Since 2011, Virginia Bunetta has overseen the career of Thomas Rhett, including partnering with the singer and his father/fellow hitmaker, Rhett Akins, to launch Home Team Publishing as a partnership with Warner Chappell.

Bunetta’s career began at NSAI, followed by time at WBR/RAYBAW Records and Irving Azoff’s Front Line Management managing Jewel. She has been honored as a MusicRow Rising Women on the Row, a Billboard Nashville Power Player and by HITS Magazine.

MusicRow: Where did you grow up?

I grew up in West Virginia. I moved to South Carolina and Los Angeles for college and then to Nashville in January of 2002.

Were you a country music fan?

Oh yeah. I grew up listening to Crystal Gayle. Country music was such a big part of our household. I’m from Appalachia—six miles down a dirt road, across two creeks. We had 500 acres, a horse farm and had a garden we worked and ate from. I grew up in the country.

Were you always planning to work in music?

I always knew I wanted to run my own business but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do specifically. I knew I wanted to work around music—not necessarily in it as a musician. I went to business school and started doing a little PR work after moving to Nashville. Susan Stewart was at NSAI at the time, and she hired me as the marketing director which was my first job in the industry.

What was that experience like?

I worked there for about two years and helped with Tin Pan South and sponsorships. That’s where I really got to know songwriters and started to understand that songwriting is the central nervous system of the Nashville community. Everything truly begins with the song, and with the songwriter.

After that, I was hired to run a joint venture label at Warner Bros. Records and worked on Cowboy Troy, John Anderson and James Otto. That was where I really learned the ins and outs of the record label side. It was right before labels started doing 360 deals, so everyone was watching digital downloads become part of how consumers got their music. I saw that shift happening firsthand. I realized I wanted to move into management because at the label, I only had control over one part of the artist’s career. I wanted to see the bigger picture and help guide the whole thing.

So how did that transition into management happen?

Jewel called me and asked me to be her manager. I flew out to meet with Irving Azoff, and he hired me.

That’s quite a leap. What was it like working with Jewel?

She’s so prolific—an incredible songwriter and singer. She can captivate a room with just her guitar and voice like no one I’ve ever seen. She’s truly phenomenal.

So what came next—was that when you started working with Thomas Rhett?

Yes. In Nashville, managers often get calls from publishers or friends saying, “I’ve got this new act. Will you meet with them?” That’s how it used to happen. Around that time, Ben Vaughn, who was at EMI Publishing sent me some demos from Thomas Rhett. He was maybe 19 or 20 and still a student at Lipscomb. I already knew his dad, Rhett, from the songwriting world.

Even then, Thomas Rhett’s songwriting was so evolved for his age. It felt real and genuine. So I signed him to management around 2011, and I remember telling myself I really needed to focus our attention as a company on breaking this act. That became our priority, and still is.

What do you remember about those early days with him?

Every year we sit down and say, “If we had a magic wand, what would we want this career to look like in a year?” Then we work backward from there. Fenway Park was on that list early on. He’s checked so many boxes—Entertainer of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, all the award show moments, all the songs going No. 1—but Fenway was the one we hadn’t done until last year. And I know there will be more.

I’ve watched him grow from a young, emerging artist learning his craft into this incredible, consummate professional. He’s exactly what you see: kind, genuine, a wonderful husband and father. I feel really lucky to work with someone like that and to have witnessed his evolution.

You’ve been together a long time, which isn’t always common in artist-manager relationships. How have you made that last?

I think management is different from some of the other areas of the business because we have to wake up every day and earn it. Managers don’t own assets in the traditional sense, so the dynamic keeps us sharp. It’s kept me investing in him, expanding my team and growing alongside his career.

G Major has built support around digital marketing, analytics and data—having people who can give us insights so we can make the best decisions for him. I really believe in him as both an artist and a writer, and that belief keeps me motivated.

You’re TR’s manager, but you’re also a leader at G Major Entertainment. What has it been like to lead a company as a woman in this business?

I feel like leadership is service. Whether you’re male or female, you’re serving the people you lead. That’s how I approach it. For me, that also means being honest about who I am, including my role as a mother, and not apologizing for it.

It’s not easy, but I think when you’re living in a way that’s most truthful to you, it rarely is. But it’s worth it. I think we’re in a time now where women are more empowered to live that way.

That’s such a healthy example to set. How do you manage to be successful and live with boundaries?

I have a great team who can fill in the blanks when I’m away. And I have an artist who understands the value of my work here and my work as a mom at home. That makes all the difference.

What’s your favorite part of what you do now?

I love hearing new songs right after they’ve been written, when the artist is so excited to share them with the world. Even though I’m on the business side, management is actually very creative.

We get to take the music and, alongside the label and booking team, design the kaleidoscope of an artist’s year. There are so many moving parts, but we get to dream up creative campaigns around songs no one’s heard yet. And then to see one of those songs take off—or to see something like the Thomas Rhett and Teddy Swims collaboration come to life—is just incredible.

Who have been some of your mentors?

So many. I think “mentor” is an interesting word, though. I tend to think of people as guides, both in and outside of music. Marion Kraft is someone I really admire. When I’m stuck and need advice, I’ll call her.

There are also guides outside of music. For example, Martha Beck has a book called The Way of Integrity that I love. I also love Brene Brown’s book on leadership Dare to Lead. At G Major the staff actually read books on business together—like the Brene Brown one—as part of our year end work.

What’s some of the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

Irving Azoff once told me not to over-sign—he said, “Don’t sign a bunch of stuff. Sign what you think you can break and break it.” I’ve carried that with me ever since.

Another guide for me is the poet Mary Oliver. When I read her or Martha Beck, I’m struck by how thoughtful and honest and present they are. I’m striving to be more of that in my next season.

Something I want to stress that maybe other women need to hear is that everything in life and in business is in a season. For me, the season to double down on building a company and breaking acts was in my 20s and 30s. In my 40s, I find myself tending to and caring for my existing obligations—nurturing my staff, the artists’ career that I was a part of since day one [TR] and is now a massive organization, and most importantly, be a present wife and mother to my two small daughters at home. I go out at night less and travel only when necessary. I know I’m missing opportunities to grow and sign and hustle, and it’s okay. It is not the season for that for me. I know other seasons lie ahead but this one is precious and just as important as the ones that came before. So be gentle and kind to yourself and be patient—and know what season you are in.