‘She Smoked In The House’ is a heartfelt ode to Brandy Clark’s grandmother, Ruth. “To this day, my grandma Ruth is my favourite character to ever walk the planet. Looking back, I wrote this song because I was missing her and the things that she valued in life. I never thought it would ever be on a record. It was for me….but now it’s for you, too.” Said brandy of the new track.
The single comes from her new album which is a raw and emotional journey for Brandy, putting her heart into every single note and is potentially the rawest she has ever been. The record was produced by 9-time Grammy winner Brandi Carlile and is an 11-track journey showcasing Brandy Clarke’s skillful songwriting and storytelling.
Brandy Clark has been in the industry for over a decade finding success not only with her solo releases but also penning hit songs for artists such as Miranda Lambert and The Band Perry. Being an openly gay artist in a country music scene wasn’t something she thought she could be at first but thankfully, it hasn’t held her back.
Growing up, Brandy found her passion for music young and started taking guitar lessons aged nine, largely influenced by her mother’s love for classic country music and show tunes. She has an exceptional ability to create great songs and has also composed the music for theatre shows. ‘Shucked’, a musical comedy which recently opened in New York, features a soundtrack created by Clark and her longtime collaborator, Shane McAnully, is already being met with rave reviews.
House Of Solo Magazine caught up with Brandy Clark to speak about the new record, her experiences being an openly gay woman in country music, and what it takes to create a ‘great’ song.
Hi Brandy, your new self-titled album is set to be released on May 19th via Warner Records. You describe this release as being the rawest, musically, you have been since a previous album of yours, ’12 Stories’ – and maybe even more so. When you first set about creating this body of work, did you have it in mind that you wanted it to be so raw and honest?
I actually didn’t. ‘Your Life is a Record’ was an incredibly vulnerable record for me regarding subject matter. It was a break up record, so I really didn’t think it could get any rawer than those emotions. What I realised early on in this new project is that the majority of these songs on it are about me – not a relationship – about how I feel internally about myself and about life and love.
You are hailed as one of the finest singer-songwriters in Country music penning successful hits for other artists including Miranda Lambert’s ‘Mama’s Broken Heart’ and The Band Perry’s ‘Better Dig Two’ alongside your own acclaimed releases. When it comes to writing, how does your process typically go? Is it a completely different headspace when writing for other people as opposed to yourself?
Most of the time I’m just trying to write the best, most honest song I can with anything I am writing which typically ends up being the songs that I record. If I’m writing with another artist for them, I will acquiesce to their point of view and be in service to that for the song. Sometimes, I will write specifically for me, but I’m always surprised when those songs end up on an album. Two examples of that on this project are ‘She Smoked in the House’ and ‘Northwest’.
Somewhat following on from that, do you find there are certain formulas when writing music that are surefire ways to create something moving that resonates not only with you but with others too or is every song different?
I think if it moves me, it’ll move someone else. If it doesn’t move me, I need to just throw in the towel on it. For a listener to care about something, the writer and artist need to care about it first.
I read that you step into a character when you write and several previous tracks have been from the perspective of the same woman. Do you have many different moulds of characters in your head you tap into when writing?
100%. If I am writing a story song, I really try to put myself emotionally into the frame of mind that I think the character I am writing about is in. Sometimes I have to really put myself into the actual physical space that they are in, in my mind. I try to imagine their kitchen or the car they drive.
What do you think are the most important elements to creating a ‘great song’ – Is it melodies in particular or is it mostly how a song makes you feel?
I think a great song really is about truth. If you can get to the truth of what you are writing about, the melody and lyrics follow. However, I am a sucker for a great melody and groove.
You mentioned your passion and hunger for becoming a musician began when you were really young after seeing a show which included a family of musicians. When you were nine years old you decided you wanted to play the guitar so started taking lessons, showing such a wonderful talent for all things musical but did you ever have a backup plan or something else you wished to pursue had music not worked out the way it did?
Oh, I’ve had several other career paths that I have thought about. I wanted to go into the FBI for a minute because I love true crime so much and have a passion for putting away the bad guy. Had I been better in science, I could have seen myself becoming a veterinarian, although I don’t think my heart could have taken that one. Honestly, nothing ever bit me quite as hard as the music bug did.
We are all vastly influenced by the music our parents played and listened to growing up. Do you find this to be the case for you or did you search for your own personal taste, different from what your family may have been listening to?
No,I am largely influenced by what my parents listened to, my mom in particular. She really loved classic country music and show tunes. I think that’s why I’ve gravitated towards the things that I have. Along the way, I discovered some music that she didn’t turn me on to, but most of it came through her.
I’m pleased to hear you feel being an openly gay woman in Country music hasn’t held you back – which is exactly as it should be. Do you think being queer gave you a different mindset when first starting out? You mentioned feeling it wouldn’t have held you back from being a songwriter but at the time had it in your head that being a gay artist in country music couldn’t coexist.
I think being gay definitely gives me a different place to write from than a lot of other artists. Oftentimes, early gay relationships are filled with a lot of heartache because of the closeted, secretive nature that they take on. I guess I shouldn’t speak for everyone, but those were my experiences – not necessarily every gay person’s. For me, those early relationships provided a lot of substance for some sad songs. Thank God I was able to come out and get to a place of self-acceptance, but I wouldn’t trade that part of my journey for what it gave me creatively.
Alongside your longtime collaborator Shane McAnally, the pair of you have composed the music for the upcoming musical comedy ‘Shucked’ which recently opened on April 4th at New York’s Nederlander Theatre. How did this opportunity come about and despite this not being the first time you have ventured into comedic writing, what made you both want to do it in the first place?
Well, it originally started because the television show Hee Haw was going to be musicalized. That intrigued both Shane and myself because of our memories of watching the show with our grandparents. Robert Horn who wrote the book for Shucked chose us based on a song we had written called ‘Pray to Jesus’. He felt it was in the tone of what he wanted to write. That was 10 years ago now and where we ended up was nothing like where we started, but that was what hooked us in and once we were hooked, we weren’t letting go.
Finally, with an exciting year ahead, what’s next ?
Right now, I’m still coming down from the opening of Shucked. I spent the first part of this year in New York working on mounting it. Next for me is the release of this record, which I’m equally excited about. I can’t wait to release it and for the world to hear it and then to take it out on the road.
