From singing pop to stomping her boots alongside Kaylee Bell, Steffany Beck’s musical journey finally clicked when she found her real voice had a country twang. Now she’s bringing the country to town.

So, Steffany, you’re heading out on your own national tour – how cool is that? It is so unbelievably cool. I've got the best band and I'm going on tour with my bestie, Miranda Easten, who is so incredible. I can't wait to hit the road and play around the North and South Island.

How was it looking out on that crowd at the Wine and Food Festival? There’s nothing quite like it, looking out into the faces of those watching you, singing along with you and who want to escape in the music with you. It’s such a cool connection and I absolutely love performing live to create that moment of connection. And it was so amazing to see the audience at the Wine and Food Festival really get into the country music. We had such a great time and that’s one of my favourite performing experiences to date.

Kaylee Bell must be something of an inspiration for you? Of course she is. Not only is she a go-getter, she is a self-managed artist who is killing it, changing the industry and leading the hot country wave. Her wins actually are wins for other country artists because she is opening doors that we can now walk through. She is so down to earth, kind and it was an honour to meet her, talk with her and now be a part of her fan base, watching her go from strength to strength.

You are playing some venues on the tour that don’t often have country artists – that must add a layer of pressure. Also though, a great opportunity to get in front of a different audience? You know, I actually hadn't thought about the potential pressure of it, I only saw the opportunity to be honest – I guess that’s the optimist in me. But I do see it as more of an opportunity to be the first, open the doors and expose that venue to another genre. I know particularly at Big Fan in Auckland they are so excited for us to be their first country artist performing on their stage and this will show other country artists they can perform there too.

From Blue Eyed Girl in 2019 to Pillars – how do you think your music is evolving? I’m definitely not that scared little blue-eyed girl anymore, there is such growth from then to now. Not only have I found my genre – which before I thought I was pop and it hadn’t occurred to me that I could do or be a country artist – I've found my vocal signature and my sound. Also I've found my team, who are amazing to work with. I learned so much from my Blue Eyed Girl EP and my main goal was to finish that project and learn as much as I could to level up my next EP. My goal with my new EP was to work with an industry professional producer and take everything to the next level and I have 100% achieved that. I have to acknowledge where I have been, and I am so proud of how I have grown musically and it’s just gonna keep getting better and better.

Tell us about your song ‘What Would Dolly Do’? What was the inspiration? I had a mentor who told me it would be great to have an anthem song to play in my head when I'm about to go onstage to perform. I seriously thought about this and nothing came to mind, until one day I was standing backstage at the Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch waiting to go on stage to perform my first headliner show and I was thinking ‘who inspires me?’. Dolly Parton is just one of the incredible artists I aspire to be like and the thought came to me ‘What Would Dolly Do’, and the melody and chorus line came flooding into my head. I started writing the song while I was waiting backstage. I didn't have my phone on me so I had to remember the song and write it down in my dressing room after my show. The song took on a life of its own and ended up having 10 Dolly Parton song references.

From Portland, Oregon, to Christchurch – tell us about that journey? I was born and raised in rain in Portland, Oregon, and moved to Christchurch 17 years ago with my family for a lifestyle change and boy did we get one. I feel like I've moved to a country town that's more focused on family and a better lifestyle which isn't 24/7 like the States was. It was a transition to begin with but now this is home and will always have a place in my heart.

Is there anything about Christchurch that you think helped you develop as an artist? Since 2017 there have been more and more growth opportunities for artists in Christchurch than ever before and it's just getting better and better. I found MMF (music managers forum), Sole Music Academy and many more valuable industry mentors and resources to work with and reach out to. There is a great scene in Christchurch now and my advice to any aspiring artist is to get amongst it and utilise the resources around you.

Finally, what will Steffany do? What are your goals? My mum keeps saying that people are gonna start asking What Would Steffany Do. Haha. Well, I'm gonna keep going! I've got momentum, and heaps more coming. I've got a new country female duet with my bestie southern belle Miranda Easten coming out just before our tour, which is so exciting. There are no signs of stopping for me and I'm motivated to see how far I can go and share my music with more and more people and hoping it makes the world at least a little better place.

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A Rolling Stone, Friday July 5