry is to change how you talk to yourself. Build yourself and others up, and internally you’ll have a bigger success than any type of award. Going after dreams is hard, but when you learn to love yourself and others without worshiping the outcome so much, you really do find the gold in life.

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