Country singer Sierra Black: My bucket list here at home in Las Vegas
Hometown country singer Sierra Black is rapidly rising up the ladder of fame. On Oct. 7, she’ll be at Stoney’s Rockin’ Country in Town Square, then has three dates for National Finals Rodeo, with the Nov. 30 kick-off party at South Point Showroom and performing at the venue’s official Gold Buckle parties Dec. 5-6.
The starlet who has enjoyed a run with Station Casinos began singing when she was age 6 and has never lost the fire to entertain. She seems perfectly positioned geographically in her hometown.
Sierra inherited the gift of entertaining from her grandmother, the youngest member of the singing trio of Cuban-born sisters The De Castro Sisters. They hit the top of the charts with the 1954 hit “Teach Me Tonight” and performed on several TV shows, including for Ed Sullivan.
After several years of songwriting, singing and gigging, Sierra began work on her debut album. In between recording sessions in Nashville, she has performed alongside and opened for many of country’s biggest acts, including Joe Nichols, Little Big Town, The Swon Brothers and Keith Urban, whom she sang a duet with at the Route 91 Harvest Festival here. Her debut single, “Casino,” was released last year.
Here, Sierra talks about fulfilling bucket list dreams in Las Vegas:
I’m never sure what to say when asked what it was like growing up here because I feel like my upbringing was like everyone else’s. It might sound funny, but, to me, Las Vegas means family. I attended Christian schools and church on Sundays with my family.
Like a lot of people here, I don’t go to the Strip every night or on weekends. It seems like the Strip just happens to be in our neighborhood. Las Vegas is a warm and close community, like any other city.
As a country performer, it is a great place to live because I don’t have to travel to work, and I can see the greatest artists in the world right down the street. I attended Reba McEntire and Brooks & Dunn for my birthday last year, and I practically cried the whole time because they’re my heroes.
They said, “We are going to play you a couple of our hits,” then they went on for two hours with No.1 hit after No. 1 hit. All I could think about is, “Man, I hope that I can do that someday.”
This is an exciting time because now more people know about me and saw my shows at Santa Fe Station, which is really amazing because it’s all happening in my hometown. The people here who have residencies aren’t from here, and I have lived here my entire life.
I can’t think of a better training ground for an artist than Las Vegas because I perform hundreds of shows every year. My first public performance was when I was 12 and sang the national anthem at Best in Show, a huge charity event for shelter dogs. After that performance, I was hooked! It was like, “Game over. This is just too fun.”
I began attending National Finals Rodeo at age 3, and, at 10, I told my dad, “I am going to sing the national anthem one day.” Last year, they had a fan-voted contest, and I won. I got to cross off something on my bucket list.
In Las Vegas, people definitely like fun and upbeat, so I alter my setlist depending on the venue. They want to have a beer and good time and dance, so I throw in old classics like Reba and Gretchen Wilson and sneak in originals, as well. At the end of the performance, they say, “We love your originals. Can we hear more of them next time?”
For me, there are no rules here. Some people take that negatively, but it is your own game, and you are free to say and do and be exactly who you are. That is the most inspiring thing about Las Vegas. The most important thing for me is to be true to myself.
Another bucket-list moment was singing “We Were Us” with Keith Urban at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. Keith called out my name, and out I walked (without a rehearsal!) in front of 25,000 people. Thinking about it still gives me chills. Two highlights for me this summer were my performance before Garth Brooks’ June 27 show and being a part of Coyote Fest in Orleans Arena last month.
When I’m working in Nashville and mention Las Vegas, people say, “You are in Nash Vegas.” That has become the perfect description for my music and style. It has an all-American appeal and foundation, yet there is always a little extra pizzazz and glamour.
I am very family-oriented, and I love to feel at home while being able to travel and have my career. I am lucky because I have had so many opportunities here, and I still get to travel often, which is great because I can go back and forth to Nashville. Then I get to return to Las Vegas. My goal is to be an ambassador for Las Vegas wherever I go because I love my hometown.
* * *
Be sure to read the hopes that manager and producer Seth Yudof has for Las Vegas to return live music to its rightful place in our entertainment scene. We also have news of Amy Purdy’s Paralympics dance in Brazil and confirmation of a second Rolling Stones show here this fall.
