Times Record News, Wichita Falls, Texas, Lana Sweeten-Shults column
By Lana Sweeten-Shults, Times Record News, Wichita Falls, Texas | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The video for the quirky, lovable song, which has become an anthem for older women, has wracked up millions of views since it was posted in early June. It also has been featured by
"It's nearly at 5 million (on YouTube)," said Stevens, 55, from the
<p>With its star dressed in a red frilly dress and doling out "The Sound of Music"-worthy yodeling (to men in lederhosen, no less), "Older Ladies" charms,
Stevens, or just
"My best friend asked her husband if he would like it if her body looked like it did 10 years before, and he foolishly answered 'Yes.'
"And so that's what sparked the origin of the song."
She wrote it while riding a shuttle bus in
She tested the finished song on a group of 50-year-old-men who were on the shuttle with her. They loved it.
But the real test came when she was hanging out at a weekend party with some musician friends.
"One of my friends, her boyfriend filmed it and put it on
She called another friend,
"We had a shoestring budget, but we had so much fun. We shot it in three days."
The song features her band Birdz of Play behind the scenes, while friends and friends of friends joined her in the video.
Despite her musical success, the
She wanted to be an actor, a profession she shares with her brother, Joe. He is perhaps best known for facing off with
Stevens' first role was in the first grade. She played a nun who was a principal at Our Lady Queen of
After finishing her theater degree at MSU, she went on to the
"I did the whole L.A. actor thing. I mainly did stage work. I toured with a live theater piece I co-wrote called 'The Cow Patties,' so mainly live shows."
Then she turned to singing. Stevens said people have told her that her songs get stuck in their heads, so she has dedicated herself to art and music that make people laugh and feel better about themselves.
"I was scared of singing in the beginning. But if it was funny, I could sing it."
Her next step is to get the band together for a touring how.
"We're thinking of doing only uplifting songs," she said.
Stevens just wrapped up a Kickstarter campaign to film another video that's "337 percent funded," she said, so will use the funds to make even more videos.
"The next one is 'Older Men," she said with a laugh. "It's going to be even funnier."
And it will probably have the same decidedly country/
"You can take the girl out of
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