On Tuesday Nov. 10 at 7 p.m., the Student Activities Board (SAB) hosted a free live concert featuring Ella Mae Bowen for Monmouth University students in the Rebecca Stafford Student Center.
The event included live music and free refreshments along with great prizes such as Monmouth winter gear and a chance to win a $50 gift card the school bookstore. This event was one of the many exciting free concerts that SAB has been able to sponsor for Monmouth students to enjoy this semester.
SAB member and sophomore education student Gina Geletei said, “Due to the weather SAB had to think on their feet and we decided to move the event inside the student center and set it up like a coffee house. The setting was really intimate and everyone who attended seemed to really be into it and enjoyed themselves. This was the first time we ever tried to have a concert in the student center and I think it was very successful.”
Bowen is a young talented new artist in the world of country music. Although she is just 18 years of age, Bowen’s voice has been earning her a great deal of positive attention from critics in the music industry. The young artist began writing and performing her own songs at the age of seven before moving to Nashville, TN from the small town of Walhalla, SC.
Bowen’s career launched as a breakout artist on the “Footloose” movie soundtrack back in 2011, and at one time earned herself a deal with Big Machine Record Group. Bowen had a hard time dealing with extended downtime and overall frustration with the music bussiness. Ultimately, her record deal fell through, leaving Bowen to take about a year off from music and began working two jobs as a nanny and at a coffee shop. Bowen has stated recently that she personally does not wish to chase a record deal with a major record label again. Growing up she did not dream of performing at large venues such as a football stadium. She has mentioned how she much more prefers and feels a sense of comfort performing in smaller concert enviroments.
Bowen remembers writing her first songs at a very young age in hopes of dealing with the death of her grandfather. Her grandfather was a handyman along with an old bluegrass picker that she spent a great amount of time with writing poetry and songs for until his passing when she was only 10 years old.
Bowen’s career has recently included the release of her “Ella Mae Bowen EP” in 2014, which included six original songs. Bowen’s career is just starting and her future looks extremely bright in the ever so popular world of country music. Ella Mae Bowen is a name that fans will most likely be hearing about when searching for new upcoming artists in the near future.
“Ella Mae Bowen was spectacular in her performance. She was such a great person and everyone really enjoyed having her come out to perform for Monmouth University,” said Matt Sheehan, Concert Chair for SAB and junior business student.
Having Ella Mae on campus to perform live for Monmouth students’ showcased young talent, along with creating a sense of motivation and inspiration for current students. Bowen exemplifies an extremely young and dedicated artist chasing after her dreams and goals one step at a time in a unique and personal way.
