Reba McEntire’s Career Advice: ‘Be Different and Stand Out’

Reba McEntire is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, with more than 65 million albums sold and dozens of No. 1 singles. With more than four decades as an artist, McEntire is certainly equipped to offer plenty of advice to aspiring singers – but she says finding success really isn’t that complicated, regardless of your career aspirations.

“Be different, stand out, and work your butt off,” McEntire told Billboard. But the 64-year-old acknowledges that, even though her advice applies to any generation, artists getting started now have it much different than she did.

“Technology has changed everything,” McEntire conceded. “Everything is faster, and in many ways, easier than it was when I was starting out. But on the other hand, because it’s so much faster, artists don’t get as much time to develop. If I was starting out now, I don’t know if I would make it.”

The Country Music Hall of Fame member has achieved more success than most other artists – but that success came with a price.

“You have to stay away from home a lot,” McEntire told PBS News Hour. “You have to leave your kids home with a nanny. You have to say no to a lot of great things that you would get to do at home and with family. Like missing your kid’s championship hockey game. You can’t be there because you’re shooting a movie in L.A.

“A lot of that stuff, I wish — if I could go back, what would I do?” she continued. “How would I do it again now, knowing what I know now? But you can’t look back. You can’t live on regrets.”

McEntire will soon release her 33rd studio album, Stronger Than the Truth, which is pure country, hearkening back to her childhood days in Oklahoma.

“I grew up on an 8,000-acre family ranch singing at dance halls, honky-tonks and rodeos with my brother and sister,” McEntire explained. “Stronger Than the Truth takes me back to that kind of country music that I grew up with. I haven’t gotten to do that in a while, so I’m thrilled to pieces to release this new music.”

McEntire will return for the 16th time to host at the 2019 ACM Awards. The show will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 7, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

Photo Credit: Getty / Emma Mcintyre/ACMA2018