FEATURE - BRE KENNEDY - "PROGRESS"

Check out the whispy new single from Nashville’s own Bre Kennedy. We’ll let the music speak for it’s self.

“Progress is my first release of this season of new music for me. After the year we all had, I found myself having conversations with almost everyone I know and love about feeling like there was no progress being made. Although last year particularly felt like barren land for making any progress at all, this also is a theme I feel daily in my own career, relationships and life. Am I too close to this to see that I’m getting anywhere at all? Are any of my efforts making me a better version of myself? Am I doing enough? I wanted this song to feel like walking through that feeling with a sense of acceptance that I may never see how far I’ve come in the moment, and that’s what we have community, family and friends for… to be our mirrors and remind us from their point of view just how much we are always growing. Even when it doesn’t feel like it, I think we’re always making progress just by asking the question and acknowledging where we are at right now.”

WEBITE | INSTA

'BREAKING' IT DOWN WITH ABIGAIL OSBORN

Fans of Lennon Stella and Maggie Rogers, buckle up! We’ve found the next iconic lyric-driven pop babe, and it’s Abigail Osborn. Learn you a little bit about her background and the making of the music video for her new single “Break My Heart.” Be sure to check out the vid below.

●            Have you always been interested in music, even from a young age? Was there a particular song or performance you heard or saw that made you think you had to do this as a career?

-               For as long as I can remember, I’ve been intrigued by the idea of music and live performance. It wasn’t until I got a little older that I realized this was something I really wanted to pursue, and actually couldn’t envision myself doing anything else.

●            You have a new song called “Break My Heart”. What is this track about and did a specific event inspire you to write this song?

-               This song has been a long time coming. It’s a culmination of a lot of my dating experiences all tied up into one concept, focusing on the fact that I have a tendency to date guys who want to jump into a relationship, have a great time, and then dip out when it comes time to commit to something. There was one specific instance where I knew exactly where a relationship was going as I was getting into it, but I decided to jump into it anyways. I knew this guy was going to be just like all the rest, but made a conscious effort to make our time together the best it could possibly be, knowing it  was going to be short lived. This guy proved to be just like all the rest, but this time I at least got a cool song out of it!!!

●            The music video for "Break My Heart" is really colorful and so fun to watch. What inspired the music video for “Break My Heart”?

-               As I was writing this song, it brought up a lot of conversation between me and my friends, and I realized that I was definitely not the only one experiencing this kind of thing. I wanted to make something that felt as visually empowering as the song felt to write. The song feels pretty ironic to me, because the idea of a heart break is not very fun, but I wanted to change that narrative by making it look like the best time ever. I decided the best way to do that was by throwing a giant heart break party. I got all my closest friends together and rented out an all pink house and we spent the night sharing our stories about the horrible dates we’ve been on, while drinking champagne and dancing. It was the best time ever.

●            What was it like filming the music? Any on-set stories?

-               It was a pretty chaotic experience, not gonna lie. I rented out a house to shoot in, but only had it for 3 hours total. We had to do a ton of prep work beforehand to make sure it wasn’t a total disaster, and that we could get everything we needed in that amount of time. We got in the house and immediately started shooting, and had to be super careful not to spend too much time on any one shot. Ty Combs is my videographer and co-directed the video with me and he is such a rockstar to have agreed to this crazy suggestion.

●            How has living in Nashville influenced your music?

-               Living in Nashville has definitely had a pretty big influence on my music. I’m collaborating with so many writers here and am consistently pushed to be the best version of my artist self. I’ve seen myself grow and evolve in my artistry so much in the past year, and am excited to see how that continues in the future. Definitely really thankful to be here and be surrounded by so many creatives I look up to so much.

●            Last question: what’s next for you? What are your plans for future releases?

-               So much new music. I’m so excited for all I've got planned for the rest of the year. I spent most of last year recording and filming videos to go along with each song, and I'm just feeling really ready to put them out into the world. On top of that, playing live is something I'm really, really looking forward to doing again. It’s been really exciting to see the ways that live music has started to come back, and I look forward to more of that towards the end of this year.

