Western Lifestyle Enthusiast Mikayla Lane Collaborates with Alamo Saddlery for Exclusive Leather Handbag Line and Musical Success

Western Lifestyle Enthusiast and Rising Country Music Artist Mikayla Lane

Western lifestyle enthusiast and rising artist Mikayla Lane recently partnered with the authentic western wear trendsetters of Alamo Saddlery. Mikayla has come on as a brand ambassador for Alamo to design and launch her exclusive line of high-end leather handbags, which will be available later this year. In addition, Mikayla also secured a spot among the Top 10 finalists for the Texas Country Music Awards Songwriter Contest and made her Song Suffragettes showcase debut at The Listening Room Cafe in Nashville on Aug. 29. Her newest single, “Ambush,” was released on July 29and debuted at No. 1 on OneRPM’s “Country Bound” playlist on Spotify and also landed on CMT’s “The Round Up” playlist on Spotify and Apple Music. Written by Mikayla and John Conrad and produced by Jimmy Ritchey (Jake Owen, Clay Walker, Mark Chesnutt), “Ambush” brings a spunky, cowgirl-themed tale of unexpected love on the range and offers up a western-esque vibe. The singer-songwriter is now gearing up for the release of her upcoming Christmas singles, “Silent Night” and the iconic, spiritually influenced “I’ll Fly Away.”

THE INTERVIEW

From attending music school in Oklahoma, being added to the Ole Red talent roster and catching the eye of Blake Shelton at the tender age of 13, to now – garnering high praise on your most recent single, “Ambush,” from CMT, American Songwriter, Cowgirl Magazine and more, securing a spot in the Top 10 Finalists for the Texas Country Music Awards Songwriter Of the Year Contest, among many other notable accolades – tell us about your incredible musical journey?

When I was 5 years old, I started taking music lessons and began performing. I attended a local music school in Tulsa from about age 11-14 and during that time I really began to develop as an artist and started playing my own gigs. At the age of 13 I was added to the talent roster for Ole Red (Blake Shelton). I started out at the Tishomingo, OK, location (Blake Shelton’s hometown) and went on to become the first (and only artist to date) to play all Ole Red locations.

It was so exciting to play my first full band show at the Ole Red on Nashville’s lower Broadway at the age of 14. I’m still the youngest artist on Ole Red’s roster and I hope to play their new Las Vegas location when it opens next year! It was also at the age of 13 I started spending a lot of time in Nashville meeting people in the music industry, writing and recording my first EP. One of the most fun aspects of this career for me is meeting new people – people within the industry who support artists and their music, media professionals, other songwriters, artists, the folks at all of the various associations and organizations who help recognize and bring awareness to all the hard work that goes into the creation of music. I’m so honored to have been featured by some wonderful publications and outlets such as CMT, American Songwriter, Entertainment Tonight and Cowgirl Magazine; I appreciate their support so much.

Another group of people that I especially love to meet – the fans who come out to my shows. They make everything I do worth it. It’s so great to be able to talk with people who have come out to support my live performances and to thank them for choosing to spend their hard-earned money and much deserved time off on me. It’s very humbling to realize out of all the entertainment choices people could have made for their enjoyment, they chose me. By starting out at such a young age, I’ve been able to enjoy some incredible opportunities and I’ve experienced some valuable lessons and probably the greatest blessing I’ve been given is having an incredible team behind me. There’s been a lot of reference to what I’ve done and what I’ve accomplished, but there’s no way I could have done any of that without the support of an amazing team who believes in me, encourages me and goes to bat for me every day.

You’re releasing two new Christmas singles in the next two months. Does this mean we can expect more new music to come in 2023? How’s that coming along?

I love Christmas and all that it means, which is why I will be releasing my renditions of “Silent Night” and “I’ll Fly Away” during the Christmas season. “I’ll Fly Away” isn’t exactly a Christmas song, but it’s a song I have always loved and always covered. I’m honored to get to share my version with the world.

New original music is definitely coming in early 2023! I’ve been staying busy writing original songs that I am extremely excited about. This will be some of the best work I have released yet. This new music does a great job of defining me as an artist, a person and what I want to represent as a brand. I am so excited for everyone to hear my new music. It is a lot of fun to take a song you love – one you wrote – and bring it to life in the studio. I’ve been able to record several of my original works this year and I can’t wait to share.

How has your love for cutting and western lifestyle influenced your music and overall brand?

My family was in the cattle business for years, working off horseback daily and we still have our cow ponies at home. My favorite way to relax when I’m home is riding, whether it’s just me riding my favorite horse, Firebug, around our property with my little dog, Trixie, tagging along, or my Dad and I getting to spend a day in the cutting pen. The western culture has always been a big part of my life. I’ve grown up in and around the western lifestyle and it has had more influence on my music and on my sound than anything else. From the imagery you can feel listening to my song “Where the Foxtail Grows,” to the rousing independent spirit you can sense listening to “Ambush,” for me, it’s all truly authentic. I think authenticity is often overlooked, so it has become hugely important for me to keep all of my content real. Most songs I have written are about the western lifestyle or influenced by it because there isn’t much else I have gotten to experience yet!

You’ve recently partnered with Alamo Saddlery as a brand ambassador and exclusive line partner to work on designing your own line of high-end leather handbags - tell us more about that?

Along with music, fashion is a big passion of mine, especially western fashion. I’ve always wanted to have my own “something” in the retail world to coincide with my music to merge the two together. Alamo Saddlery has made that dream possible! I couldn’t have asked for a better brand or people to work and design with. I have a very creative mind and I am so grateful to be teaming up with Leigh Martin at Alamo to craft my creative visions into incredible works of wearable leather art. The bags are amazing, the whole process is amazing and it’s a fresh exciting addition to my brand. I cannot wait to see it grow. We’ll have bags available for gift giving this holiday season.