Star De Azlan – “She’s Pretty”

Brady Vercher | February 20th, 2008 Email Share

Star De Azlan - She In today’s radio climate, it’s hard to break new female artists, especially if they’re traditional. Star De Azlan is a new female artist with a remarkably mature voice that has a certain traditional quality to it, so by all expectations, she shouldn’t have much of a chance… but, she has one thing going for her–she’s Hispanic and the inner circles in the industry are trying to devise a plan to attract the Hispanic demographic.

I had a conversation with a couple of writers who brought up the topic and mentioned that country music only needed to revert to a traditional format and my solution was to get Johnny Rodriguez sobered up and singing again. If their observations were correct and the Hispanic demographic does prefer traditional country, then they ought to love Star De Azlan, who includes Tammy, Tanya, Patsy, and Loretta among her inspirations.

Her ethnicity really shouldn’t have anything to do with it, though, and judging by her first single, her music is perfectly capable of standing on it’s own. Azlan got her start at Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, TX and grew up performing with members of the Ace In The Hole Band and the occasional member from Asleep at the wheel. She wrote “She’s Pretty” after one of her exes, accompanied by a new girl, walked into a venue where she was performing. The lyric isn’t overly remarkable, but it’s solid and the production helps accentuate the song, making it a refreshing listen for any fan of country music–Hispanic or not. Ashton Shepherd isn’t the only new traditional game in town on the fast track, and that bodes well for country music as far as I’m concerned.

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Listen: Star De Azlan – “She’s Pretty”

Extra: Listen to “Like A Rose” on DigitalRodeo.com

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  1. [...] at Stagecoach over in the Stagecoach Festival Day One recap, and check out The 9513’s review of the single “She’s Pretty,” where you can also listen to the [...]

  1. Jordan Stacey
    February 20, 2008 at 9:10 am Permalink

    Thank you last night I asked for somebody to review this song and then I wake up and there’s a review up! Yay!

    Anyway I love this song, it’s probably one of the bet debut singles to come around in a while. I have a couple of friends who don’t listen to country radio today but when I showed them this song they loved it. I really hope that Star will be accepted at radio.

  2. michael
    February 20, 2008 at 9:31 am Permalink

    i heard Star’s single a few weeks ago on KKGO. that station is in Los Angeles, Calif. i was impressed with Star’s talent. so were other people. after the song ended Shawn Parr stated that every time that the song was played the station was flooded with phone calls.

    the video for this song can be seen at YouTube.

  3. Matt B.
    February 20, 2008 at 10:15 am Permalink

    Y’know the same reasons that Star De Azlan’s ethnicity shouldn’t come into play are very similar to Rissi Palmer, an artist who, in a just country music world, would be as popular as Carrie Underwood. Her voice is certainly on par with that and her current single even rivals some of Underwood’s material. As for Star, I like this song and truly hope it does well.

  4. Matt C.
    February 20, 2008 at 12:51 pm Permalink

    Her ethncitiy shouldn’t have much to do with it, but her name will. “Star de Azlan” sounds like a stripper name, and I have to think that this kills her chances at country radio. I make the same conclusion about Crystal Shawanda: I don’t think that it’s impossible for a black artist to succeed on country radio these days but it’s much harder for an artist with a “black name” to succeed (even though Shawanda herself is Native American). I’m surprised that record companies seem to have lost sight of this lately, given the number of famous name changes in country music history.

  5. Brady Vercher
    February 20, 2008 at 3:25 pm Permalink

    Matt B., you’re right about Rissi Palmer, but I didn’t think her music was all that interesting.

    Matt C., I never thought that her name sounded like a stripper and I’m not sure that radio will make that correlation, either. I’m inclined to agree with you about Shawanda, though.

    Matt D., Oh, nevermind…

  6. Roger
    February 20, 2008 at 3:27 pm Permalink

    Matt, i have to agree as sad as your statements are….and i don’t think it is as much the audience that would not give these artists a chance as the radio programmers who think they know what we want.

  7. Lucas
    February 20, 2008 at 4:04 pm Permalink

    I don’t really consider Rissi Palmer’s music to have much of a country sound to it personally. That “country girl” song sounds like adult contemporary.

    You don’t need a name change to make it, you just need a fan base. Let’s not put this to a race thing, because I think 98% of America is over that. Anybody can sing country, but I have to feel a connection to your music before I buy it.

  8. Matt C.
    February 20, 2008 at 4:28 pm Permalink

    Well, most of the 2% who aren’t over it are country music fans. But I’m talking more about our perception of what country music is than racism. We don’t expect an artist named Crystal Shawanda to be a good country music singer, and for one of dozens of new artists trying to make it on radio, that’s enough to do you in.

  9. Lucas
    February 20, 2008 at 4:31 pm Permalink

    Not expecting an artist with a certain name to be good can only be a positive if they are good in my opinion.

    I’d say calling the 2% (for anybody that hasn’t read the rest, that’s not an official number, haha) country fans is a gross insult to country fans.

