Over the course of 2020 and 2021, Tenille Arts enjoyed a record-setting first outing at country radio with her song, "Something Like That." Not only was the single her first No. 1 on the charts, but it also marked the first-ever No. 1 country radio single written, performed and produced entirely by women. It was also the first time a Canadian-born country artist has held the No. 1 slot since 2007.

Following up such a landmark success can be a little daunting, but Arts says she's plotting her next career moves her own way, keeping creative control and seeking out innovative new ways to pick songs.

For example, her current single, "Jealous of Myself," fell in the singer's lap in an unconventional way.

"The song is different for me because I actually didn't write it, which, normally I write pretty much everything that I put out," she explained to Taste of Country on the carpet of the 2022 BMI Awards in Nashville in November.

But that's not the only unusual thing about the story behind the song.

"[Singer-songwriter] Emily Weisband actually posted this song on TikTok," Arts reveals. "[She] was like, 'I write music for other people, does anybody wanna sing this song?' And I fell in love with it."

Arts may not have written "Jealous of Myself," but as soon as she heard the clip of it Weisband had shared, she wished she had.

"You know it's a good one when you feel like that," she explains. "Thankfully, I got to sing it myself."

The song — and her current approach to her career — represents a different path than any Arts has taken before in some other ways, too.

"I really felt like it was a good time in my life to come with a ballad," she points out. "I've always focused on my vocals, and I felt like this song really showed them off."

Last fall, she also signed to a new label, Dreamcatcher Entertainment, as the flagship artist for its record company arm. That's affording her some newfound freedom.

"I'm very excited to have full creative control. I get to do whatever I want," Arts explains, adding that in 2023, doing whatever she wants will mean releasing more new music — starting with her brand-new song, "Motel on the Moon."

"So either an EP or an album, something will be coming in 2023 for sure," she promises. "[I] just got back into writing, and have already been in the studio."

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