As a young girl, Mary Sarah would sing about doing laundry while running around her house in Fort Bend County. Little did Mary know her joy for singing would become much more. It wasn’t until she and her sister, Emily, decided to take piano lessons that her God-given talent for signing was truly recognized. “My sister and I have always done things together,” Mary said. “Prior to piano we did ice skating lessons and gymnastics together. Emilee is actually the one who took an interest in piano. So of course, being the younger sister I wanted to do it too.” While at piano lessons, Mary would sing along while she played. Her teacher noticed the natural vibrato in Mary’s voice, which most people practice and work towards to achieve. Mary admits she had no idea what her teacher was talking about when he told her. He suggested that she look into vocal lessons and Mary thought why not.
“I already sang around the house,” Mary said, “so, I thought it would just be another fun thing to try and do. Then I just fell in love with it. I started off going once a week and then twice a week. It just took off from there.” Mary was eight years old when she started taking vocal lessons. Soon after she added dance classes and acting classes into the mix, once again, all just for fun. After a couple of years of growing in her talents, her vocal lesson teacher offered to connect Mary with an agent out in Los Angeles. “I don’t even know what it was that made my family and I think this was a great idea and that we should to do it, but we did,” Mary said. “We ended up packing up and heading out to LA to meet him.” Even though she was only 12 years old, Mary remembers the trip vividly. She and her mother met with the agent and it couldn’t of gone any better. They all got along and he confirmed Mary’s talents and skills. The day after the meeting her mother received an email about an audition. They were set to head back home to Texas, but Mary convinced her mother to stay so she could audition. Mary simply wanted to experience the audition process, to see what it was like, and what it was all about. She had no real thoughts of actually being called back the next day out of the thousands of kids, but she was.
After the second round, she and her mother flew back home to Texas and waited to hear back. Still Mary really wasn’t expecting much out of it. She didn’t hear back until almost two months later. To her surprise she had landed a spot in touring with Kidz Bop. “I remember just screaming and dropping the phone,” Mary said. “It was my first audition, and honestly, I didn’t think anything would really come from it because I was just trying it out.” Mary and her family took some time to pray and discuss the opportunity as a family. Little did they know it would be the first stepping-stone in Mary’s musical career. Mary has now been in the musical performing business for 10 years. Shortly after, her Kidz Bop tour she put out an album of duets with some of country music’s legends, including Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Ray Price. Her days of singing in the Texas Opry circuit would soon switch to singing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. She and her mother moved to Nashville to continue Mary’s musical performing career. Then in 2016, Mary took on the national spotlight by being chosen for Team Blake on season 10 of The Voice. “Honestly, I look back on my life and it has truly just been miracle after miracle,” Mary said. “I just can’t explain how it all has happened. There is no reasoning that my life turned out the way it did, other than that God was so involved.”
Mary’s faith is the one thing, other than her family, that has helped her navigate her journey thus far. Within the music business, Mary admits there can be a lot that comes with it. But her faith and family have helped keep her grounded. “The one thing that continues to keep me going is that God keeps granting me these miracles,” Mary said. “I just pray all the time, ‘Lord, you gave me this voice. If it is where I am supposed to be and this is what I am supposed to be doing then you continue to open the doors and you make the way.’ Because I don’t ever want to be the one to force it all to happen.” Even though Mary calls Nashville home now. She still has a special place in her heart for the Fort Bend area. She admits it is the place that made her into who she is today. When Mary can, she enjoys coming back to the area to sing at local events. While home, she tries to take part in her home church’s worship services at River Pointe Church.
“I am really passionate about worship,” Mary said. “When I get to sing worship songs, whether it is traditional hymns or new worship music, I always enjoy getting to use my voice in that way.” The next big stage Mary will take will be in Las Vegas. She will be continuing her career with The Voice by participating in a residency show at the Hard Rock Casino called The Voice: Neon Dreams. No matter what stage Mary is on though, she hopes her faith is what shines through the most.
