“Desert Darling,” Chevrolet & Building Her Own Lane | Brooke Lee
Brooke Lee joined Heart of the Gulch host Tony Mendoza during CMA Fest 2026 to talk about her Desert Darling EP, partnering with Chevrolet, her upcoming song “Driver Drive,” and the years of growth that helped shape the artist she is today.
With soulful vocals and a sound inspired by the desert, Brooke has been steadily building her career in Nashville. Desert Darling captures an especially important period of that journey, bringing together songs and experiences spanning her life from 19 to 25.
Brooke Lee reflects on Desert Darling, the six years of life behind the project and the experiences that helped shape her sound.
Six Years of Life Inside Desert Darling
For Brooke, Desert Darling represents much more than a collection of songs.
The project documents years of change, relationships, songwriting and figuring out who she wanted to become as an artist.
During her Heart of the Gulch interview, Brooke reflects on building the Desert Darling era and how songs written across different stages of her life eventually came together as one project.
She also reveals which song from the EP she considers the most underrated—a reminder that an artist's personal favorite isn't always the song that immediately receives the most attention.
From North Carolina to Nashville
Brooke's journey started well before Desert Darling.
Originally from North Carolina, she eventually made her way to Nashville to pursue country music and began experiencing all the growing pains that come with trying to build a career in Music City.
That includes learning how to manage one of her own biggest obstacles: overthinking.
Brooke reflects on how she's changed since arriving in Nashville and what her 15-year-old self would think if she could see the opportunities happening today.
One of those opportunities is particularly surreal.
Brooke Lee Meets Chevrolet
Brooke's music recently took her far beyond a Nashville writing room through a partnership with Chevrolet.
She recorded a modern interpretation connected to the iconic “See the USA in Your Chevrolet” campaign and appeared in a national commercial for the brand.
It's the kind of opportunity that demonstrates how an artist's music and identity can extend beyond traditional releases, touring and streaming.
For Brooke, it also created an unexpected connection between her growing country music career and one of America's most recognizable automotive brands.
Heart of the Gulch host Tony Mendoza sits down with Brooke Lee during CMA Fest 2026 to talk songwriting, Nashville, new music and her growing career.
“Driver Drive” Comes Next
The Desert Darling chapter isn't the end of Brooke's story.
She's already preparing for what's next, including the upcoming release “Driver Drive.”
During the conversation, Brooke explains the song and gives fans a glimpse at the direction her music is heading as she continues evolving beyond the EP.
New songs also mean new opportunities to take the music on the road—something Brooke hopes becomes an even bigger part of her career.
CMA Fest and the Chevy Vibes Stage
CMA Fest 2026 brought several pieces of Brooke's world together.
Along with sitting down with Heart of the Gulch, she performed on the Chevy Vibes Stage, giving her another opportunity to connect directly with country music fans.
For Brooke, live performance remains one of her favorite parts of being an artist.
After spending countless hours writing, recording and preparing a song, the stage is where she finally gets to see how listeners respond to it in real time.
And as her audience continues growing, those moments are becoming increasingly important.
Brooke Lee talks about partnering with Chevrolet, appearing in a national campaign and preparing to release her new song “Driver Drive.”
What's Next for Brooke Lee
From North Carolina to Nashville, Desert Darling to “Driver Drive,” and songwriting rooms to a national Chevrolet campaign, Brooke Lee's career is beginning to reach places she once could only imagine.
But she's still building.
There are more songs to release, more stages to play and more of her story to tell.
And if Desert Darling captured Brooke Lee from 19 to 25, the music coming next gets to show listeners who she's becoming now.
Watch Brooke Lee on Heart of the Gulch
Watch the full Brooke Lee interview from CMA Fest 2026 as she joins Tony Mendoza to discuss Desert Darling, her Chevrolet partnership, “Driver Drive,” moving from North Carolina to Nashville, performing at CMA Fest and what's ahead for her music.
Interview Chapters
0:00 — Brooke Lee Interview | CMA Fest 2026
0:32 — The Story Behind Brooke Lee's Desert Darling EP
1:45 — Starring in Chevrolet's “See The USA” Commercial
3:20 — From North Carolina to Nashville Country Music
4:24 — Why Performing Live Is Brooke Lee's Favorite Part of Music
5:08 — What 15-Year-Old Brooke Lee Would Think Today
5:59 — Overthinking, Growth & Lessons Learned in Nashville
6:56 — New Single “Driver Drive” Explained
7:30 — Building the Desert Darling Era Through Songwriting
8:35 — Brooke Lee's Most Underrated Song From Desert Darling
8:59 — New Music, Touring Goals & What's Next
9:29 — Final Thoughts
Tony Mendoza and Brooke Lee together following her Heart of the Gulch interview during CMA Fest 2026 in Nashville.
Tony Mendoza is the Nashville-based host and creator of Heart of the Gulch, featuring conversations with country artists, songwriters and personalities from Nashville and beyond.
