Where can we find you right now and what are you up to?
Currently I'm in Nashville! I've got shows in Nashville and Virginia in the next couple of months - including a Bluebird show on August 16th. I'm releasing a single - "Somewhere Hungover the Rainbow" on Friday, July 19th and am working closely with a few fantastic artists helping to develop them as well. I'm also continuously working writing and releasing songs with one of my favorite projects - my duo Paperhouse with songwriter/artist Shane Hines.
Photo by Sean McGee
How would you define success? What is your goal?
Success to me is making an impact on people's lives through what I create and maintaining the joy of creating while doing it. Whether it's making them laugh, cry, feel sentimental, just smile, bringing back a memory... whatever it is. If it does that and moves them, I am succeeding. At the end of the day, no one cares about gold records hanging on your walls or how many commas you have in the bank. They care about the lyrics you wrote and the songs that moved them. That is what I'm here to do.
What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned in your music career so far?
To not lose sight of the creative process and to be intentional. The business can overshadow the process so much. In publishing deals sometimes you write so much - you feel like you're throwing spaghetti at the wall and just seeing what sticks. I had to take a step back with a cross country move in 2020. I landed my first major single and radio single with Craig Morgan while down there. Seeing the business from a different angle helped me see it from a different perspective and see that in Nashville we can sometimes get tunnel vision. I am now much more intentional about who I write with, how.many times I write a week, which ideas I share in a room and try to give the ideas the best chance. If I'm writing with another artist - I really try to dig into who they are and what kind of angle we can use to tell their story and them apart.
What is a typical day in your life as an artist? Can you describe your typical songwriting process?
Haha - are you ready for this? Every day is different in my world. Generally, these days I'm focusing more on writing, so Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays I will either teach a Row House class (indoor rowing) in the morning or go for a run and then write in the afternoon. Tuesday and Thursdays I spend all day doing personal training, writing running client programs, and doing some song evaluations in there. It's all about the hustle right now. The balance of something other than music is really good for me. It gives me time to step away and breathe from an idea.
Photo by Rachel Deeb
What worked for you marketing-wise? What advice or tips would you give to new artists?
For me, it's figuring out what really rings true to me on social media. Your audience will connect with you so just be real. Don't give people what you think they want - give them what you want them to want. Give them something that is useful and inspiring. I also think genuinely connecting with people on a level outside of the music business is important. Build real relationships you can come back to and foster. If you really care about what is going on in someone's life - there's more of a chance you'll connect on a deeper level and write a great song. Reaching out and just asking for help has also been the easiest way to connect. No one can say no unless you ask, so you're not losing anything by trying.
What is the story behind your new single "Somewhere Hungover the Rainbow"?
I've always loved the song Somewhere Over the Rainbow... This is a witty little bittersweet love lost and found song (with a little bit of drinking thrown in), and it's a play on the classic song's famous melody in the chorus. It's only two notes like the original, but we actually included the original writers of Somewhere Over the Rainbow as writers on this song, I brought this title in to my co-writers Andrew Capra and Nora Collins and the next thing I knew, we had this little rainbow bop.
Photo by Rachel Deeb
Tell us about your latest or upcoming release.
Somewhere Hungover the Rainbow hits all streaming platforms on Friday, July 19th! I've also been working with my duo Paperhouse - which is me and Shane Hines. We have some exciting things in the work and new songs coming out. Paperhouse is more in the Americana genre and it's my favorite stuff to sing and write.
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