Katie Perkins has been singing since the age of four, and her talent shines through on her new single "Take My Hand" with soft, airy vocals. The song is off her forthcoming third album and urges the listener to look at life optimistically.

"All you need to do is start saying yes to life, because every moment is a precious learning experience," Perkins tells Taste of Country of the song. "Take time each day to value yourself and to shift your mind into a mode of listening to the whispers of your heart. Trust your own inner beauty because you have it. Choose life to change your life!"

It is a motto that Perkins herself lives by, as she has had a difficult journey to get to where she is today. When she was 16, Perkins found herself suffering from shortness of breath and falling asleep randomly. She was told by doctors that she needed open-heart surgery to correct an undetected heart condition which she had lived with since birth.

Without the surgery, she was told she might not live to see the age of 30. A tough realization, she also learned that if she went through with that surgery the breathing tubes could cause damage to her larynx and affect her ability to sing.

“I would rather sing for the next 13 years than to live and never sing again,” she told doctors.

Seeing her passion for music, her doctor decided to use infant breathing tubes to minimize the risks to her voice. As a result, her heart was repaired and she could continue to sing.

Perkins is currently in the studio with producer Brian Sargent. Her new single "Take My Hand" includes accompaniment by drummer Ben Sesar (Brad Paisley), dobro player Andy Hall (Zac Brown Band, Dolly Parton) and Sargent on upright bass, mandolin, acoustic guitar and backing vocals.

Listen to Katie Perkins, "Take My Hand"

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