When Macy Dot needs a reason to keep writing, she has a message from Dolly Parton to turn to. And yes, it has her name on it.

The Texas-born country singer-songwriter joins That Nashville Girl to share the encouragement she received after winning the BMI Foundation’s 2023 Dolly Parton Songwriters Award—and why those words still mean so much on the days when inspiration doesn’t come easily.

Dolly’s message is one part of a story full of country music connections, Texas sass, and people who recognized Macy’s gift early. She learned guitar and songwriting from John DeFoore, who also taught Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves.

Deana Carter shared her cover of “Strawberry Wine.” And Amanda discovered her at Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott in Nashville, where Macy’s version of Chris Stapleton’s “What Are You Listening To” kept stopping her mid-conversation. Shopping could wait. That voice needed an introduction.

Macy opens up about finding her own sound in Nashville, studying songwriting at Belmont, and wanting her lyrics to be recognizable even when someone else is singing them.

She also shares the music that introduces her best: “Hot Mess,” “Texas Tennessee,” and “Cowboy Wanted,” her feisty collaboration with fellow Texas songwriters Grace Tyler and Aniston Pate. With a hook like “God bless this hot mess,” she’s already speaking our language.

Then a question from Rodney Atkins takes the conversation somewhere especially sweet. Macy talks about being adopted, the song she wrote for her parents that she may never release, and the journal she and her dad have been writing back and forth in since she was about seven. His advice involves putting God first, believing in the dream, and occasionally showing up with a donut.

You’ll understand. It’s a conversation about the words we hold onto—from a country music legend, a beloved teacher, or the dad who’s been cheering us on all along. And it’s an introduction to an artist with plenty of heart, humor, and stories of her own to tell. Listen to Macy Dot’s “Hot Mess,” “Texas Tennessee,” and “Cowboy Wanted.” Subscribe to That Nashville Girl for more country music interviews and the stories behind the artists.

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