Propriétaire de KracRadio et projets de musique maloware.com Owner of KracRadio and music project maloware.com
Texte revu et corrigé par Yanick Franche
Nashville’s newest darling, Caitlin Quisenberry, is full speed ahead as she quickly moves up the ranks of country music. Undoubtedly, Quisenberry is blessed with one of the most exciting and fresh voices in country music today. She may be new to the Nashville music scene, but Quisenberry is no stranger to the public eye.
source caitlinquisenberrymusic.com
Q&A with Caitlin Quisenberry From Nashville
You just released a new musical sample « get loud with me »Can you explain to us what inspired this song?
The inspiration for recording “Get Loud With Me” came from me wanting to give my listeners a song that they could really have fun with. From the moment it starts, the instrumentals are preparing them to get ready for “take off” for an exciting ride! The lyrics promote living life to its fullest and being in the moment. As you sing along, it grants permission to let loose and get wild, ‘cuz life’s clock is ticking by. It gives advice to “block your haters, tip your waiters”, which is in its simplest form of saying, don’t give anyone the power to get you down and take care of those who are part of your journey. With beats found in a nightclub, the song can just be an awesome party song to get the crowd dancing, but it does have some deeper meaning behind it as well. I love songs that come on and you just HAVE to crank up the volume – “Get Loud With Me” is one of those songs!
What was the creation process?
The song was created with live instrumentation from A list musicians in Nashville. The producer then created EDM accents to give it more of an electronic dance mix sound. After hearing it, I had the idea to add a banjo to bring in a more country vibe. That combination really worked and I got the sound I was wanting. It’s fun to experiment with different genres and put them together in unexpected ways. This song really gets me going and gives me energy, so laying down my vocals to it could be compared to how you feel when you’re alone and just belting out a song for yourself!
Other than Country and Pop. Do you think you will explore other styles over time?
Absolutely! I grew up singing everything – from gospel music, to jazz and in college I studied classical music and sang operas in different languages. Country just happens to be my favorite and the best natural style for my voice. When I would sing other genres, people would tell me I have a natural country twang in my voice. I don’t see myself crossing over as an artist, but experimenting is always fun. I have another song that I just recorded called, “Cowboy Jazz”. It is so cool!!! My vocals are very traditional country, set into a jazz song. I can’t wait to have that one out so you can hear it.
Everyone knows that Nashville is the cradle of Country, how is the difficulty to be known and heard?
I have experienced this before in Los Angeles. I did a lot of acting and everyone there from your waiter to your Uber driver was an actor – you are surrounded by that industry. It is the same here in Nashville; it seems like everyone plays an instrument or sings, or is somehow involved in the country music industry. I thrive on that and don’t look at it as competition, but as a place where all the opportunities are. It is true that the talent pool here is incredible, but that’s to my advantage when needing musicians to play, record or sing with. The Country Music community has been very welcoming to me in helping promote my music through interviews, playlists, articles written, people asking me to write with them and being invited to play at different venues around town. My first time playing live here will be next week!
You’ve been singing since you were 14 where does this inspiration and strength for music come from?
I’ve actually been singing my entire life, starting in church (my grandpa is a Southern Baptist minister). So singing is as much a part of me as talking. At the age of 14 was when I got more serious about it though; that was when I got the opportunity to record an EP with Robert Cutarella, a Grammy-Award winning producer. My inspiration and strength comes from several places: First, it’s my happy place. There is nothing I love more than singing. When I do it, it fills me with energy to perform, song-write or just puts me in a good mood. I’m also inspired by other artists, like Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Chris Stapleton, to name a few. I really enjoy learning about them as artists, and singing their covers. Additionally, I get a lot of strength from my family. They are the ones who encouraged me to put off going to law school, to move to Nashville and pursue my true passion of music. My biggest inspiration and strength comes from my followers/fans. Their comments, DMs, and shares really gives me the stamina needed to work hard for them, through writing interesting lyrics and recording great music that they are excited to hear.
Can you tell us about your experience at American Idol?
It was an amazing experience on so many levels. I auditioned the year they changed the age from 16 to 15, so being that I had just turned 15, I was one of the youngest and most inexperienced singers there. Some were already artists making a living with their music, and I was just finishing my first year of high school. The experience made me more comfortable singing in front of people, gave me inner strength to never let “no” stop me because it’s the “nos” that we learn most from and make us stronger as artists. It mainly showed me that there are a lot of incredible singers out there, so to make it in this business, you have to have something special that makes you stand out.
Can you tell us more about the creation of the animated video “Imogene” created by Tom Schneiders
When I finished recording “Imogene”, I knew it deserved a music video to make it come to life and I kept envisioning a cartoon to tell the story. Tom Schneiders is a well-known and respected Hollywood cartoonist, who happens to be a family friend. When I asked him if he would be interested, he immediately accepted and started to create the characters and storyline. His talent and creativity is off the charts, so I really allowed him to have complete artistic control. He had the idea to take it from real life into cartoon form then back to real life, so the videographer, Monico Candalaria, who shot my music video “Blue”, did all the live shots. When I saw the finished product, it exceeded my wildest expectations. Tom posted a really cool video showing the process of how he created the music video, which made all of his time and work REALLY appreciated. Everyone, please go check out his work! He has a very unique style that is like no other. He has a cartoon called “Burds” that is very thought provoking. His style combined with “Imogene” was the perfect pairing!
What are you doing besides music to recharge your batteries?
I love to paint, and that is a complete escape for me. I also enjoy hiking. I can feel my soul filling up when I’m out enjoying nature. I’ve met some really great people here in Nashville that I enjoy spending time with as well as my family who also moved here from Colorado. So I’m lucky to be surrounded with supportive people who give me the breaks I need and care about my wellbeing.
Can you share one of your favorite meals with us this autumn season?
Well two things I love this season are hot apple cider and pumpkin bread! But meal wise, I’d have to go with turkey sausage and veggies. I chop everything up and roast it in the oven, then eat it over rice. I love it because it’s easy, healthy and hearty!
Where do you write to find inspiration for your songs?
My favorite places to write are in my apartment on my chaise lounge. It’s super comfortable and up against a floor to ceiling window with great views of Nashville. The other place I like to go is on the rooftop of my building, again because of the views of Nashville. I’m completely inspired when I look out to see that I’m actually living here, in Music City. The last song I wrote is about moving to Music City; it’s called, “One Line at a Time” and is planned to be my next release.
How do you see the music industry today vs the web?
I view them as one in the same. They are fully connected and there are a lot of pros to that. For example: The way I got my start was a producer here in Nashville saw me singing on my Instagram, DM’d me and asked me to come in to record with them and featured me as their breakout artist. I was also contacted by an amazing guitarist, who’s tour was cancelled due to the pandemic. He saw me singing online and connected with me to be my guitarist. An exaggerated example of what the web can do for artists is an artist can write a song, put it on TikTok – fans can make it go to #1 on iTunes, which then turns the heads of record labels. So social media is an amazing way to connect with the music industry on all levels, as well as fans and get your music circulated. It has also been an incredible tool for streaming live mini concerts during the pandemic when artists weren’t able to tour. The cons are that it can be very time consuming and tricky to balance time spent on the web with honing your craft of song writing/recording. It’s also easy to get caught up on numbers and engagement, when the focus should be on putting out good content. So to be successful in this business now, I believe you must have it all and do it all – a big social media following paired with great talent and songs. You need to use all the tools available because the talent pool is huge. I think record labels want to see an artist who has somewhat developed themselves in all aspects and who already has a great fan base before they are going to invest in them. That’s my goal everyday, to work toward signing with a major label.
Nashville’s newest darling, Caitlin Quisenberry, is full speed ahead as she quickly moves up the ranks of country music. Undoubtedly, Quisenberry is blessed with one of the most exciting and fresh voices in country music today. She may be new to the Nashville music scene, but Quisenberry is no stranger to the public eye. She has been singing and performing for more than a decade. At 14 years old, she worked with Grammy-winning producer Robert Cutarella on a four-song EP. The following year, she auditioned for American Idol, where she nabbed a Golden Ticket and was pushed through to Hollywood. In 2013, the vocalist was crowned Miss Colorado Outstanding Teen after singing to a sold-out audience at Denver’s Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Quisenberry then decided to attend Pepperdine University, where she graduated with a degree in Philosophy, an emphasis in Vocal Performance and a certificate in Conflict Management and Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine Law School.
While attending the University, Quisenberry pursued a career in acting. Her time spent in Hollywood landed her leading roles in national commercials including Kelloggs Frosted Flakes and Doritos, along with her most notable role in the ABC TV sitcom, « Blackish ». Although she loved acting, singing was always her true passion. Quisenberry was given the opportunity her Sophomore year of college to study abroad in Lausanne, Switzerland with renowned opera singer Karine Mkrtchyan. Quisenberry believes her classical background is what has given her an advantage in the sea of incredibly talented singers. