It's been nearly two years since singer Heidi Newfield left the popular Country trio Trick Pony.  As VOA's Mary Morningstar tells us, Heidi is now making her own mark in Country music as a solo artist.

Heidi Newfield wrote the title track of her solo debut album, What Am I Waiting For, with Nashville hitmaker Jeffrey Steele and her former Trick Pony bandmates Ira Dean and Keith Burns.  

By the age of five, Newfield was already dreaming of a career in music.  At 13, she traveled from her home in Northern California to Nashville, where she recorded a demo tape.  But, Heidi admits that she wasn't yet ready to compete with 1980's Country stars like Reba McEntire, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.  In 1996, at the age of 26, Heidi was ready and joined Trick Pony.  The trio's success included such hits as "Pour Me," "Just What I Do" and "On A Night Like This."  After spending a decade with Trick Pony, Heidi felt it was time to take her career in another direction.

"Johnny and June" was the first single released from What Am I Waiting For.  The song, which is a tribute to the long-lasting love shared between the late Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter Cash, is one of six tracks Heidi co-wrote on the album.  

Heidi recorded the album with legendary producer Tony Brown, who is known for his work with George Strait, Brooks and Dunn, Reba McEntire, and many others.  

Heidi says, "There are parts of this record that are not just about a man and a woman for me.  They're about my experiences all the way around, like leaving the group, and my feelings about that, the pain and the hurt, or the joy of being independent and standing on my own two feet."

Heidi was concerned that Trick Pony fans wouldn't accept her as a solo artist.  What Am I Waiting For debuted at Number 2 on Billboard's Country Albums chart.  And, with concerts scheduled through early-November, she's now confident about her place in Country music.