Laura Cantrell on Ambition

Cantrell is not your typical Southern belle. Armed with Ivy League credentials, charm and her secret weapon, "hopeful naivete," she's conquered both Wall Street
and the music biz. After ascending to a vice-presidency at Bank of America, she traded her laptop for a guitar. Her third country music album, Humming by the Flowered Vine, recently released by Matador Records, is on track to be her breakout recording.

You had a good position at a bank. Why give it up to chase an uncertain future?

When I opened for Elvis Costello in 2002 and had to take a leave of absence from work, I got an insider's view of what being a professional musician is like. I realized that these two worlds simply couldn't coexist and that I was going to have to make a choice. I just couldn't live with the idea that I might regret not following this thing that had its own natural momentum.

That's a pretty ambitious leap. What drives you to succeed?

A few years ago, I remember playing music at home by myself on the weekend and thinking, "Why not try getting on Grand Ole Opry? How hard could it really be?" Maybe that's a blend of naivete and hopefulness and some faith in yourself. I feel that I haven't had any drive beyond the "it's worth a shot" impulse, but that impulse has been very strong for me, even when success seemed pretty unlikely.

You've received some very positive critical reviews.

Being a performing musician is all immediate gratification—you play, people applaud. Then there's a whole other level of feedback that you get. You have to be able to sort out how much of that you want to buy into. It can make you feel a bit more bulletproof than you are. No one's infallible; there's always the potential to make a mistake.

Did your years in the business world contribute anything to your music?

Wall Street kind of bangs into you a certain level of professionalism and sense of responsibility. I feel that's a good thing to have when you're a musician.