Since she was a child, Maria Jordan – Director and Co-Founder of One Night In Nashville – has had her eyes on one thing: working on and around the stage.

Starting out her career as a solo act and performing at iconic Manchester venues such as Night and Day Cafe, Maria used to be relentless in chasing down opportunity. After securing a record deal early in her career, she self-funded a trip to the States, where she was able to get a taste of Nashville in all of it’s glory: Broadway, Honkytonk tunes, the lot. However, the success didn’t follow. That’s when she began creating her own opportunity.

Her taste of the States had left her in a trance, and her goal shifted to how she could bring this experience across the pond.

“We are the original and first Nashville experience in the UK. Me and my husband Dave – a musician in his own right – realised that people of the UK hadn’t the ability to experience the Honkytonk glory even if they’d like to, and well, the rest is history!”

From there, they took it to nightlife; being approached by beer cellars and spaces across the North West. Slowly, they expanded – first to Sheffield, then to Halifax, gradually building a following along the way, having recently taken to festivals like Kendall Calling and Chelmsford’s Summer In Nashville as their popularity began to rise.

“My life goal has always been to perform. There’s nothing like it in the world. Getting that crowd reaction, be it from 5 or 5000 people, it’s the type of energy that drives you forward, no matter how tough times are. You have to accept you’ll fail as part of the process – there’s no shame in it!”