Margaret Durante
“I remember when I got to sing “The Christmas Song” in my first grade Christmas recital and loving being on the stage and singing for friends and family. I still smile every time I hear that song during the holidays.” — Margaret Durante
Margaret with Santa
About Margaret Durante
With the release of her four-song digital-only “Maybe Tonight EP,” much of the music world is getting its first glimpse of one of country music’s most exciting young voices, Margaret Durante. The title track from the EP is a contagiously upbeat look at new love at its flirty and romantic best. It is also her new single and a great introduction to Margaret, whose world-class pipes and dynamic stage presence have been wowing audiences since she was a young girl.The EP, culled from her forthcoming debut album, is a compelling collection of songs that showcase the sheer talent Margaret brings to the table as a vocalist and as a songwriter who can hold her own in a room with Nashville’s best. From the title-track and the moody and melodic “Paper Chains”, both of which were co-written by Margaret, to the pain-drenched “Better” and “Whiskey And A Gun,” a jaw-droppingly tough look at revenge from one woman’s point of view, it’s a collection that highlights the power and intimacy of her vocal performances and the connection she has always made with her audiences.
“I really want listeners to feel like they are my confidantes,” Margaret says. “I want them to feel like they have someone to commiserate and celebrate with when they hear my songs.”
The project is for Margaret the culmination of three years of work honing the crafts she has nurtured since childhood. Collaborating with a group that includes co-writer and co-producer Stephony Smith and legendary producer/label head James Stroud made the excitement of making her first record all the more thrilling.
“I knew I had material that I loved and believed in and I couldn’t wait to share those songs with other people,” says Margaret. “Then, when James and Stephony wanted to be involved to the extent they were, that sweetened the deal even more.”
The digital-only EP, on Stroud’s new Emrose Records imprint, caps a journey that began in a household steeped in music, from Frank Sinatra to Bonnie Raitt and Mary Chapin Carpenter. At 16, Margaret began touring with a band, gaining invaluable performing experience up and down the East Coast. She enrolled at Clemson, but soon left the school and friends she loved to pursue her dreams in the town she knew was the place to truly sharpen her skills — Nashville. There she met publishing and A&R executive Laura Stroud, who recognized Margaret’s raw talents as a singer, writer and performer. The two soon began working together, leading to introductions to the city’s great songwriters and guiding her towards a record deal.
Though Margaret’s heart and soul are firmly rooted in country music, she also recently enjoyed national exposure when she provided lead vocals for her friends at Hot Rush Productions on two songs featured in recent episodes of Disney’s hot new tween series, Shake It Up. One of the songs, “Watch Me,” was used as the theme song during the season’s premiere episode, seen by 6.2 million viewers as well as another half million from fan-posted videos on YouTube. Margaret was also recently hailed by Nashville Lifestyles Magazine as the “Fresh Face to Watch in 2011.”
As she continues work on her debut album, scheduled for fall release, Margaret is living out the dream that took root in the music-infused home she grew up in.
“There’s such a power to music,” she says. “It’s one of the reasons I live in this town. Although the level of brilliance and commitment that exists here can be almost intimidating, I just let it inspire me. It makes my appreciation for the magic of music evolve and grow every day.”
And in Margaret Durante, country audiences everywhere are about to find their own connection to that magic.
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