Mae Estes is introducing herself to the world with her debut EP, Before the Record, out now. The six-track record became Estes’ way of introducing herself, in every way, to the country music genre, as a singer, songwriter and person.

“I get really dramatic about it,” Estes tells Everything Nash. “I think it’s just my first project release, which means a lot to me as an artist. When I was growing up, it was artists that I bought into, like the Martina McBride records, I would listen to forward and backward. Lee Ann Womack records, I would listen to forward and backward, and Keith Whitley‘s records. And so, I think I bought into the artists more than single songs. This kind of feels like an actual introduction to me as an artist, where you can sit down with a project for the first time and dive into six songs and feel like you really know who I am, what I’m trying to say, and get a better grasp on how I view the world. That’s what I hope for.”

Estes has already teased several songs from Before the Record, including “Die In A Bar,” “Your Hands,” “Thinkin’ ‘Bout Cheatin'” and more. The rising star hopes that, now that the entire project is out, fans can hear the songs in order, and gain an entirely new understanding of who she really is.

“A lot of the songs have already been released,” Estes acknowledges. “I hope it gets another push as a project where you decide to buy into the way I view the world, and you really wanna hear what I’ve got to say, or you decide it’s not for you. And both of those options are fine. I think that people that are out there that the project was made for, I think it’ll get to them one way or the other.”

It is Whitley who has inspired Estes the most, both in his songwriting and delivery. On her website, Estes describes herself as “Just tryin’ to make Mama and Keith Whitley proud,” a sentence that, to Estes, perfectly sums up her goals with her music.

“When it all boils down, I want to be proud of who I am,” Estes shares. “And I think as long as I’m proud of who I am, and that my mom is proud … I wanna make music that feels really authentic to me and that people feel seen when they get to hear it. And that’s how Keith Whitley’s music makes me feel. So those are just two very broad goals of mine, but I feel like it all keeps me grounded if I stick to that goal.”

Estes spent seven years honing her craft, often working tedious jobs to make ends meet while she pursued her passion. With her debut project now out for the world to hear, Estes is grateful for all of it, even when — or maybe especially when — the journey wasn’t easy.

“Depending on the day, sometimes seven years fills every bit of seven years,” Estes says with a laugh. “Sometimes it feels like I just got to town and I have zero idea what I’m doing. It’s so much to learn that it’s overwhelming, and sometimes it feels like I have been at this for 100 years, and I feel so old and run over and just defeated. Time just kind of becomes this abyss. When you’re in Nashville, you just have your head down, and you’re working and you don’t really look up until you hit one of these milestones and then you’re like, ‘Okay, cool, well, what’s the next thing?’ And you put your head back down.

“So I think we all are trying to work really hard on celebrating things,  as we hit those milestones, because you have so many little things to celebrate,” she adds. “And even having some bigger things to celebrate now, it’s really reminding me of the things I wish I had slowed down and let myself be proud of myself for on my journey.”

In a world where artists measure their success by chart positions or record sales or concert tickets, Estes’ benchmark for her own level of success is much simpler, and personal to her.

“Releasing it in general definitely feels like a success,” Estes admits. “I don’t need it to be critically acclaimed or anything like that. It is something I’m super proud of. I’ve lived with these songs forever and ever, and so I have beat them to death in that they are something I’m proud of, and no one can ever take that away from me. I’m excited to hear the good reviews, and the bad reviews. My biggest goal is that it gets exposure and that it gets the chance to be heard. And then if you like it or not, that’s great.”

Estes will make her Grand Ole Opry debut on March 4. Find Before the Record and Estes’ tour dates at MaeEstes.com.