by Jason Rzucidlo americajr@americajr.com

SAGINAW, Mich. -- Maggie Rose Durante was born in 1988 in Potomac, Md. She started singing at the young age of 16 and performed every now and then with The B Street Band, a Bruce Springsteen cover band. She attended Clemson University in South Carolina, but withdrew in her sophomore year to purse a career in country music.

“I came to Nashville about five years ago, via an introduction from Tommy Mottola to one of the producers on my debut album, James Stroud,” Rose said in an exclusive interview. “I’ve just been writing and performing and putting my band together ever since.”

Who were some of your musical influences growing up?

“It had a lot to do with who my mom played around the house,” she explained. “Patsy Cline, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Bonnie Raitt, Tracy Chapman and Shania Twain was my first concert. I love all of those women.”

Some people may remember you from your former recording name Margaret Durante, which you were using a few years ago. Why did you change it to Maggie Rose?

“I decided to make the name change because a lot of things about my music had changed and evolved,” the new country star added. “I wanted to sort of step back from what I had done. What I’m doing now is much more intentional. To signify that change, I wanted to go by my nickname, Maggie, and then Rose, my middle name.”

Please tell more about your cover of the Kings of Leon song “Use Somebody.”

“That was one of the first singles I had released to country radio as an artist. It was not really my idea actually. I had another song from my current album that was set to be released. I got a call from a major label at the time. It was the suggestion that they made and sort of the compromise that I had made early in my career. I’ve learned a lot from that experience.”

Congratulations on your music video for “Maybe Tonight.” I understand you were the first independent artist to reach No. 1 on the GAC Top 20 Country Countdown.

“It’s a wonderful sign of support from the network and my fans,” Rose said. “I’m just very grateful to have had that experience.”

What are some highlights of your new album, Cut to Impress?

“Cut to Impress has my debut single, ‘I Ain’t Your Mama’ on it,” she explained. “I thought it was a great segway into the rest of the material that you’re going to hear on this album. It’s fun and confident and sassy. My current single is called ‘Better.’ It’s a healing song that I just really connected to when I first heard it a couple of years ago. I’ve heard all sorts of stories from people that have related to the song about losing a job or losing a family member. I wanted to share something with my listeners to give them a little reassurance.”

How would you say this record is different from your past works as Margaret Durante?

“This album is just five years in the making. It’s all different notes of my personality. The songs draw from different experiences. There’s a confidence that wasn’t there before. It just comes from growing up and learning who you want to be as an artist. It asks questions about myself that maybe I hadn’t asked before. I just feel whole hardly this is who I am.”

As the saying goes, you have your whole life to make your first album, but not so much time to make your second.

“Absolutely. I’ve already started working on the second project. The writing is underway. I have an amazing band. The live shows really helped direct me in what songs I want to pick for this second album.”

How does it feel to return to the 98 KCQ Country Music Fest? I saw you perform there two years ago.

“It was so much fun when I came in 2011. I’m very excited to be returning with my band that I’ve had for over a year with an album over my belt. It’s going to be a real fun performance. They’ll probably hear every song that’s on my current album. We’ll be performing it live. I’ve got a bunch of girls in my band so the girl power thing will definitely be there. It’s going to be high-energy, lots of fun, rockin’ country. I’ll be on the big stage this year. I’m very honored to be asked back.”

I saw on your Wikipedia page that you had done some work for the Disney Channel. Please tell me more about that experience.

“It was sort of an accidental opportunity that I came upon,” Rose said. “A bunch of friends of mine in Nashville have a production company. I was co-writing with them for a Britney Spears impersonation. It sort of sparked an idea for him. He said, ‘You should sing this song that I wrote with my friends.’ I was just basically doing a demo for them and Disney heard the song and liked it as is and decided to feature it on a couple of their shows. I was involved in my country project so this is something that I was lucky enough that my friends invited me to be a part of. It was a great experience.”

Were you able to spend some time on the set with the actors?

“No, we did all of this from Nashville,” she answered. “The three of them did the mixing and all of that in L.A. My intentions in the beginning were just to be the singer on the demo of the song. It was cool to hear my voice on the Disney show. It was definitely a different format than I ever sung at before.”

What are your goals for the next five years?

“I want to with my band become a commercial touring act. I want to get on as many stages as possible. I hope to release another album within the next five years and reach as many people as I can. I hope there’s a lot of that in the next five years.”

Are there any artists or bands that you would like to open up for?

“There’s a bunch of acts that I’d like to collaborate with. Keith Urban has always been a favorite of mine. There’s a long list, actually.”

Look for Maggie Rose to perform at the 98 KCQ Country Music Fest on Saturday, June 15 at Noon.

For more information about Maggie Rose, visit www.maggierosemusic.com or www.facebook.com/MaggieRoseMusic.

