After residing in Nashville for more than six years, Onoleigh, who has released multiple hit singles, including “Ghost Stories,” “Beautifully Broken,” and “Make it Hurt,” has finally released her debut album, First Rodeo.
With Onoleigh’s powerhouse vocals and vivid storytelling, Onoleigh takes the listeners from heartbreak to empowerment in this modern country saga.
Produced in LA by Grammy-nominated Emile Ghantous (Pitbull, Boyz II Men, Fifth Harmony) and co-written with Josh Goode (2x Emmy-winning songwriter) and Sam SZND (4x Platinum songwriter), First Rodeo has already gained traction with lead singles landing on Spotify’s Fresh Finds Country and All New Country, CMT Music’s The Roundup, and ACM’s Fresh Music Friday. Onoleigh has shared the stage with Smokey Robinson, Jordan Davis, Randy Houser, and eighties pop legend, John Oates.
Onoleigh, who has co-written every song on the EP, has learned from the process as she created every song to make sense in the context of each other. Like many before her, First Rodeo was conceived because of a devasting breakup, but what makes this EP different is its execution. Every piece of it has been created to be the best it can be, from the clever lyrics, the emotion, and Onoleigh’s magnificent vocals to the production and even the branding.
She stated, “Ultimately, I write music for myself, and I don’t really fall into a box of country, pop, blues, or R&B. For me, if it’s a good song, it’s well done, and it has a great message, I’m very drawn to it.”
After her “intense breakup,” she wasn’t trying to create an EP; she was just following the music and a feeling.
Onoleigh explained, “It wasn’t until I started really hearing all of these songs in the context of each other. I thought, ‘This sounds like a collection of songs. I can’t just put these out single by single. I need to hone into this period of my life.’ I can listen to each one of these songs on the EP and completely timestamp exactly where I was coming from.”
The first song on the EP is “Higher Standards.” It’s about a girl who realizes she has been treated poorly and has settled for far too long. And while it is an empowering song, when she wrote it, it was more of a reminder to herself.
She shared, “I couldn’t believe I let someone treat me like this. [This song] was more of a checklist for whoever I fall in love with next- They will need to have all these requirements.”
So far, “Higher Standards” is Onoleigh’s most streamed song to date.
Another fan favorite is the vulnerable song “Drink and Cry.” As she stated in her EP release show, “You don’t ever have to worry about me drinking and driving, but I am guilty of drinking and crying.”
In the first song, she established what she needed from a guy, but for her heart to execute what her mind knows is a different assignment.
She agreed, “You’re like, ‘Life is fine.’ But then you have a little alcohol, and you revert to your old behavior, thinking, ‘Maybe it wasn’t so bad.’ You’re just praying, ‘Lord, just get me through the night.'”
She continued, “I was like, ‘Did I really rely on the bottle to get me through it?’ But unfortunately, that was a sad reality of my situation.”
“OK Later” starts with a banjo intro, but it is used more in a pop-sonic way than a traditional country song. As the banjo plunks, Onoleigh briefly weaves the listener into a hypnotic state as she finally turns the corner from her failed relationship.
With the words, If you’re breaking my heart then I′m breaking it back/ Drinking with her then I′m drinking with Jack/ Gotta excuse my behavior/ Let me feel my feelings I’ll be okay later, the song is about embracing the in-between. It’s about getting the power back.
Onoleigh has her “Steven Tyler moment” when she wails, “I’m torn apart and ′bout to scream.”
You’ve got to check out “OK Later,” a unique and noteworthy song on the EP.
The EP’s most country-sounding song is “Bottomless Tears.” It is a classic nod to heartbreak, complete with excessive alcohol and tears.
“It’s about pouring one out for a future that never got to exist, states the singer. ‘Bottomless Tears‘ is the sweet baby on this EP so far. It’s definitely skyrocketed.”
With the words, “What’s better for me ain’t you,” you know you have made the right decision to move forward.
With the final song on the record, the title track, “First Rodeo,” Onoleigh gives a fair warning to any potential suitors. The next guy had better beware because she is back in the saddle with hindsight that she didn’t have during the first go-round.
He better watch out, as she cautions him, Hey now, O here we go/ better get a grip/don’t you lose control/ Hey now, O here we go/ Better hold tight/It’s your very first rodeo.
By the end of the EP, you know that Onoleigh has changed her standards. She knows what she wants, and she’s no longer putting up with it.
“I don’t paint my red flags green anymore,” she confessed. “You have to change yourself and love yourself fully, and then you’ll start attracting the right kind of people.”
She continued, “It’s a spiritual journey. I took this whole year off of boys and dating and just put all my emotions into the EP. I truly feel very healed and have a lot of closure on this. And now, yeah, I’m ready to get out there and have a healthy relationship.”
After seeing her electrifying performance of the First Rodeo EP at Nashville’s Analog Room, I can attest that seeing Onoleigh in person should be on your bucket list. For more information, follow her on her website, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and all streaming platforms.
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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and X.
First Rodeo Track List:
- Higher Standards
- Drink And Cry
- OK Later
- Bottomless Tears
- First Rodeo
