Welcome to Top Ten With…, a fun Q&A session where you’ll get to learn all about the music scene’s hottest artists! Today’s featured artists are The Cains Trio, a three-piece outfit consisting of siblings Madison, Taylor, and Logan Cain. The group just released their debut album, Stay on Board, in October – get to know more about this triple threat through our exclusive interview!
Top Ten With The Cains Trio
I’m inspired by:
Logan: I’m inspired by other independent artists that have found a way to make it. There are lots of ways to succeed in music if you don’t allow yourself to give up, and I’m so inspired by those who have blazed the trail!
Madison: Truth! I like to start my day watching a YouTube video that reminds me of what’s true. We’re bombarded with so many different people, ideas and influences. I love Jesus Christ and my faith is a huge part of my life. I also believe that eating a plant-based diet is wonderful, and stick to a vegan meal plan. I like to listen to Andy Stanley sermons, and I follow fitness bloggers and vegans like Freelee and Happy Herbivore. They inspire me to stay the course!
Taylor: YouTube videos! I watched one yesterday that focused on well-known individuals who didn’t start their career until way later in life. A quote from the video was, “I’m 29 years old, and I haven’t done anything monumental in my life…yet.†We’re never too old to change the world!
I realized I wanted to play music when:
Logan: I realized I wanted to play music when I was 13 – that was the age I discovered that girls liked boys who could sing, haha!
Madison: Music has been the goal for me for as long as I can remember. I started singing in church at a very early age, and I’ve always performed in school choirs, show groups, jazz ensembles, etc. In 2012, we entered and won a music video competition to open for Andrew Ripp and Dave Barnes. After that competition, I realized that performing music professionally wasn’t such a lofty goal, and it was actually attainable! It took other people believing in us for us to ultimately gain that confidence and take the plunge into the music industry.
Taylor: I originally decided to go college to be a sonographer. One night after I sang at church, my dad told me he knew that I needed to pursue music. He told me not to pick a job because of the money, but to choose something I would enjoy doing for free! I quickly changed my major and moved away from home to pursue a music industry degree. My dad really helped me realize my passion for music and constantly pushes me towards my goal!
Four songs you might find on your iPod:
Logan: “New Flame†– Chris Brown ft. Usher
“Anything†– John Mayer
“The Dance†– Garth Brooks
“You Go Down Smooth†– Lake Street Drive
Madison: “It Is What It Is†– Kacey Musgraves
“Same Old Same Old†– The Civil Wars
“Sweet Pea†– Amos Lee
“You Go Down Smooth†– Lake Street Drive
Taylor: “You Make Me Brave†– Amanda Cook
“Stuck On Stupid†– Chris Brown
“Hurt†– Johnny Cash
“I Am A Difference Maker†– Needtobreathe
One world I would use to describe myself:
Logan: Heavy
Madison: Affirming
Taylor: Thankful
The best part of being a musician is:
Logan: The best part of being a musician is getting to meet and be a part of many people’s lives.
Madison: The flexible lifestyle! Before I was a musician full-time I would get ready for work at 7:00 a.m. and get home from work at 6:30 p.m. After work, I’d work out, watch a couple TV shows and then go to bed. I felt like I was just living for the weekend. Now, my schedule changes all the time. One week I’m visiting radio stations, and the next I’m in the studio. It feels like I still work just as hard, and possibly even longer hours, but I love what I do and the ever-changing schedule that comes with it!
Taylor: I get to meet new people EVERY DAY! How great is that? I get to play awesome music with my awesome siblings and travel the United States meeting new faces and hearing their stories. Pursuing a music career has changed my life in the best way!
Right now, I’m most excited about:
Logan: I’m most excited about getting to play more shows in 2015!
Madison: I’m so excited for “Christmas break!†Since we’re our own bosses now, we decided to take a couple weeks off before the New Year to spend more time with our family before gearing up for a big 2015!
Taylor: I’m most excited that our debut single, “Be Yourself With Me,†is now on the Music Row charts! I never thought we would be pursuing a career in music, music less having a song placing #73 on the charts!
Something most people don’t know about me is:
Logan: I’m a cheerleader! I cheered in college at Troy University and I coach cheer.
Madison: I can be really shy in large groups even though I’m very outgoing! I love being on stage. I love meeting new people, but right before I enter a room filled with strangers, I often have to psych myself up for it. If anyone out there has to overcome shyness, my best tip is to focus the conversation with others. Ask good questions! For me, shyness can come from feeling like I want people to like me. Don’t worry about that. Just try to bring out the best in others!
Taylor: I’ve been told by my doctor that I overproduce earwax. So, there’s that.
One of the happiest moments was:
Logan: One of the happiest moments was graduating college!
Madison: In my career, it was definitely hearing “Be Yourself With Me†on the radio for the first time. We spent all of the last year writing and recording while working other full-time jobs. So, that moment was a huge spark of excitement and really signaled the beginning of something new.
Taylor: The day I performed my senior recital was a day to remember! I didn’t think I would be able to graduate college due to a cyst on my vocal chords. In order to graduate, I had to sing 7 classical songs in various languages. The cyst made it almost impossible to do live performances. I did several months of vocal therapy at Vanderbilt and saw much improvement. Through prayer, faith in God and vocal therapy, I was able to sing for 45 minutes and pass my senior recital!
My music is:
Logan: You have to listen to it and find what it is to you. Our music “wears a lot of hats,†but we like to keep it fun.
Madison: Meaningful, light, uplifting and refreshing.
Taylor: A doorway – it’s a call to action! Every song has a purpose and leads the listener to a decision.
In ten years, I see myself:
Logan: In ten years, hopefully I’m still making music and telling people about Jesus. No matter what my job is, I want to always do those things!
Madison: In ten years I’ll be 33. That’s pretty wild! At that point, I hope I’ve had the opportunity to adopt some children. Hopefully, my music career is still thriving. I’m still passionate about video and would love to delve more into that. I hope to film a documentary some day!
Taylor: In ten years, I see myself married, living next door to my brother and sister – I hope we all have houses near the beach! Also, I hope the three of us will still be leading worship at my dad’s church.
Check out the video for the first single from The Cains Trio, “Be Yourself With Me”, and get the album now on iTunes! Keep up with the band by visiting TheCainsTrio.com and becoming a fan on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Nice to read about grounded young musicians. Sounds like they really have it figured out and know what’s important to them professionals and personally. All the best to them, the younger gen. Could use some good role models to look up to these days.
Always interests me to read about young musicians… They really do have to sacrifice a lot to get to the top, and it’s great to see that they’re filled with such passion in order to do so… And by the way – Amos Lee Sweetpea is my favourite song in the world!