Houston – Payton Howie, a Texas country rock artist on the rise, is making waves in the music industry with her unique blend honky tonk and rock energy.
Howie stepped back into Studio B to catch Houston Life co-hosts Derrick Shore and Tessa Barrera on a whirlwind year, including signing with Nashville talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) and touring with Grammy award-winning country star Ashley McBryde.
Born and raised in California, Howie now calls Willis home and credits her parents’ mix of musical influences—classic rock from her father and country from her mother. Her music blends storytelling with a little bit of edge, Barrera compared Howie to artists like Miranda Lambert. Despite her rise, Payton stays grounded, supported by her family, who often travel with her on the road. Her mother Jill and grandmother Connie sat in the studio and watched her do her thing.
Howie laughed with Shore and Barrera about the realities of tour life, from Love’s gas station pit stops to becoming stage-ready.
Payton is celebrating her 23rd birthday with a free concert at Sawyer Park in Spring at the end of the month. Although free, fans can purchase the VIP experience, including unreleased music, exclusive merchandise, and a denim-themed dress code inspired by her new single, Denim which she performed live in Studio B.
She isn’t showing signs of slowing down. Before her performance, she teased new music in 2025 and ended the interview with this advice to aspiring artists “You got to do you. You got to be yourself because anytime you start to stray from something that maybe doesn’t feel right or you start doing something that you’re not sure about -- you have to own because, hey, at least if you make a mistake, that’s your mistake, you can learn from it and just keep going.”