Country duo Maddie & Tae recently visited The Recording Academy's headquarters in Santa Monica, Calif., to participate in an exclusive GRAMMY.com interview discussing their formation, the support of their fans and their new hit "Girl In A Country Song," among other topics.
"'Girl In A Country Song' is basically a song about what it's like to be the girl in modern day country songs and how hard it is to be this perfect Barbie doll girl that we are portrayed as," said Maddie Marlow.
"[For the music video] we really wanted to portray that role reversal … and show that the guys can't hang either," added Tae Dye. "It's very hard and high expectations that no one can really live up to."
Marlow of Sugarland, Texas, and Dye of Ada, Okla., cite the Dixie Chicks, Lee Ann Womack and Shania Twain as influences. The singer/songwriter duo met at age 15 at a showcase in Dallas. The meeting led to the pair taking writing trips to Nashville., Tenn., and the formation of Maddie & Tae. In 2014 they landed a deal with Big Machine Label Group, home of GRAMMY winner Taylor Swift. Maddie & Tae are the first artists to sign to Big Machine's revived Dot Records imprint, which once included artists such as Pat Boone and the Andrews Sisters on its roster before dissolving in the late-'70s.
Co-written by Maddie & Tae and Aaron Scherz, the duo's debut single, "Girl In A Country Song," was released in July and cracked the Top 20 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. The lyrics and video for the song address the so-called "bro-country" trend the pair believes is prevalent in country music.
Maddie & Tae are currently on tour in the United States with select dates scheduled through November.