I Sold Everything I Owned to Pursue Country Music Fame and It Was Actually Worth It

Think #VanLife but with a (very ambitious) mission.

- HOPE BLANCHARD & HANNAH CHUBB

My name is Hope M Blanchard, and I'm a country-pop musician. Ten years from now, I hope I won't have to say that or to introduce myself at all. I'm hoping Hope Blanchard will be a household name.

I have a lot of goals: I want to be on all the music charts, I want to win Grammys, I want to play stadiums. I want to sell out stadiums. I'm doing whatever it takes to make that happen, and since 2019, "whatever it takes" has meant leaving my "normal" life behind.

But let me back up for a minute to explain that singing-wanting to do it everywhere, all the time-is something I feel in my soul. When I was little, I would invite people to my grandparents' house for dinner so I could corner them and perform. I never got great grades in school (I'm dyslexic), but making music has always made me feel smart. No matter the stage, every time I get off it, I'm thinking about the next time I can get back on again. It just feels right, and I want to reach people with my songs, just like artists like Taylor Swift reached me as a girl.