Submitted Photo Heather Brockell, a Minot native now living in Nashville, has just released a single called “Loco Por Dinero.”

Singer-songwriter Heather Brockell, like many an artist, has had her struggles while trying to build a music career.

The Minot native’s new single “Loco Por Dinero” is all about the things she would buy if she had more dinero.

“The inspiration for the song came from a visit to my local Dunn Brothers Coffee,” she said. “As an avid coffee drinker, I usually make my coffee at home in an effort to save money. On a rare occasion one day, I went to a cafe for coffee but, to be frugal, I bought a $2 americano instead of a much more delicious $5 latte. Feeling frustrated by an overwhelming year of disappointments and financial strain, I started belting out a petty song about wanting luxuries I couldn’t afford. The song started out as a total joke but after realizing lattes weren’t the only frivolous item I would buy if I had more money, ‘Loco por Dinero’ (Crazy for Money) nearly finished itself.”

Brockell, a 2011 Our Redeemer’s Christian School graduate and the daughter of Ed and Glenda Brockell, is now living in Nashville, Tennessee, the unofficial capital of the country music.

She said she wrote the song on her piano and recorded it in her bedroom, but she knew she needed help to make it the best it could be.

“I had my dad, Ed Brockell, record a killer bass line, Nashville studio guitarist Christopher DeLisle laid down a few different Spanish guitar tracks (which turned out so good, it’s worth listening just for his guitar alone), and Nashville sound engineer Charlie Hubbs was the producer/recording engineer who worked some invisible magic to help make the song what it is today,” said Brockell.

The single is now available on all major streaming platforms. Direct links can be found on her website at www.HeatherRaeMusic.com.

Brockell said she writes and produces Indie/Pop music.

“I love the challenge of fusing electronic and organic instruments when I create music,” she said. “I’m strongly influenced by R&B, soul and blues music but my love for House and EDM pushes everything closer to a Pop sound.”

She says she wants her music to convey honesty. She doesn’t downplay the world’s harsh realities but she is also a “dreamer” and a “hopeless romantic about the beautiful things life has to offer.”

She said she moved to Nashville permanently after she was offered a job there in the fall of 2019. She had been traveling to Nashville for a few years before that to write music and perform.

Living there has not been without its challenges, especially during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“I moved to Nashville in January 2020, so just in time to be hit by the tornado (literally) and to witness the world being shut down,” said Brockell. “So much of being a musician is networking and meeting people so I’ve had to shift my mind set. I will say, though, I have never practiced my guitar and piano as much as I have this past year!”

Brockell said she enjoys performing live when she is able to do so.

“I love a live audience because it’s the most honest feedback you’ll ever receive,” she said. “If they think you’re boring or they don’t like you, they’ll have no problem letting you know. But that’s what makes it so special when everyone is completely lost in a performance. I live for the moments when everyone is so caught up in the music, it’s like they forget to breathe. It’s what keeps me coming back.”

She said she has been performing since she was a young child. When she was in the early elementary grades, she sang “Amazing Grace” at a Mouse River Players audition. She didn’t get the part that time but she said it still hooked her on performing.

She has other fond memories of past performances, including one involving a shopping mall and mall pretzels.

“In 2019, I sang in an ice show in the middle of a shopping mall in Tampa, Florida,” she said. “The whole cast and crew flew in, we set up and rehearsed a full show in three short days, performed our hearts out the following three days and left just one week after arriving. It was a whirlwind of choreography, emcee prompts and music cues to memorize in a very short time, but being able to eat mall pretzels between shows? Totally worth it.”

Brockell said she is also a professional figure skater who grew up skating in the Magic City Figure Skating Club.

“I now skate in ice shows all around the country! Many of the shows I’m in, I’m hired as a singer and figure skater so I get to sing while I skate. Best job ever!” she said.

(Prairie Profile is a weekly feature profiling interesting people in our region. We welcome suggestions from our readers. Call Regional Editor Eloise Ogden at 857-1944 or call 1-800-735-3229. You also can send email suggestions to eogden@minotdailynews.com.)