BETTY SOO

Who, in her right mind, drops out of graduate school, chucks a mortgage-paying day job and empties her savings account to launch a music career at the ripe age of 26 — within weeks of writing her first song? BettySoo, that’s who. Oh, relax — it worked out OK in the end. Or rather, it’s working out for her, given the Austin-based singer-songwriter is eight years into said music career and shows no signs of stopping — not with half a dozen albums to her name, fistfuls of glowing reviews, and an ever-growing international grassroots fan base. With hindsight, the craziest thing about her decision was she didn’t do it sooner. But sometimes the pressure of procrastination breeds the best art, as BettySoo discovered by happy accident with the first song she ever wrote. It was early 2004. BettySoo was newly married and pursuing a graduate degree in counseling. She worked for law firms and in vocational ministry, but deep inside she felt another calling: to sing. It was a passion and talent she’d harbored since childhood, but the idea of singing professionally never crossed her mind until her mid-20s. One the idea took root, she couldn’t shake it.