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO FOR “BREAK MY HEART” BELOW 

INSTA | WEBSITE

FEATURE: ROMAN ALEXANDER - "COCKTAIL CONVERSATIONS"

THIS FRIDAY, ROMAN ALEXANDER OF TWELVE 6 ENT RELEASED HIS HOT NEW SINGLE, “COCKTAIL CONVERSATIONS”. ROMAN GAVE US THE EXCLUSIVE ON WHERE THE SONG CAME FROM AND THE GUYS THAT HELPED HIM PEN THE SEXY, NOSTALGIC TRACK.

“FROM THE MENTION OF AN EMPTY BAR ON A MONDAY NIGHT TO THE OLD FASHIONED AND EVEN THE ELVIS TATTOO, ‘COCKTAIL CONVERSATIONS’ WAS THE FIRST SONG I WROTE THAT GENUINELY FELT LIKE THE MOST AUTHENTIC REPRESENTATION OF WHO I AM AS A PERSON & ARTIST. I WROTE IT WITH CLOSE FRIENDS DYLAN ALTMAN & JOHN CALDWELL. HERE’S TO COCKTAILS AND CONVERSATIONS!”

LISTEN TO “COCKTAIL CONVERSATIONS” BELOW”:

INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY

FEATURE: "UNTIL WE DRINK" - SAVANNAH SGRO

Here’s the latest in bad-ass sad-girl pop bops from Nashville, OG Savannah Sgro. We’ll let the song speak for it’s self. Stream “Until We Drink” below.

I was losing my mind my last month in Nashville before I moved to LA, and got drunk almost every night like WHY WAS I MOVING ACROSS THE COUNTRY DURING A PANDEMIC?! "Until we drink" is a song about that time and drinking one too many when you are with a friend and suddenly hooking up…. but that night happening over and over again…. lmao

INSTA | SITE

FEATURE: KID POLITICS - "WHY CAN'T IT BE US"

Check out “Why Can’t It Be Us” this epic new tune from Nashville’s vibey-est new pop / rock duo, Kid Politics. Fans of Twenty One Pilots, 5 Seconds of Summer, Imagine Dragons and OneRepublic, etc - will go wild on these guys! Stream the song below.

“Why Cant It Be Us” is a song about young, shy love and the feeling of dancing big under the moonlight. Written as a quirky joke to a friend who fell in love too hard and too fast, this song quickly became a favorite song to perform live. In a landscape of moody and sad pop songs, we bring back happy, loud pop with this anthem. Why Can’t It Be Us is for all the young romantics out there familiar with the electric energy of falling in love.

-Kid Politics

SPOTIFY | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE

BIT BY BIT WITH WALKER COUNTY

Warner Music Nashville’s power-house sister duo, Walker County talk writing tunes, touring with Tanya Tucker, and staying sane during the pandemic. Stream the new single, “Bits and Pieces“ below.

1. We love your song “Bits & Pieces!” What was it about the song that drew the two of you to it and made you want to cut it?

Sam Hunt originally wrote this song and then we were pitched his demo of it. We immediately became fans of his version of the song, and we knew if he wasn’t going to cut it, we wanted to!  It’s such a fun song and we knew we wanted to put our own spin on it! 

2. Tell us a little bit about how you got started in music. Was there a particular moment where you knew that you wanted to do music together?

We have been playing together in a band for 13 years! We went on a family vacation in 2007 to Nashville TN, and our dad asked us if we wanted to street perform on Broadway just to say we did it. We sang the few country songs we had worked up and made about 10 bucks. When we went back home to Indiana our dad said if we wanted to we could do this for real! So we started working up music and playing anywhere they would listen to us! The rest was history! 

3. Sophie, when did you start playing drums? What was that learning process like, did you teach yourself, go to lessons, etc?

I started playing when I was 10 years old! My dad surprised me with a sparkly drum kit and I was sold! I took just a few lessons from the drummer at our church, but a lot of my drumming was self taught! I learned a lot by trial and error and just playing shows and practicing constantly! It wasn’t until a few years ago that I took some lessons from a drummer in Nashville to work more on my techniques. 

