In Tenille Townes’ latest single “Girl Who Didn’t Care,” the singer reflects on and seeks to rediscover her childlike naivety and fearlessness that made her feel as if she could conquer the world. The relatable track is not just about her, but it challenges listeners to find that fearlessness in themselves as well. In honor of the song, Townes shared a story on her social media accounts about when she first felt that “Girl Who Didn’t Care” attitude waning.
“8th Grade…this is when I first noticed the ‘girl who didn’t care’ slipping a bit,” wrote Townes. “At our year end assembly I was excited to play guitar & sing, which I had done many times fearlessly. This time was different. I was wearing a dress, which I hate wearing, and I had to sit and play guitar with a mic stand, which was more complicated than it should have been in that dress. There were a few kids in the front row laughing, and for the first time ever I felt that it could have been about me. I had never thought that before.”
Townes continued, sharing that after that incident, she no longer performed at school and she kept her dream of being a singer secret.
“From that moment forward, I didn’t really sing at school anymore,” she wrote. “I kept my wild dream of being a singer/songwriter to myself and tried to disappear in the hallways. Even when I started touring & making trips to Nashville…I kept it separate from school. It just felt safer that way.”
However, as she does in the song, she ended the post on a positive note, sharing that “the story gets better, I promise.” To show how her story improved, Townes posted a photo of herself performing at a show now next to a photo of her 8th grade self performing at school.
Townes is currently joining Brothers Osborne on tour and will head to North Carolina, Ohio, and Indiana in the coming days.