Brooke Lee: The Years Behind the Big Moments

About Brooke Lee

Brooke Lee is a country artist and songwriter whose path started in church, where she watched her grandfather play piano and began singing at a young age. She formed her first band at 15, visited Nashville at 19, and moved there at 21 with the goal of making music her career.

After two years of late-night Broadway performances, daily writing sessions, and writer's rounds, Brooke signed her first publishing deal. She has since toured with artists including Willie Nelson and NEEDTOBREATHE, partnered with Chevrolet on a national campaign, and continued building a career centered on honest songs, live performance, and longevity.

What we talked about

• Discovering Nashville at 19 and moving there two years later
• Learning stage presence through early bands, cover shows, and humbling performances
• Working Broadway closing shifts while writing and building industry relationships
• Her first writing sessions with the late songwriter Bruce Burch
• Landing the Chevrolet campaign and recreating “See the USA in Your Chevrolet”
• Watching the commercial debut during the Olympic opening ceremony
• Lessons from touring with Willie Nelson, NEEDTOBREATHE, and Wade Bowen
• How Desert Darling tells the story of her life from 19 to 25
• Why apparent overnight success is usually years of unseen preparation
• Building headlining shows, making her own merchandise, and staying on the road

The years behind the big moments

Brooke's early Nashville routine was built around closing shifts on Broadway five or six nights a week. She would perform from 10 p.m. until nearly 3 a.m., call her mother on the way home, work out before sunrise, sleep, then wake up for writing sessions or writer's rounds before doing it again.

That schedule was difficult, but it developed the performance skills, relationships, and discipline she would need later. Brooke describes her career as a series of small moments that prepared her for the larger ones—not a sudden breakthrough disconnected from everything that came before.

She does not want to skip the uncomfortable seasons. Driving through the night, putting miles on her own car, staying in cheap hotels, and learning how to carry pressure are all part of becoming ready for bigger opportunities.

The Chevrolet campaign

Brooke first heard there was only a small chance she might be offered a Chevrolet campaign. When the official call came, the opportunity matched what she wanted from a brand partnership: something she could represent honestly. The campaign encouraged people to travel and see America, fitting naturally with her life on the road.

She recorded a new version of the classic “See the USA in Your Chevrolet,” a song her grandparents immediately recognized. The commercial debuted during the Olympic opening ceremony while Brooke was touring with NEEDTOBREATHE. She watched it air with her team, then saw it again that night as they returned to the green room after their set.

For Brooke, getting the call was even more emotional than seeing the finished commercial. The opportunity felt like proof that years of preparation had placed her team in the right position when the moment arrived.

Desert Darling: a six-song becoming story

Desert Darling captures Brooke's life from ages 19 through 25. The six tracks are designed as one continuous story, beginning with youthful freedom and moving through love, heartbreak, independence, and the difference between feeling lonely and being comfortable alone.

The project originally had five tracks and a different title. Brooke and Danielle Blakey wrote “Desert Darling” while looking for the missing love song. It became the sixth track, gave the project its name, and helped complete the story.

Instead of choosing songs from a large finished catalog, Brooke and her collaborators worked backward from the story they wanted to tell. The details stayed personal because she trusted that something true enough to connect with her would also connect with somebody else.

Building a career for the long haul

Watching Willie Nelson perform from side stage changed how Brooke thought about time. It reminded her that a music career is not a short race and that steady progress matters more than forcing everything to happen immediately.

Touring with NEEDTOBREATHE reinforced the importance of connecting with an audience and creating an experience that fills people up. Headlining adds another kind of pressure, but Brooke sees it as the natural next step after years of learning how to hold a room and support other artists' shows.

Even her merchandise reflects that do-it-yourself approach. Brooke began thrifting and rebuilding clothing when traditional merchandise was too expensive, turning a financial limitation into something distinctive that fans could take home from a show.

Episode highlights

1. 0:39 Realizing music could become a career during her first Nashville visit
2. 2:28 Learning stage presence and how to connect with a crowd
3. 4:53 Moving to Nashville and growing from cover singer to artist
4. 8:30 The exhausting routine behind her Broadway years
5. 11:38 Getting the call for the Chevrolet campaign
6. 13:24 Watching the commercial debut during the Olympic opening ceremony
7. 16:46 What Willie Nelson and NEEDTOBREATHE taught her about longevity
8. 19:47 How Desert Darling tells the story of ages 19 through 25
9. 24:23 Why big opportunities are not really overnight success
10. 33:38 Creating one-of-a-kind thrifted merchandise on the road