Brett Heitmiller
Brett Heitmiller is a Texas-born, New Jersey-based eldest daughter of five and mother to two boys. She is a lyrically-driven singer-songwriter whose music weaves country roots with folk storytelling.Â
In the spirit of the old country music she grew up on, Brett carries a raw honesty into songs that balances vulnerability with resilience.Â
Drawing from her own journey - one of love, loss, and creativity as a means of life-saving reinvention - her lyrics land with a certain intimacy, while her melodies sometimes nod to the wide-open skies and dusty backroads she grew up on in the Lone Star State.
Whether just a guitar or a piano, or recorded more intricately and layered with harmonies, Brett’s music sits at the crossroads of her Texas upbringing and her present life on the Jersey Shore, where she continues to carve out her own new space. You can find Brett up and down the Jersey Shore, photographing different events, songwriting, trail running, collaging, painting over old salvaged art, trying any new thing, volunteering within the community, and coaching her boys’ little league and basketball teams.
BRETT'S ARTIST STATEMENT
I am a singer-songwriter and a mixed-media artist committed to helping others discover the power of their own voice. I believe art is not simply something we make - it is something that makes us. In creating any art, we can become braver, clearer, louder, stronger, and softer. To me, art is a series of ongoing beginnings: each creative act opens something new while closing what no longer fits. These transformations connect us back to who we have always been and who we are still becoming.
Brett Heitmiller and Greg McGarvey at Cafe Artiste
Jersey Shore Arts Center, Ocean Grove, NJ
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Songs written by Brett:
- If I Got You
- Come Tomorrow
- Gotta Stay Gone
- Reinvent Myself
BRETT'S ORIGINAL MUSIC
Reinvent Myself
Written 8.27.25
2025 was a very difficult year. One night, I went to photograph the singer-songwriter showcase at the Asbury Book Co-op. I had a fantastic conversation with one of the artists that made me realize that, really, I was doing great things and capable of doing even more great things. I just needed a perspective change. Yes, 2025 almost crushed me, but it didn’t, and because it didn’t, I had the chance to photograph that show. After I left, I headed straight to the Asbury Boardwalk and wrote Reinvent Myself.
Texas Moon
Written 10.23.25
I wrote Texas Moon when I was home in Texas for my grandmother’s funeral. I went out for a run the evening we arrived, and it was three days away from a full moon. As I ran through my parents’ neighborhood, no matter how many corners I turned, it felt like the moon was right in front of me, guiding me. My grandmother’s funeral was on Monday, when the moon was completely full (and there is no better place to see a full moon than in a clear, blue, Texas sky). That evening, I went to an overlook at the lake to watch the sunset - the same overlook that I grew up going to, watching thunderstorms roll in or playing guitar with friends. The sun was setting spectacularly on one side of the sky, and the full moon was rising on the other. I have always loved the moon, but in those two moments, I could feel my grandmother’s presence more than ever, and she will always be my Texas Moon.
I'm Wherever You Are
Written 11.6.25
This song was inspired by the loss of my grandmother, my own children, and how life continuously changes. Seeing my grandmother’s eyes closed at her funeral and realizing I would never get to see her warm, blue eyes again. About how she would rub my back on Sundays at church, and it would put me to sleep. I wrote about when my kids were little, and they would hang on to my neck when I would bend over to pick them up. And about how my life is going to change dramatically over the course of the next few months, but really, I think there are parts of me that will always be with my grandmother and boys, no matter where they are, and I will always have parts of them with me, even if we’re not together.
Stay Awhile
Written 12.19.24
In December of 2024, I had ACL reconstruction surgery. The holidays were the quietest and loneliest I had ever felt. A friend of mine stopped by one afternoon and brought me cookies and some creative things to keep me busy. As soon as she left, I picked up my guitar and wrote Stay a While - it’s about loving her company and wishing she could have stayed longer.