Lindsay Ell's Path to Nashville Fueled by Passion

Lindsay Ell knew from when she was a little girl that she only wanted to do music. But even with that determination, the Canadian had a winding path to Nashville, and the release of her debut album, The Project.

"I started playing shows when I was 10 and there is nothing that makes me feel the same way that playing live makes me feel," Ell tells Taylor magazine. "I was such a nerd at school; I took it so seriously, but I just knew that nothing was going to make me happy like music did. My second year at business school, I sat my parents down and told them I wanted to be a musician and was going to move to Nashville, which was a bit of a shock to them, but they were nothing but supportive."

Although Ell made the brave move to Music City, she wasn't able to make a living until she got her visa.

"Nashville is such a welcoming city – it must be that whole Southern hospitality thing!" says Ell. "I only knew one person when I arrived but deep down, I just knew I was going to make it work. I wrote songs all day. Before I got my visa, I had to fly back and forth to Calgary (where I'm from) because I couldn't make any money in the US yet. So I was waiting tables back home, playing gigs, going to school, all while trying to make my music career work. I was going to do whatever it took.

"When I got my visa, I signed a record deal and was finally able to make a living in Nashville," continues the singer. "There is such a community there and it definitely is the country music mecca, but there are are so many other genres of music there too. Everyone speaks the same musical language."

While Ell's path certainly wasn't easy, she knew the hard work would pay off in the end – a belief that has already proven true.

"I just knew that it was what I wanted to do," says Ell. "When there is that level of passion in your heart, you just don't settle for anything else. I am a competitive spirit, especially with myself, so when I set goals in my mind, there is no other alternative. I always believed enough in myself and my team that we were going to make it work. It was never a matter of if, it was a matter of when. Looking back, I wouldn't change a thing, because those hard times make you stronger and appreciate things."

Ell earned her first No. 1 hit in Canada – the first female artist to land at the top of the charts since Terri Clark in 2008 – with her current single, "Criminal." The song, which is the second single from The Project, is climbing up the charts in the U.S. as well, letting Ell finally see the fruits of her labor.

"It's crazy," Ell tells Billboard. "It is so insane to be able to look at the chart and see that I have a Top 20 song. I mean, I've dreamed of this ever since I was a little girl. It's just been really exciting to see more and more people sing along at shows, and fans were so excited. It's just a feeling that I've never gotten to experience before."

Purchase The Project at LindsayEll.com.

Photo Credit: Instagram/lindsayell