Meet Sunny Sweeney: Singer/Songwriter/Touring Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sunny Sweeney and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sunny, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
From the outside, the music industry looks like all fun and games…and it is a large portion of the time: parties, friends, late night hangs, etc. However, what I think people don’t understand is how exhausting the travel is. It’s full of question marks, nails in tires, traffic, late starts for load ins and late nights on the road driving to the next city. Sometimes, we are on the road for two months at a time, so after a couple of weeks of that, the cities and venues literally run together. After this year, however, with all the Covid shutdowns, I have really realized how important sleep is! I guess I had just gotten used to no sleep. I am finally caught up after 18 years! I will learn to manage my time better and sleep when I can, because I am hoping when we start touring again that we just pretty much stay on the road full time to make up for lost time.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started off playing bars in Austin, basically because I wanted free beer and burgers and wanted to work for myself and be able to wear jeans to work. Everything that’s ever happened in my career has exceeded any expectation I had starting out. I have played the Grand Ole Opry 50 times, I have gone on tour with Garth Brooks, Miranda Lambert and even rock legend, Bob Seger. That’s something I have a hard time even digesting sometimes when I really sit down and think about it. I’ve toured all over the world to probably 20 countries, and even had the opportunity to travel to Japan (a lifelong dream) to play a huge country festival. I’ve put out 5 albums, and we have a 6th one in the can that we will release this year when we start touring again. It was actually recorded in Dallas at Modern Electric and Paul Cauthen produced it. I could say it’s been easy working in the music business, but I’d be lying thru my teeth. This is the most rewarding business I personally could have ever wanted to be a part of, but it’s also the hardest I’ve ever worked at anyrhing in my life. There are certainly perks and there’s no dress code. There’s also the aspect of being a woman in a male dominated business. Starting out, when I booked myself, it was a lot harder. One guy literally asked me, “what am I supposed to do with a girl signing country music in my bar?” I said, “sir, no disrespect, but you will do the same thing as you would do if a man was standing there. Listen to some good music.” So, yes there have been challenges, and yes, I feel there is a a certain extra special challenge trying to navigate this as a female, but honestly, I have the best team out there now at True Grit. They bust their asses for everyone of us. I’m at a very grateful time in my life right now. The Covid shutdown has taught me not to take a single gig for granted.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well I live in Austin, but frequent Dallas often. Lucky for me I have tons of friends I can call and ask what the new hot spot is. But if I only had me to rely on, I would say definitely check out Adair’s in Deep Ellum. I used to play there a hundred years ago and recently went back in for a burger. It was like time stood still. They still taste the same. Also, I love Brooke at Mama Tried. Great bar with a great patio. Then for the history portion I would definitely take them to see Dealey Plaza.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My band and my family. My band walks step for step together. We all work together as a unit to make the wheels turn. My family. My mom and stepdad, specifically. They never missed a gig when I was starting out. Sometimes, they were the only ones there back in the day. My step dad bought me my first guitar and taught me how to play it. Since I was a child, my mom has been my biggest cheerleader in everything I’ve ever done… plus she had to deal with me in my teenage years. So, if nothin else, she deserves a shout out for that alone. My fans. I would never ever have dreamed in a million years that fans of something I made would or could be as supportive as they are. This Covid shutdown has shown me ten fold what fans are willing to do to keep us going. It’s nothing short of incredible, really.

Website: Www.sunnysweeney.com
Instagram: @gettinsweenered
Twitter: @gettinsweenered
Facebook: Www.Facebook.com/officialsunnysweeney
Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/officialsunnysweeney
Other: Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/3uBMhKEXqr2UtRlx7Jn9LL?si=vQdongPUQQawVBhOftdqVw

Image Credits
Christina Feddersen for one in the cowboy hat. All others are just courtesy of me