Each trip I take to Nashville is an experience. The first time I visited was a spur of the moment decision in June of 2015 for the CMAs. The April prior, John King (Black River Entertainment) told me I should consider going to Nashville to experience the CMAs, so I did. I drove six hours to a city I had never been to, with no idea what to expect. During the fest, I walked around the streets taking in all the festival had to offer and learned a lot in the process. The whole experience was amazing.  I fell in love with the city, the people, and the music. I felt at home. 

      My second trip to Nashville was in June of 2016 for the CMAs again. This trip was unlike the first because it was planned, and I got to attend the main event at Nissan Stadium each night, which exceeded my expectations. This trip also gave me the opportunity to meet people in and around the music industry since I now knew which direction I wanted my career to go. I had the chance to introduce myself and talk to some music industry professionals about future goals. 

      I took a trip to Nashville in November of 2016. My goal this time was to reconnect with those I had met during previous trips. I had lunch with two up-and-coming artists, Kayla W. and Garrett S., so I could build my relationship with each of them. 

      My third year attending the CMAs was June of 2017. By my third trip to the fest, I knew the ins and outs of how to schedule my time and plan each day to get the most out of the fest. I also got to meet up with Kayla W. again. This time we talked about how her career was going and she showed me a new song that she was getting ready to release. Another day I got to meet up with someone I hadn't before, Jennifer V. She is also an artist trying to make it in the big city, and I got to get her view on what it was like to live in Nashville.