“A diva like Dolly, powered by country and coffee, a rebel like Reba, a shot of whiskey in a teacup, a gypsy soul and a heart full of rock n’ roll.” This is a lyric from one of Erica Dale’s upcoming singles that doubles as a dead on description of the Southwest Florida performer. Erica Dale is a singer, songwriter, dancer, actor, director, and choreographer, and lets be honest, if Dolly Parton and Miranda Lambert had a love child- you’d get Erica Dale.
 

She wrote and recorded her first song at the age of 5 titled “I’m Gonna Do This Daddy,” and to answer your question, “yes, it’s absolute garbage, but it’s cute garbage.” says the singer with a laugh. Since then, she has blossomed into the educated, versatile, and authentic performer that she is today. 

 

In her short time on this earth she has written over 100 songs, been in over 50 productions, earned her BFA in Music Theater from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA), and released original singles that will soon grow into EPs and albums. Growing up as a theater nerd, she had the opportunity to play some truly incredible roles, including Carla/ Nine, Roxie/ Chicago, Sophie/ Mama Mia, Sister Mary Robert/ Sister Act, Lucy the slut/ Avenue Q, Fantine/ Les Miserables, and Anytime Annie/ 42nd Street, just to name a few. Her bucket list role is Sherrie/ Rock of Ages, just incase anyone was wondering… (Insert hair flip).

 

She was raised by her mother and her nana, who have always supported her with their endless love and passion for the arts. Her mother, a classic rocker with a hippie side, raised her on the music of Stevie Nicks, Joan Jett, Chrissie Hynde, and Janis Joplin, among other legends, as well as the rugged twang of Willie Nelson and the Highway Men. It makes sense that Erica grew up idolizing bands like Aerosmith, The Who, Van Halen, and Fleetwood Mac, and she’s pretty sure she was the only little girl in her elementary school skipping down the halls singing Lynyrd Skynyrd, Green Day, and Creed. She was also raised with an inherent love for animals and wildlife, and is Vice President of Fur and Tails Animal Rescue (ftanimalrescue.org) which she co-founded with her mother, who is the President. 

 

As a southerner, her deep love for country music comes from her Floridian roots and her sincere appreciation for storytelling, which is why she admires Miranda Lambert and Dolly Parton so much. “Country music comes from the heart, and there’s a song for every occasion. I’m not sure who said it first, but whoever said country is three chords and the truth said it best. It’s real people singing about real things and feelings and experiences. No one is alone”, she says about the genre. Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry and the iconic ladies that have played there, such as Patsy Cline, Emmylou Harris, Loretta Lynn, Reba McIntyre, Bonnie Raitt, The Dixie Chicks, and Tanya Tucker are the inspirations that launched Erica into her country music career. 

  

Her first professional gig at age 13 was actually a show conceived by her nana- good ol’ Phyllis! It was called “A Step Back in Time”, and it was a tribute to Sonny and Cher. She performed and traveled throughout Southwest Florida with her childhood friend and fellow performer who portrayed Sonny while baby Erica bellowed out some Cher. She spent most of her youth on stage or in the pool, but quickly decided that being a pro swimmer was out of her reach (literally) when she realized that she stood at a measly 5’4” while everyone else stood at 6 foot. Though she be but little, she is fierce, and the discipline she learned as a Junior Olympic swimmer stuck. 

 

She graduated from Cypress Lake High School Center for the Arts a year early, Summa Cum Laude, and took on the Big Apple at 17 to begin studying at AMDA. After completing the New York City campus’s intense musical theater conservatory program, she moved to The City of Angels to earn her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Music Theater in Hollywood, California. While living in New York she was able to take part in an Off- Broadway Cabaret called “Let’s Broadway,” at the Abingdon Theater, as well as perform in numerous showcases at her school. In Los Angeles she was lucky enough to be part of Black-box Music, where she was able to present songs, both covers and originals, with her insanely talented peers, forming groups such as Ladies of the 80’s and Untitled. She strolled down the Hollywood Walk of Fame to get to school every day and dreamed about the day she might get her own star. She graduated from AMDA LA on her mama’s birthday, a semester ahead of schedule, in 2016. Since then she has been home in the Naples/ Fort Myers/ Estero area performing in shows, directing, and choreographing, as well as learning from the best in the biz and assistant directing and choreographing. She also competed in the Young Artist Awards in 2017 where she won the category Best Classical Voice, singing “Glitter and be Gay” from Candide. When she’s not working on her music or doing a show, she loves hittin’ the honky tonk and doing a little two- steppin’. She even got to twerk it out on stage with the Moonshine Bandits once… and it was awesome! (Sorry to the prudes but ya gotta shake what ya mama gave ya!) 

 

Her southern roots can be heard loud and clear in her songs, and she’s got so many stories left to tell. “It’s more than a love of music. Music is my religion, and theater is my bible.” She writes what she knows, and music has always been her therapy. Most of her early projects come from a tumultuous 5 years spent with the wrong guy, “If nothing else came out of that relationship, at least I got a bunch of songs out of it!” She jokes, “never date a songwriter, kids!” Now much of her writing is about growing up, learning who you are, finding your place in the universe, and it continues to evolve just as she does. Her love of music has taken her some pretty incredible places, and she can’t wait to see what the future holds. Erica and her mother, Carri, joke about Carri someday being Erica’s tour bus driver. Together they would travel the country, telling stories and touching hearts. Who knows? Maybe it’s not such a pipe dream after all. For now, Erica is making music and line- dancing her way through this crazy thing called life! Keep an eye out, she might be cruising though your town on that bus someday real soon… 

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