4. Who are some of your musical influences?

(Sophie) As a drummer I love 80s rock drummers, of course Tommy Lee and Lars Ulrich. I love how they put on a show and that a lot of Motley Crue and Metallica fans would come to the show just for them. 

(Ivy) I’m a fan of vocalist and storytellers. I’m inspired by women from Dolly Parton to Demi Lovato! 

5. How do you think your music and/or writing has developed since you both started making music?

We started making music while we were so young, so we have definitely grown. We’ve lived life, had heartbreak, and made mistakes and we put those personal experiences in our music. 

6. You’re set to join Tanya Tucker on the Next Women of Country Tour later this year. What are you most excited about with those upcoming shows?

We’re super excited to get the opportunity to perform in front of her fans. One of the first songs we ever performed was “Jamestown Ferry” and to come full circle and see her perform that song every night will be a dream come true! There is always something you can learn from someone like Tanya Tucker, and it will be great to watch her in action! 

7. What has been the most challenging part of staying creative during the pandemic?

By not traveling and getting to have those face to face moments with people has been hard! We get our song ideas and inspiration from living life in general so it’s been difficult staying home and having that same sort of creative energy! 

8. What else is on the horizon for y'all that you can share with us?

Our single “Bits & Pieces” will be hitting country radio this year, and we couldn’t be more excited to share our music with a bigger audience!

STREAM “BITS AND PIECES” BELOW

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TALKIN' CASUAL WITH IAN MCCONNELL

YOUR FAVE, ALT-COUNTRY DUDE, IAN MCCONNELL JUST PUT OUT HIS BRAND NEW SINGLE, “CASUAL” ALONGSIDE A SICK MUST-WATCH MINI VIDEO. WE GOT A QUICK 6 QUESTION INTERVIEW WITH IAN, TALKING THE NEW SINGLE, THE NEW VID, AND HIS CHOICE OF UNDERWEAR.

CHECK IT OUT BELOW:

1. YOU JUST PUT OUT A NEW SINGLE, “CASUAL”, DESCRIBE WHAT THE WRITING PROCESS WAS LIKE FOR THIS SONG?

IT WAS INTENSE! MY WRITING PROCESS IS VERY EMOTIONALLY DRAINING SINCE I TRY TO STICK AS CLOSELY AS POSSIBLE TO MY ACTUAL FEELINGS AND STORIES. I WROTE IT TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO ABOUT A CASUAL RELATIONSHIP THAT WASN’T VERY FULFILLING, AND IT HELPED ME FIND A LOT OF CLARITY WHILE LUCKILY BEING A BANGER AT THE SAME TIME.

2. WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE PRODUCTION OF THE SONG?

I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO A LOT OF PARAMORE AND BOYS LIKE GIRLS LATELY. AND BY LATELY I MEAN PRETTY CONSISTENTLY SINCE 2007 OR SO. “CAREFUL” BY PARAMORE AND “THE GREAT ESCAPE” BY BLG KIND OF CAME TOGETHER IN MY MIND TO INSPIRE THIS PRODUCTION.

3. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT THIS SONG AND WHAT DO YOU HATE ABOUT THIS SONG (IF ANYTHING)?

I REALLY LOVE THE WAY IT TURNED OUT. I HATE A LITTLE BIT OF THE PROCESS IT TOOK TO GET IT TO ITS CURRENT STATE. I HAD A FINAL MIX DONE BEFORE THE DUE DATE AND HAD BEEN LISTENING TO IT AND SHOWING IT AROUND BEFORE DECIDING IT WAS ABOUT 6 BPM TOO SLOW. SO, IN ABOUT 3 DAYS, I GUTTED THE ENTIRE PRODUCTION, RE-RECORDED AND RE-MIXED EVERYTHING, AND GOT IT TO THE DISTRIBUTOR. VERY STRESSFUL, BUT I’M DEFINITELY HAPPIER I TOOK THE TIME TO REDO EVERYTHING RATHER THAN STAYING WITH THE VERSION THAT DIDN’T FEEL RIGHT.

