‘The Voice’ Alum Cherie Oakley Releases Empowering ‘Work It’ Single

The Voice alum Cherie Oakley is back with new music! The singer just released “Work It,” from an upcoming new project.

Oakley, who competed on Season 1 of The Voice (won by Javier Colon), has been working on music for the last several years, singing with artists like Kelly Clarkson, Amy Grant, Trace Adkins and more, while considering her own next move as an artist. But when Oakley realized she had a message for women, especially women in country music, to hear, she recorded “Work It,” with veteran producer Dann Huff, after being signed to Number One Group.

“I was inspired to write ‘Work It’ when I saw how women became fewer and fewer on the radio, awards shows and even as background vocalists in country music,” Oakley told PopCulture.com.. “I wanted to do something as it affected my dreams as an artist but also my work as a singer altogether. Fewer women meant fewer sessions and fewer live jobs. But what could I do? Who was I? It was frustrating as it also affected writing appointments, as I heard over and over people say they absolutely did NOT want to write a song for a woman. Thank God getting signed as an artist/writer changed that as me and co-writers would write for myself.

“Still, the overwhelming male dominance in country music and the harsh reality that women are still deemed as a huge risk is a difficult pill to swallow, when wanting to pursue dreams,” she continued. “One morning it really hit like a ton of bricks: I realized that I have more power than I thought. Being an artist gives me the greatest opportunity because I am the one on that platform. I am the one who gets to create the music, the words, the statements, and I get to sing about it. Suddenly I felt empowered and inspired.”

Frustration aside, Oakley knew when she sat down with writer Mark Oakley and David Fanning, that she wanted to write a song that was for everyone, not just frustrated females.

“I told them matter-of-factly that I wanted to write a song that was not negative toward men, or the industry or anything, but only positive of women,” Oakley recalled. “A true female empowerment song, sung like how I want to sing it! I wanted to write something like an anthem – fun, up tempo, celebratory of women. We wrote ‘Work It.’

Huff’s daughter, Ashlyne, choreographed the video, which is, in many ways, Oakley’s way of introducing the next phase of her career to her fans.

“I’m incredibly proud to release it to the world,” boasted the singer. “I hope it makes women feel empowered to go out there and do what ever it is they dream of doing, because we CAN.”

Download “Work It” on iTunes.