Seven hundred or somiles from the noise of Nashville,Logan Mizeand his wife Jill live in a house in the middle of a field in Kansas, a house that became a home to the two songwriters when they needed it the most.“You can get so caught up in the music industry and the culture there,” says Mize tells PEOPLE, just as the cicadas begin singing their own tune in the background. “It can become a rat race and it’s competitive. But once all that goes away and you get out from under that, you realize that none of it really mattered.“Indeed, it was just about 10 years ago when Mize, 36, found himself smack dab in the middle of that so-called rat race, trying to find some sort of traction in an industry that will run you over if you’re not looking.But today, his life looks far different.The Martin-Mize family.Sydney Davidson Photography"We hang out with people who are just every day, normal blue-collar type folks that couldn’t care any less about the music industry,” says Mize with a slight chuckle. “And that’s been really good for us.““Honestly it feels like everything has fallen into place since we moved here,” adds Martin, 35, whose home now sits just one mile from her family’s farm. “I don’t know if that’s because we’re happier here or what. I mean, Nashville is just a Southwest [Airlines] flight away. When Logan tours, the kids and I aren’t alone. We have family all around us. You’ve got to listen to those instincts when they’re telling you to make a change, you know?“It’s not only been good for them personally, but also professionally.“Our lifestyle has definitely changed the way we look at and approach the music business, for sure,” says Mize, who recently made a trip to Nashville to accept his very first RIAA certified gold record for his 2017 hit “Better Off Gone.“Logan Mize and Jill Martin.Courtesy Big Yellow Dog MusicAnd it’s this different viewpoint that materialized into Mize’s new concept albumWelcome to Prairieville, a project that has been in the works for a decade that’s filled with music describing a place that may be fictional, but a place that has a way of speaking to one’s collective heart.“I don’t think I could have put this project out when I was living in Nashville,” says Mize, who collaborated on the project with longtime co-writer Blake Chaffin and co-wrote all but one track on the album. “This project helped me find my own voice and my own style. It’s the most ‘me’ thing I’ve done, which makes it a lot easier to talk about. It’s as if I can ‘feel’ this place.“The Martin-Mize family.Sarah Kaiser PhotographyWelcome to Prairievillealso allowed Mize to work alongside his talented wife, two songwriters who first met when they were both busy chasing his music dreams in Nashville back in 2009. They were married just one year later.And then a year after that, they had their first child, son Lincoln, now 10. And four years after that, they welcomed their second child, daughter Violet, now 6.And withWelcome to Prairieville, the two found themselves collaborating again, with Martin joining her husband for background vocals on “Tell the Truth.” They also wrote “I Still Miss You” together. And forevermore, they will look atWelcome to Prairievilleas something they not only created together, but something that they created during one of the sweetest times of their lives.“It feels like Prairieville out here sometimes,” quietly remarks Mize, who envisions a day whenWelcome to Prairievilletransforms into a children’s book, or perhaps a Broadway play. “It feels less scary out here. You feel like you have your own little protective blanket. You are truly away from it all.”
Seven hundred or somiles from the noise of Nashville,Logan Mizeand his wife Jill live in a house in the middle of a field in Kansas, a house that became a home to the two songwriters when they needed it the most.
“You can get so caught up in the music industry and the culture there,” says Mize tells PEOPLE, just as the cicadas begin singing their own tune in the background. “It can become a rat race and it’s competitive. But once all that goes away and you get out from under that, you realize that none of it really mattered.”
Indeed, it was just about 10 years ago when Mize, 36, found himself smack dab in the middle of that so-called rat race, trying to find some sort of traction in an industry that will run you over if you’re not looking.
But today, his life looks far different.
The Martin-Mize family.Sydney Davidson Photography
“We hang out with people who are just every day, normal blue-collar type folks that couldn’t care any less about the music industry,” says Mize with a slight chuckle. “And that’s been really good for us.”
“Honestly it feels like everything has fallen into place since we moved here,” adds Martin, 35, whose home now sits just one mile from her family’s farm. “I don’t know if that’s because we’re happier here or what. I mean, Nashville is just a Southwest [Airlines] flight away. When Logan tours, the kids and I aren’t alone. We have family all around us. You’ve got to listen to those instincts when they’re telling you to make a change, you know?”
It’s not only been good for them personally, but also professionally.
“Our lifestyle has definitely changed the way we look at and approach the music business, for sure,” says Mize, who recently made a trip to Nashville to accept his very first RIAA certified gold record for his 2017 hit “Better Off Gone.”
Logan Mize and Jill Martin.Courtesy Big Yellow Dog Music
And it’s this different viewpoint that materialized into Mize’s new concept albumWelcome to Prairieville, a project that has been in the works for a decade that’s filled with music describing a place that may be fictional, but a place that has a way of speaking to one’s collective heart.
“I don’t think I could have put this project out when I was living in Nashville,” says Mize, who collaborated on the project with longtime co-writer Blake Chaffin and co-wrote all but one track on the album. “This project helped me find my own voice and my own style. It’s the most ‘me’ thing I’ve done, which makes it a lot easier to talk about. It’s as if I can ‘feel’ this place.”
The Martin-Mize family.Sarah Kaiser Photography
Welcome to Prairievillealso allowed Mize to work alongside his talented wife, two songwriters who first met when they were both busy chasing his music dreams in Nashville back in 2009. They were married just one year later.
And then a year after that, they had their first child, son Lincoln, now 10. And four years after that, they welcomed their second child, daughter Violet, now 6.
And withWelcome to Prairieville, the two found themselves collaborating again, with Martin joining her husband for background vocals on “Tell the Truth.” They also wrote “I Still Miss You” together. And forevermore, they will look atWelcome to Prairievilleas something they not only created together, but something that they created during one of the sweetest times of their lives.
“It feels like Prairieville out here sometimes,” quietly remarks Mize, who envisions a day whenWelcome to Prairievilletransforms into a children’s book, or perhaps a Broadway play. “It feels less scary out here. You feel like you have your own little protective blanket. You are truly away from it all.”
source: people.com
