NASHVILLE, TN (May 2, 2016) –TARA THOMPSON made her Grand Ole Opry debut Saturday night (4/30) with a voice and honest lyrics that are pure Country. The self-described “hillbilly from East Tennessee” shed her usual ripped jeans and traditional icon t-shirts for a dazzling black dress and heels, showing her respect for the revered stage. Legendary Opry member Vince Gill introduced the fiery singer/songwriter after offering her words of advice backstage. Paying homage to her Opry member cousin, Tara performed her rendition of “Loretta Lynn” after belting out her sassy debut single “Someone To Take Your Place.”

“Tonight I got to achieve one of my top goals,” Tara shared from inside the circle. “And Vince Gill just introduced me! This is surreal, thank you to the Opry for making one of my biggest dreams come true.”

Leading up to the memorable event, Tara filmed a behind-the-scenes look at the nerves and excitement of “My Opry Debut.” Tara’s episode will post later this year. She also took over the Opry’s Twitter throughout the day, check out the posts here.

Family, friends and her record label joined Tara as she sang her autobiographical – and slightly amplified – songs for a packed Opry house. Humbly thanking the crowd, Tara proved why Rolling Stone fittingly dubbed her as “Loretta Lynn for the Instagram generation” and named her one of their 10 New Country Artists You Need to Know.

Tara recently wrapped the CMT Next Women of Country Tour, where she opened for headliner Jennifer Nettles. She is currently working on her debut project for The Valory Music Co. and will play on the CMA Fest Park Stage on Saturday, June 11 at 2:30PM.

For the latest updates, follow Tara Thompson on Twitter and Instagram.