Marie Wise-Hawkins Brings Country To California

As a two-year old toddler, little Marie Wise-Hawkins was the loudest child you could imagine. She wasn’t annoying, her voice carried through her mother’s home in Canyon Country in beautiful melodic tunes when she began to learn to sing. Her mother had always loved country music, and Marie had been raised singing along with Dwight Yoakam and LeAnn Rimes. Singing was like a God-given gift for her. Like any good family, her parents nurtured her talent by encouraging Marie to reach for her dreams. At the age of four, she went to a Garth Brooks concert all dressed up in her white cowgirl hat and matching boots with a matching blue Western getup. She had been surrounded by country music since she was born, but that single night changed the course of her life forever. Soon after, she was committed to the idea of being a performer of some kind. Never wavering from that initial goal, Marie has been raising the bar for herself ever since.
As a native Southern California resident, Marie was raised a half hour’s drive from the nearest beach and the city of Los Angeles. She attended school at La Mesa Junior High and graduated from Canyon High School. After entering into adulthood, she stayed close to home and majored in Classical Voice at the prestigious California Institute of the Arts. As a lover of acting and music, she found enjoyment working with the Canyon Theater Guild and performing across the city with her band. At the point where any college student might rethink or doubt their abilities (this author definitely changed her major more than once during that time), Marie Wise-Hawkins was never more committed to her ultimate dream of singing. If her years of dedication had taught her anything, it was that her dream was always just a step beyond reach. The feeling kept her motivated to keep going to achieve even higher goals. One of her biggest accomplishments was being asked to perform as a finalist at The Ryman Auditorium for the Country Showdown. The experience inspired her to move from California to Tennessee in pursuit of loftier goals. At the age of 27 Marie relocated to Nashville and started to write about her memories from growing up in SoCal, recreating the ‘California Country’ music she had been raised with.
The singer/songwriter released her single “Somewhere in Mexico” on April 21st of this year, which pink and blue promotional images coincide nicely with the newest Barbie theatrical film’s aesthetics and release. Marie was quoted saying the single was inspired by a wedding she was privileged to attend in Cabo San Lucas, and how she couldn’t bring herself to forget the sandy beaches and mariachi bands plaguing her memories even when she returned home. Her sound brings a welcome breezy atmosphere into the country genre, as she sings about peaceful sunsets and dancing with one margarita in each of her hands. As the first in a series of three new singles, Marie was ready for 2023 to be the year of her goals becoming reality.
“Find Me On A Beach” was dropped on May 19th, with an image of 1990’s era Marie wearing wired headphones listening to a portable Walkman while laying on a towel on a sandy beach. The Barbie vibes are galore, honoring her native Californian roots. Dubbed by the website The Country Note, “Find Me On A Beach” is the next certified Summer Anthem. The song is reminiscent of those horrible days stuck in traffic, when you would rather be sunbathing on the Malibu Beach or surfing the waves. Marie entertains with catchy vocals about the yearning for the ocean and the water, wishing she was driving down the Pacific Coast Highway while trapped bumper to bumper on the 405 freeway, a feeling we can all relate to.
Her last single “Island Time” was released on June 16th, exclusively with Bridge Magazine. The country twang in Marie’s singing beautifully combining with vocals about the most carefree summer imaginable, giving the country genre a blend of tropical SoCal yearning. The song was directly inspired by her trips to the Ventura Harbor, she explains. Escaping from the dull work of everyday life, Marie reminds listeners of the beauty in soaking up sunshine and accepting the promise of adventure. She can’t help but admit she misses California and her hometown of Santa Clarita, and the nostalgia comes through in her upbeat, cheerful songs.

Marie Wise-Hawkins is successfully living and working as a country singer in Nashville, performing up to six days a week at the downtown Tootsies Orchid Lounge. Her memories of California and a lifetime of musical training has proven her talent in such a competitive industry. While she is living the life she always imagined, those of us back in her hometown feel honored to be a part of her musical journey. You can find Marie online at www.mariewisehawkins.com and on Spotify and YouTube Music.

Photos Ren Scott of Glass Darkly

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