NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Here in middle Tennessee, you know we love a good music festival. The one happening Friday wasn't at any of the usual venues.
When you're a singer, you find yourself giggin' at all sorts of places. For Sam Roark, this was a new one.
"I mean, there's monkeys behind me right now," she laughed.
Sam was singing at the Nashville Zoo. Her lyrics are of the most autobiographical kind.
"I was a homeless drug addict," she explained. "I had an overdose when I was 17. I had nowhere to go. I had nothing. My whole life was gone."
After a drug court program, Sam began channeling her struggles into songwriting.
Now came this rather unique stage. Musicians were heading into the Nashville Zoo for the Josie Music Awards Festival.
"We are independent musicians," Sam explained. "We are unsigned artists, and we are at a showcase for unsigned and independent artists."
For Sam, the festival's just a memorable day in a life story she's putting into lyrics.
"I found something I love," Sam said. "Music heals, and I like to write music that empowers us to heal and help me reflect on what I've done and what I've been through."