Related Story: New country star Margaret Durante to perform at 98 KCQ Country Music Fest

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Mercury Records’ Easton Corbin entertained a plane full of Southwest passengers last Thursday when he traveled from Nashville to Las Vegas. As part of the Southwest Airlines’ Live at 35™ program in association with Taylor Guitars, Corbin entertained the passengers by performing three of his hit songs, “Roll With It,” “A Little More Country Than That,” and “Lovin’ You Is Fun” with a travel-sized Taylor guitar. The guitar will be given away in a sweepstakes; eligible participants can enter through June 14, only on southwest.com/taylortour.

Easton Corbin to Support Blake Shelton on "Ten Times Crazier" Tour

CMA Entertainer of the Year and Grammy nominee, Blake Shelton will embark on a headlining tour of the U.S. beginning July 19 in Virginia Beach, VA. The “Ten Times Crazier” Tour, which features special guest Mercury Recording artist, Easton Corbin, and ACM New Female Vocalist of the Year nominee, Jana Kramer, will criss-cross the country this summer.

Live Nation’s 2013 Country Megaticket is the first opportunity for fans to purchase tickets by visiting www.Megaticket.com and signing up to receive more information about this year’s Country Megaticket in their city.

7/19 Virginia Beach, VA Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
7/20 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live
7/21 Wantagh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
7/26 St. Louis, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7/27 Noblesville, IN Klipsch Music Center
7/28 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
8/1 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center
8/2 Burgettstown, PA First Niagara Pavilion
8/3 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
8/9 Raleigh, NC Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion
8/10 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
8/11 Bethel, NY Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
8/29 Atlanta, GA Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
8/30 Tampa, FL 1-800-ASK GARY Amphitheatre
8/31 West Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheatre
9/5 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
9/6 Hartford, CT Comcast Theatre
9/7 Mansfield, MA Comcast Center
9/12 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
9/13 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center
9/14 Auburn Hills, MI The Palace of Auburn Hills
9/19 Charleston, WV Charleston Civic Center
9/20 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
9/21 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena
9/26 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena
9/27 Knoxville, TN Thompson-Boling Arena
9/28 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
10/3 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
10/4 Tulsa, OK BOK Arena
10/5 Wichita, KS INTRUST Bank Arena

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tomorrow, June 5, fans of multi-platinum Country artist Gary Allan will get a sneak peek of his new music video “Pieces,” courtesy of The Bobby Bones Show. Allan, who will drop by the program’s Nashville studio to talk to Bones, Lunchbox and Amy about his new music video and answer questions from fans, will share the video exclusively on www.BobbyBones.com 24 hours before it debuts on CMT/GAC TV.

In addition, Allan will co-host Country Top 30 with Bobby Bones the weekend ofJune 15 and 16. Allan will help Bones, Lunchbox and Amy countdown the top Country songs of the week and share conversations with the artists.
Please visit www.BobbyBones.com to find a radio station in your area or tune in on iHeartRadio.com and the iHeartRadio mobile app.

About Gary Allan

With the allure of a modern day outlaw, Gary Allan has won over legions of fans with his signature blend of rugged vocals, rebellious lyrics and raucous live performances. He has sold over 7 million albums and released five platinum and gold albums in a row including three that topped the Billboard Country Albums Chart, with his latest, SET YOU FREE, also topping the Billboard 200. Allan has topped the singles charts with five #1 hits at country radio and has nearly a dozen Top 10 hits to his credit. He has been described as “dark and dreamy” inEntertainment Weekly, “soulful and rough around the edges” in Playboy and deemed a “maverick” by Rolling Stone. He has sold out venues as a headliner from coast to coast, appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Live with Kelly and Michael and Jimmy Kimmel Live and has landed on the covers of Country Weekly, Pollstar and People magazine. While becoming a force on the country music scene, Allan has remained true to his artistic voice each step of the way.

About The Bobby Bones Show

Broadcasting live from WSIX in Nashville, The Bobby Bones Show airs weekday mornings from 5 to 10 a.m. CT. Each day, hosts Bobby Bones, Lunchbox and Amy welcome the biggest names in country music and entertain listeners with their unique mix of pop-culture news and information, crazy stunts and hilarious conversations. Nationally syndicated by Premiere Networks, The Bobby Bones Show broadcasts on Country radio stations nationwide and is also available on iHeartRadio.com and the iHeartRadio mobile app, Clear Channel’s all-in-one free digital listening service. Bones is also host of Country Top 30 with Bobby Bones, a four-hour weekend Country music program. Each week, Bones, Lunchbox and Amy showcase the top Country songs, in addition to sharing their conversations with the artists. For more information, please visit www.BobbyBones.com.