4. THE “CASUAL” VIDEO IS HILARIOUS! TELL US ABOUT THE THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND THAT:

WE’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT DOING A RUNNING VIDEO FOR A WHILE NOW, BUT I HAD A STRESS FRACTURE IN MY LEFT FOOT FROM NOVEMBER TO FEBRUARY AND COULDN’T RUN FOR ALL THAT TIME, SO IT KEPT GETTING PUSHED BACK. WHEN MY MANAGER KAYLA AND I SHOT THE ALBUM ART FOR “CASUAL” WITH THE FORMAL-ON-TOP-PARTY-ON-BOTTOM LOOK, WE PRETTY QUICKLY GOT HYPED ABOUT THE IDEA OF RUNNING IN THAT OUTFIT. I’M NOT A SUPER SYMBOLIC PERSON, BUT I THINK THE CHAOTIC NATURE OF THE VIDEO DOES A SOLID JOB HIGHLIGHTING HOW IT FEELS TO OPEN UP TO SOMEONE THAT YOU WANT SOMETHING DIFFERENT OUT OF THE RELATIONSHIP.

5. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON CASUAL RELATIONSHIPS NOW?

THEY’RE GREAT FOR SOME PEOPLE! I TEND NOT TO DO WELL IN THEM, BUT IT COULD BE THAT I’M NOT IN THE RIGHT PLACE IN LIFE TO ENJOY IT. THE EMOTIONAL ASPECT OF RELATIONSHIPS IS MY FAVORITE PART AND IT’S TOUGH FOR ME TO HAVE ANY RELATIONSHIP WITHOUT THAT.

6. ARE YOU A WHITEY TIGHTIES OR BOXER BRIEFS GUY?

I GO BOXERS, UNLESS I’M WORKING OUT AND THEN USE COMPRESSION SHORTS. IN THE VIDEO, I’M WEARING SHORTS UNDER THE BOXERS TO KEEP FROM POTENTIALLY FLOPPING OUT.

PEEP THE MINI-VID AND THE SINGLE BELOW:
(CLICK HERE TO FIND IT ON ALL PLATFORMS)

FOLLOW IAN ON SOCIALS:
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YMC EXCLUSIVE: HALEY GANIS - "THE CROWD"

Haley Ganis’ “The Crowd” is a fresh and intimate take on mental health and anxiety. Although serious at times, the music and lyric take the listener on a delightfully whimsical journey. The song is a follow-up single to Haley’s EP, “The Motions,” which was released in October of 2020. Haley is a Nashville-based artist & songwriter whose bittersweet and nostalgic perspectives on life are revealed through her music. 

“The Crowd” is the follow-up single to your EP, “The Motions.” Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration and who you created it with?

I wrote it during the beginning of the pandemic, all-out quarantine mode and so I was obviously spending A LOT of time alone. I was forced to look inwards a bit more than usual and what resulted was a song about anxiety and mental health. And although the song topic is serious, I wanted the music and lyric to have a whimsical feel to it. Dylan Maloney was my producer on it and we hired an insanely talented group of musicians to play on it. It was mixed by Chris Utley and mastered by Chris Henderson. 

How has Nashville impacted your music? 

I’ve always been about honesty, realness, and authenticity, but moving to Nashville was a total game changer for me. It has really forced me to become a better writer. There are so many talented people here and it not only kicks your ass, but it also inspires you creatively. People think Nashville and assume it’s all country music, but there are a lot of other genres flourishing here. I’m lucky to have a pop community that is supportive and collaborative!

What are some of your hobbies outside of music?

Baking, arts & crafts :), reading, spin classes, traveling (I miss that), and having a good glass (or bottle) of red wine.

What decade of music would you love to live in?

That’s tough - I love everything about the ‘70s, but I think I’d have to say the ‘90s. It gives me all those childhood nostalgic feels.

Who would you love to collaborate with?

Kacey Musgraves, hands down.

Which local Nashville artists are you loving right now?

Bre Kennedy, Stef, Bailey Bryan, carobae

What’s one random fact about you? 

I looove ketchup. Like put ketchup on my ketchup.

What’s next for you?

Lots of new music will be released this year and I’m very excited about it!

Listen to “The Crowd” below:

Make sure to follow Haley on socials to stay up-to-date:

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