Local musician Rylee Mix was finishing up a show at A Sip of Montana in Woods Bay earlier this year when fellow musician Oatie Bear asked if she had heard of Flathead’s Got Talent.  

Mix had not, so Bear suggested she try it out. 

“I said, ‘Eh, maybe. I’ll think about it.’ And then, ‘Yea, alright – why not?’” Mix recalled.  

The 21-year-old submitted a video to the valley’s talent show, hosted by Bee Broadcasting, and sure enough, her country-with-a-bit-of-soul voice, emotional songwriting and easy-going, friendly personality propelled her into the final round.  

Mix and the other four finalists gathered at The Remington for a live competition in April. Mix took to the stage with her dad, who was on drums, to play “All in,” an original that she’s only played live.  

Mix wrote the song about three years ago, when she made the move to play music full time.  

“It’s about just that, going all in, taking the leap,” she said. “Overcoming your fear and not letting that stop you from doing what your gut tells you.”  

The talent competition came to a draw between her and Michael Boucher. It was exciting and high energy, she said, as each musician played an encore song for the tiebreaker. 

Mix played “Bloodsuckers” and took the win.  

“’Bloodsuckers’ is a fun one,” she said. “I could go on and on about it ... I’ll just say, when you hear it, you’ll know it.” 

MIX’S MUSICAL roots started in a small-town church in Lakeport, California, where she sang with her parents.  

She did her first talent show in fifth grade, which she described as a “hoorah, guess what, I can sing a tune,” type of moment.  

She performed a song with her older sister that took little Lakeport by storm.  

“We performed that song for the next four years of our life ... we got a little tired of it,” she said. “But that song was the first lift-off into my performing world.”  

After high school, Mix tried “regular life” for a bit. She followed her family when they moved to Montana about five years ago and worked for a local outdoor company making knives for a couple years, before she began dabbling in live music. 

“Then I decided to make a leap – to go full time,” she said. “It’s been history since.”  

Mix said the community of musicians in the valley has been the backing of her music career’s launch. 

“Everyone is looking out for each other, and it’s a strong network. We have a lot of talented musicians in the valley, and that continues to blow me away.” 

The demand for live music in the valley is another key aspect of her success.  

“Me, and many other musicians, can make a full-time living off of playing music here. That's pretty rare. We couldn’t just go off to any county and do that.” 

Last month, Mix was again sharing The Remington stage with other artists – Tomara Conrad, a Flathead-cherry loving, country-loving “Work the Flirt” artist, and Haley Johnsen, an alternative, Americana gal from Portland, Oregon.  

It was one of the “emerging stars” rounds of the Whitefish Songwriter’s Festival, and each young artist cheered and harmonized with each other as they shared their originals.  

“Getting to sit alongside other musicians for songwriting rounds that have different styles – in writing, singing and performing – and getting to experience these artists in their pure form... it sparked that fire to start writing more, and to be creative,” Mix said of the festival. 

From writer’s block, to making friends, to getting into venues, it hasn’t always been an easy go of it, but the sparks from events like the festival, and a supportive community, have boosted her career.  

“Being a first timer isn’t easy,” she said. “Luckily, [people] were willing to take a chance on me.” 

Her favorite venue remains A Sip of Montana, she said.  

“They welcomed me with open arms and supported me heavily. It’s kind of like a family there. When I have shows, I can expect to see certain people, and I always look forward to it. It’s lighthearted, fun and energetic.”  

Upcoming for Mix is a release of her talent-show winning single, Bloodsuckers, on Nov. 7.  

Till then, life will be about continuing on, seeing people out there, and taking it week by week, she said.