Marthia Sides – CMT 'Popularity Contest' Contestant - More Than What You See On TV

NASHVILLE, TN. (CMT PR) - Country music artist Marthia Sides is currently vying for the attention of the townsfolk of Vega, TX on CMT's new original series 'Popularity Contest.' But there is so much more to this New York City opera singer than what you see on TV. Virginia-native Sides has an impressive background, boasting a music degree from Hartt School of Music in Cambridge, MA, later going on to earn her masters of music degree in Boston; musical performances benefiting The Lupus Foundation and Operation Smile; and multiple movie and television appearances including Sex and the City, Castle Rock Pictures' Two Weeks Notice, and Comedy Central's Gram Norton Effect to name a few.

Having spent the majority of her life in Virginia Beach, her current reside in Vega, TX was a slight departure from Sides' daily way of life. 'One of the things I love about living in Vega is the sense of community. In a town of under 1,000, everyone still waves to each other. It doesn't matter if they see you everyday or you are just passing through on Route 66. I have more people on my street in NYC than Vega has in its entire town and I don't even know all my neighbors. The family community is a beautiful thing!'

Marthia Sides is currently in the studio recording her debut full-length album entitled Born Again In Country set for release during the Summer of this year. The country album project is being recorded in both Nashville and New York City. During the taping of 'Popularity Contest,' Sides has teamed with Vega, TX resident, Doug James, to record the debut single from her upcoming album, 'Dreamin' Out Loud,' currently available to radio.

When asked, 'why country music?' Sides wants people to know that she is simply a lover of music, 'Music is my life and my soul, it's all that I know. Whether it's opera, country, R&B, gospel, or pop, it's the breath of me. I was raised with a musical background. My grandmother was an opera singer, my great grandmother was a Vaudeville star and my grandfather was the chief engineer for Sun Studios in Memphis, TN, engineering for Elvis, among many other famous performers. Someone once said to me ‘country music is not something you learn, it's something you have inside you.' I have always had the stories, the drama, and the life inside me. It just needed to be found - that is why I thought it fitting to say Born Again In Country.'
Marthia's debut single from Born Again In Country is available for purchase on the web, www.marthia.com.
For additional information on Marthia Sides, visit www.marthia.com. For additional information on CMT's 'Popularity Contest,' visit www.cmt.com.