
Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Molly and her two siblings grew up in a very close-knit family. Deep rooted in tradition and faith, Molly attended Catholic grade school and then an all-girls Catholic High School – the same one that her grandmother, her mother, her five cousins, and her younger sister all attended. However, music was another tradition that the family passed along to their children as well. Molly’s mother was always playing music throughout the house when she was young, and her grandmother was known to write music and always sing to her. Molly admits that her dad definitely has some country roots as well that influenced her love for country music, in fact her parents took her to her first concert – Tim McGraw – at the tender age of 5! So, it wasn’t long before her family’s love for music translated over and became Molly’s love for music. She was in every talent show from kindergarten on and remembers putting on small “concerts” for her family and babysitters from a young age. “My parents have told me that as a toddler, I would sit in front of the air vents and sing for hours so I can hear myself through those vents.”
Even though Molly was an avid music lover, sports also played a huge part in her upbringing. She grew up playing soccer, volleyball and softball, but it wasn’t until she started playing basketball when she thought she had her future career planned. “I remember in my eighth-grade English class, I wrote that I was going to play basketball all four years of high school, go on to Mizzou to play in college, and then become the Mizzou women’s basketball coach.” With a chuckle in her voice, she laughs and says “Oh, how things have changed!” Her dreams of being a coach changed abruptly during her eighth-grade year. During a game, she took a fall and after enduring weeks of pain and visiting doctors, Molly and her parents were told that she had a tumor inside her right femur bone. While Molly was concerned about not being able to play the sport that she loved so dearly, her parents were concerned for her health. A biopsy was done when the doctors went in for surgery and relief was brought to the entire family when the results showed that the tumor was benign, and the surgery to remove it was successful. Now it was just four months of recovery and rest for Molly.
While she was out due to her injury, music was all she had to pass the time. Her dad knew how to play the guitar and so it was during this down time that she asked him to teach her. After tons of practicing and sore fingers, she finally learned how to play a very slow version of Every Rose Has Its Thorn. This small victory lit a fire inside Molly and her passion for music was reignited from that moment on. Through the rest of her recovery period, she practiced and learned new chords and songs, and eventually began writing her own music on the guitar. It was at this point she realized that even with her love of basketball, she now loved music more and wanted to focus solely on that. Though she was terrified to tell her parents, their support to pursue this dream of hers only further solidified her decision. “They said that as long as I am happy, they’re happy. That was one of the most eye-opening experiences for me, seeing how much they will support me in whatever I am doing.”
The summer before her freshman year of college at Murray State, Molly began working on her debut album. By the time Christmas break rolled around, she returned home and played her first full band show at her own album release party. This moment was the turning point she needed in order for her music career to become her main focus. Over three hundred people came to support her and the venue made a record-breaking total that Thursday night which boosted Molly’s confidence in her music abilities. But, three weeks later she was back at Murray State sitting in class. “As the second semester continued, I remember sitting in class and all I wanted to do was play music. I would write down lyrics in my notebooks and sit in my room and play and write in between all my classes.” She started booking some gigs at school that all proved to be successful. Her confidence was at an all-time high. Then after seeing a video clip of one of her favorite performers, Bon Jovi, she knew she couldn’t hold back from her dreams. “The one thing that stuck out to me the most in that video was that he said you can’t have a Plan B. Backup plans are for if something doesn’t work out.” This further enhanced her passion for music. “It was then and there that I knew I had to take a break from school if I wanted to make music my career.”
Once again, Molly mustered up the courage to tell her parents, and just like when she decided to stop playing basketball, they were supportive of her and her dream. “There aren’t many parents that would let their kids take time off from college to pursue a dream like this, but my mom told me there are some things that being in four walls of a classroom can’t teach you.” Though Molly’s parents are supportive, she is quick to note that they aren’t naïve. They had her come up with a business plan and a list of goals to keep her on track. Her dad had even helped her create a spreadsheet of venues that they would contact to play.
With the most supportive parents as a team behind her and the confidence to put her all into her music, Molly is now ready to take the world by storm. While her debut album was a collection of songs she wrote through her high school years, she is moving forward with her own sound and a more mature approach to writing due to the inevitable fact that she is growing up and experiencing more of life. In September 2019, she performed a two hour long set at Duckfest, a day of live music and all things hunting and outdoors in Saint Peters, Missouri. She also plays regularly at bars, wineries, and intimate venues around her hometown, but she says her dream is to one day be a headliner and tour internationally. With musical influences including Taylor Swift, Maren Morris, and Carrie Underwood, Molly aspires to embody the beauty, power, grace, and relatability her idols have so effortlessly portrayed to their fans. With her unyielding confidence and passion to create real and honest music, nothing is holding Molly back from capturing and captivating country music fans across the globe.
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