Tupelo Honey Blends the Voices of Two Amazing Singers

Tupelo Honey blends the voices of two amazing singers, Jordyn Mallory and Zach Moody. Coincidentally, Mallory and Moody are both from Tupelo, Mississippi, but they didn’t join up as a duo until they lived in Nashville. While Elvis Presley will always be the most famous musician from Tupelo, Tupelo Honey has the makings of superstars. Undiscovered Nashville believes Jordyn and Zach’s musical chemistry and harmonies will take them places. Please keep reading to learn more about Tupelo Honey and their latest single.

Before Tupelo Honey

Before forming Tupelo Honey, Jordyn Mallory and Zach Moody had their separate journeys to Music City. Moody said, “I grew up playing music in church. Once I could play guitar, I was always part of the praise band. After graduation, I went to Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville, Mississippi. I joined Campus Country, which was a school-funded country band. It was there where I got involved in country music and learned the Nashville Number System. After finishing college, I moved to Nashville seven years ago, where I began hitting the circuit, finding people to play with here and there. Jordyn and I reconnected about a year and a half ago.”

Moody was not the only one who grew up singing in church. Mallory said, “I fell in love with music at a young age. My grandma sang, and I began singing with her in church. My mom, my Aunt Angel, and I started coming to Nashville about once a month, and this kept me on the path toward getting to Nashville. After graduating early from high school, I moved to town. I fell in love with the city, and I knew it would be my second home. However, Mississippi will always feel like home. I did the solo thing for a long time, and there were many ups and downs. At times, I thought I was close to a record deal, only to be disappointed.” 

First Impressions of Music City

So many times, when people move to Nashville to chase their dreams, their first impressions are not like what they expected. Mallory said, “When I moved here, what was surprising to me was how much of a networking town Nashville is. Moving here at seventeen, I was unable to get into a bar. I felt I would never meet anyone.”  For those moving here in the same situation Jordyn found herself in, Belcourt Taps is a great place to meet other young writers in town. 

Others move here expecting to be discovered playing in a bar. Ironically, I find most of the people we have featured on the website playing around town, but that is not how labels work. Moody said, “I expected to play here and there and blow up.  But, I have made relationships that allowed me to play. However, I wasn’t really for how competitive it is in Nashville. You think, maybe I am not that good. When I got here, I was a little fish from small-town Mississippi. You learn as you go, and it has been a fun ride for me.”

The Beginning of Tupelo Honey

One might think it was only natural that Jordyn and Zach would form Tupelo Honey after growing up in Tupelo, but it wouldn’t occur until they moved to Nashville. Mallory said, “Zach and I met when I was in high school, and he was in college. Tupelo has a small music scene, and we met at different festivals and gigs. I moved to Nashville before Zach did, but we never reconnected until a mutual friend suggested we get together to write and play some music. We finally made it happen, and it worked.”  Hit songwriter, Will Rambeaux, was their mutual friend.

Before Tupelo Honey, Zach Moody did a lot of work playing guitar and singing background vocals. Moody said, “I enjoy adding to what somebody already has. I think my days in Campus Country, singing harmony with female artists, helped me develop my craft.”  Mallory said, “Harmony came naturally for us, and I think that is what made Tupelo Honey the right move for us. Everything blended so well. When you have that musical chemistry, it’s special.”

Why was it the right time for Tupelo Honey? 

Jordyn Mallory had created a good following for herself, and Zach Moody was a well-respected musician in town before forming their duo. I wondered what this the right time for such a move. Mallory said, “It was the perfect time for me to make a move. I felt like so many ups and downs and changes were happening in my life. Musically, I needed a clean slate. I’ve always loved the idea of being in a duo or a group. However, nobody had along that felt right until Zach.”  Moody said, “I was bored and thought, why not? I’m kidding.”

Tupelo Honey, musically speaking, is a good match. Jordyn said, “Going into Tupelo Honey, I had been writing for a long time. I am more lyrical, and Zach is melody and music-driven, so it’s a good combination. It was essential for us to have a fresh and current sound, but we are fans of all real instruments. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean a traditional sound. There is also a hint of a bluesy thing.”

Tupelo Honey Releases “Teardrops in the Rain”

Tupelo Honey released “Teardrops in the Rain” on March 19, 2021, the follow-up to the duo’s debut single, “Never Coulda Dreamed You Better.” Their debut was a driving, upbeat song. Their latest single takes a different turn. “Teardrops in the Rain” was written by Sherrie Austin and Mike Walker. Will Rambeaux produced the new release too. If you are new to Tupelo Honey, you can listen to their two singles in the article or on Spotify. 

The duo talked with us about their latest release. Mallory said, “We are excited about this song. When we went into the studio, we recorded three songs. “Teardrops in the Rain” was our unexpected song. It came to life in the studio.”  Moody continued, “The production is very cool. We heard the song back after it was mastered in a room with these giant speakers. It was awesome. We thought it would be cool to hear it in a movie.” Jordyn said, “The song is a movie in three minutes, and it goes through all the emotions in those three minutes.”

Fun Facts with Jordyn and Zach

We took a minute to learn some not-well-known facts about Tupelo Honey. Jordyn said, “I don’t know; I have a cute dog?” Well, we can guarantee she does indeed have a cute dog. However, Zach said, “Jordyn is a woo girl.” Unfortunately, we cannot confirm or deny if that is true. However, if you have a thing for independent films, you may stumble across a young Zach Moody. Moody said, “A little known fact about me is when I was ten years old, I got to play in an independent film, called “Big Bad Love.” I played the son of the main character. It was cool! I got to miss a couple of months of school. I even had a trailer to myself, complete with an on-set tutor.”

Zach is not the only member of Tupelo Honey to venture outside of music. Mallory said, “I guess the Dolly thing is pretty cool. I can’t post too much about what I do, but I work as Dolly Parton’s stand-in. We are about the same height, and somehow I got that gig. When I go there, they put me in the same outfit as she is wearing and her wig. Dolly is the nicest person, much more than she has to be.”

Our Thoughts

I saw the first show Jordyn Mallory and Zach Moody played together as Tupelo Honey at The Moxy downtown. Let me say, their harmonies were terrific. As they have written and played together, they have dialed in their sound. One might compare Tupelo Honey to Lady A, but make no mistake, they are not trying to copy anyone. Undiscovered Nashville predicts a bright future for Tupelo Honey, and we hope you will join us as we follow them on this journey.