“Be kind. Love each other. Support each other.” – Lacey Gee
Story by Katie Robb, AMA Intern, Summer 2023
Lacey Gee has had an illustrious and daring career since her start in radio back in 2004. And it all started from her B.D.E.
BIG DELUSIONAL ENERGY
“Professional radio/podcast production, editor, skilled social media expert, content creator, voice over artist” are just a few skills on Gee’s expansive resume and repertoire, and she’s only getting started.
Gee got her start in radio during her freshman year at Weatherford College while at a concert. Growing up, rock music was a passion of hers, and she dreamed of one day working for a radio station and interviewing rock stars. It was at a concert that she spotted radio hosts from 97.1 “The Eagle” and boldly marched up to them and asked for a chance to interview for a job. Turns out Gee was a natural, and thus began her career.
While talking with Gee, I sensed that boldness was a common theme in her personal and professional life.
“I’m hungry, I’m thirsty, and I’m not going to stop here,” said Gee.
Gee soon went on to work for DFW’s beloved Kidd Kraddick Morning Show. It was there that Gee struck up a harmonious friendship and found a mentor in Kidd Kraddick himself.
“Kidd Kraddick taught me most things, he got me out of local radio and into syndication, which was a much different way of thinking,” Gee said. “He wanted the best for his staff, and encouraged them to think smarter not harder, bigger not smaller. With the start of new media platforms, Kraddick was always on the forefront of new technology and wanted to be one of the firsts to evolve with the times.”
BIRTH OF A PODCAST
Like the always forward-thinker he was, Kraddick encouraged all his 106.1 KISS.FM staff to start their own podcasts when they first hit the scene years ago. Gee had her own lifestyle and relationship podcast for a while, then struck gold with a new concept for a podcast in 2020.
On New Years Day 2020, Gee received a group text from her now cohost about starting a new podcast: a Taylor Swift fan podcast where they could break down all things Taylor, deep dive into her lyrics, unveil easter eggs, and travel into the wonderful world of Swiftdom. Thus, 13: A Taylor Swift Fan Podcast was born.
Under the Kiddnation and iHeart Radio umbrellas, Gee and her cohosts produce weekly episodes that Taylor Swift fans find insightful and hilarious.
It was Gee’s big dreams, and what some would call delusional aspirations, that led her to where she is now. She and her cohosts didn’t wait to be handed the opportunity; they took it for themselves.
“I have a Taylor Swift fan podcast because my friends and I came up with it… no one appointed us the voice of Taylor Swift. We appointed ourselves.”
When asked what the best advice Gee was ever given, she simply said to be kind and inclusive toward people trying to break into the industry, because no matter how crowded a room, there’s a place for everyone. “Be kind. Love each other. Support each other,” Gee said.
“No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.” – Taylor Swift
LACEY GEE AT THE AMA
In Spring 2023, as plans were underway for exhibiting Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Collection at the Arlington Museum of Art, museum staff knew they wanted to kick off opening weekend with a conversation about Swift’s talent and creative legacy. Who better to take part in that conversation than Lacey Gee and 13 Podcast?
Fast forward to the Thursday before opening day (June 3, 2023). As finishing touches were being put on the four exhibits within the museum’s galleries, Gee and her podcast cohosts Ana and Amy set up shop in the first floor gallery with Kendall Quirk, AMA Director of Exhibitions and Registrar. Quirk, also a fan of Swift, enthusiastically joined the conversation about the artist and the exhibition.
Click here to listen to the episode >
Just a few weeks later, Gee returned to the Arlington Museum of Art to moderate a panel discussion as a part of the museum’s popular Articulate Art Talk series. The panel discussion, entitled Taylor Swift: The Song, The Star, The Fans, featured three musicologists whose areas of research include music theory and history, songwriting and copyright, constructions of race and gender, contemporary digital culture, and fandom.
Attendees appreciated the knowledge and energy Gee brought to the conversation, and her rapport with the panel was clear from the beginning. Pictured below, and joining Gee for the discussion were:
- Dr. Christa Anne Bentley, Assistant Professor of Musicology at the University of Arkansas
- Dr. Kate Galloway, Assistant Professor in Ethnomusicology, Sound Studies, and Games at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Dr. Paula Clare Harper, Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Chicago
“You’re beautiful, Every little piece, love, don’t you know? You’re really gonna be someone.” — lyrics from “Stay Beautiful” by Taylor Swift
BOLDLY GO
The memorabilia displayed in the Hometown Harmonies exhibit at the Arlington Museum of Art (now through Sept. 24) ranges from Maren Morris’ first guitar to Kirstin Maldonado’s Grammy Award to a gown worn by Mickey Guyton.
We asked Gee for a piece of memorabilia that meant something to her, something that she would put in her own exhibit, and what she gave us was something to cherish. Clearly, it’s always been about the music for Gee.
(left) This was the first article ever written about Gee, an impressive 2004 feature story when she was only a freshman at Weatherford College. The article serves as a reminder to Gee of where she started, how far she’s come, and just how far she can go with that burning desire to accomplish whatever she puts her mind to.
The last piece of advice we received from this aspirational rockstar?
“Just be ridiculous, because what’s holding you back? You’re holding yourself back if you’re not at least trying,” said Gee.
CLICK HERE for more information about Hometown Harmonies, Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Collection, and other exhibits currently at the Arlington Museum of Art (now through Sept. 24, 2023).
