Rebekah Snyder
Rebekah Snyder shares her journey through Appalachian storytelling, family, motherhood, resilience, and country music, revealing the personal experiences and influences behind her heartfelt songs and latest releases.
1. Your music is deeply rooted in Appalachian storytelling and your Western Pennsylvania upbringing. How did your family, hometown, and early musical experiences shape the songwriter you are today?
I sing about my family history and values passed down to me. Songs like “America” and “War is Hell” explore higher truths learned directly from my grandfather, a World War II veteran.
Motherhood and raising my children in my hometown heavily inspire my recent music. Tracks like “These Jeans” incorporate everyday details of parenting, homework, and life’s lessons.
Similarly, my single “Small Town” grew out of a melody reflecting on day-to-day life and the choices I make for my kids.
2. You discovered artists like Linda Ronstadt, Fleetwood Mac, Jim Croce, and Don McLean through your mother’s guitar and your family’s record collection, while later drawing inspiration from Morgan Wallen and Tyler Childers. How have these different influences come together in your sound?
Learning folk songs on my mom’s guitar as a teenager shaped my approach to country melodies and storytelling.
Judy Collins’ “Someday Soon” directly inspired my songs “Like A Wild Horse” and “Maybe Next Time,” blending classic pedal steel vibes with modern themes.
Meanwhile, modern country artists like Morgan Wallen prompted me to write “Lonely Cowboy” from a female perspective.
Jim Croce and John Denver influenced my narrative instincts, seen in tracks like “The Fiddle Player Stays.”
Coming from coal country, Tyler Childers’ music resonates deeply with me. His vivid setting of Appalachian life inspired lyrics in my upcoming releases about local heritage and military service.
3. After performing in all-female rock bands in New York and even touring with Steven Adler, you stepped away from music for nearly a decade. What did that period teach you about yourself, and what ultimately gave you the strength to reclaim your voice?
Surviving a controlling and abusive relationship stripped away my fear and worry about what others think.
Escaping that situation and getting my children to safety gave me the strength and independence to re-emerge as an artist.
Having endured my lowest point, I now feel resilient and unfazed by self-doubt when writing music or performing.
4. “America” connects your personal family history with a broader message of resilience and unity. What inspired the song, and what did it mean to have your daughter portray the young version of you in the music video?
Sharing the experience with my daughter encouraged me to re-enter music and make the “America” video.
I wrote the song right after 9/11, channeling my grandfather’s World War II service and his belief in freedom.
Having my daughter play a young version of me holding his photo was a meaningful way to honor his legacy and pass down those values.
5. Your upcoming album, Ready to Ride!, explores small-town life, motherhood, relationships, survival, and starting over. What can listeners expect from the album, and how does it represent where you are personally and artistically today?
Instead of an album, I am releasing the songs as standalone singles so each story can stand on its own.
Upcoming releases will touch on past relationships, themes of survival, and tribute songs for veterans like “War is Hell.”
6. The first single, “Don’t Ever Date a Yankee,” is a playful country duet with Adam Cunningham that explores rural and urban relationships from a rural perspective. What inspired the story behind the song, and what was it like bringing Adam into the track?
The song originated from a past relationship with a guy from Louisiana whose father didn’t care for “Yankees.” I turned that experience into a humorous duet concept.
I met Adam Cunningham by chance in a studio lobby in Nashville. After connecting with him, he agreed to feature on the track, delivering an incredible performance.