  10. Dan
    February 20, 2008 at 4:37 pm Permalink

    I didn’t give much of a listen to Rissi Palmer’s stuff, but I have really high hopes for Star (and Crystal Shawanda, for that matter) – as long as the music’s great (and they do show promise), I don’t see how a little affirmative action can do anything but better the face of country music.

    That said, I am concerned about her name for some of the reasons other people have pointed out. I guess that’s all I had to say, though.

  11. Lucas
    February 20, 2008 at 4:48 pm Permalink

    I haven’t heard anything from Crystal yet, anybody want to steer me in that direction?

    I think with Star de Azlan, she has the voice, now she just needs somebody to get her the song.

  12. Rick
    February 20, 2008 at 5:59 pm Permalink

    Star’s debut single was picked up quickly by KKGO FM (GO Country) in Los Angeles because the program director/mid morning DJ Tonya Campos is a Latina woman. I personally love the song and hope to hear more from Star, although I’m expecting they’ll pull another “Amy Dalley” and never release anything on CD. Just in case I acquired a DJ CD version of “She’s Pretty” so I can listen to it as often as I choose.

    The ethnicity issue is quite complex as regards the mainstream country music listening audience these days. I’d say the huge success of Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift would indicate the majority are white, young, female, and have blonde hair. Although Star is Latina there is nothing about “She’s Pretty” that would indicate this aspect if you didn’t hear her name or see her picture. “She’s Pretty” is just a fine, traditional country song.

    Rissi Palmer, on the other hand, created a debut single I classified as “country funk and jive” due to its style. To me “Country Girl” had a real ethnic stamp even though Rissi has a very nice voice. I want to hear more from Star, not so with Rissi….

  13. Lucas
    February 20, 2008 at 6:03 pm Permalink

    There’s surely no question the majority of country fans are white. But then again, the majority of rap fans are white too.

    I don’t think anybody can play any type of race card if somebody’s music isn’t successful. Charley Pride had over 50 million albums sold, and he had to do it way back then! When race was a HUGE problem. A trailblazer and he disproved everybody that thought otherwise.

  14. Matt B.
    February 20, 2008 at 7:34 pm Permalink

    As dar as Rissi Palmer goes, I didn’t like Country Girl” but her current single is what I was thinging of. “Hold On To Me” is more MOR mainstream country.

  15. Lucas
    February 20, 2008 at 7:52 pm Permalink

    I don’t think any of these people have Reba or Shania status songs. But then again, who does?

    I’m totally jealous that Rissi was allowed to play the Opry already though!

  16. Brady Vercher
    February 20, 2008 at 8:49 pm Permalink

    Rick, did you listen to “Like A Rose” on DigitalRodeo? I’d be interested in knowing what you think of it. The intro starts off kinda funky, but it settles down and becomes a pretty good song.

  17. pete gould
    February 24, 2008 at 1:02 pm Permalink

    one of the best women country singers in year,s who am talking about star de azlan when are we going to get her c d in the u k

  18. Lori
    February 24, 2008 at 8:56 pm Permalink

    Responding to: “I’d say the huge success of Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift would indicate the majority are white, young, female, and have blonde hair.”

    You’d think today we would actually be passed all that. (I say this this as a fairly young white blonde gal myself! LOL)

  19. Paul W Dennis
    February 24, 2008 at 11:17 pm Permalink

    I think it’s perfectly possible for a Black or Latino/Latina artist to penetrate the country market. They simply need to do what worked for both Johnny Rodriguez and Charley Pride – be more country than their Anglo counterparts. Quit trying to straddle the line between AC and country. Emphasize the fiddle and steel guitar, tone down the drums, place the singer front and center in the arrangements and sing real country music.

    Race isn’t the issue, and the 2% for whom it is are more likely to be rock fans than country fans anyway

  20. Hollerin' Ben
    February 25, 2008 at 6:39 pm Permalink

    I heard the single on KKGO and was astonished to hear something so wonderfully country on the radio. Despite listening to super rad country all the time, hearing this on the airwaves kinda took my breath away.

    I agree with Brady that the lyrics are so-so, but it’s real country music, being played in a major market, and that’s a damn good thing.

  21. Jone
    February 28, 2008 at 12:32 am Permalink

    Quote
    “make the same conclusion about Crystal Shawanda: I don’t think that it’s impossible for a black artist to succeed on country radio these days but it’s much harder for an artist with a “black name” to succeed (even though Shawanda herself is Native American). I’m surprised that record companies seem to have lost sight of this lately, given the number of famous name changes in country music history.”
    —–

    First and foremost, Shawanda is not a ‘black name’. Check out her CMT page, listen to the song ‘Dawn of the New Day,’ that is what Shawanda means. It is unfortunate the last name ‘Shawanda’ is spelled the “western way” as the early settlers was not able to pronounce the original writing of the traditional names. Therefor, there is history and teachings behind the names of Native Americans. To add to the comments…I agree that ethnicity has nothing to do about whether a arist will succeed or not, its purely fan based. You can hear it in her voice : Crystal was born country!

  22. Ginger
    November 15, 2008 at 12:41 am Permalink

    What a voice Star has. So what – no more songs? Say it ain’t so! Bring ‘em!

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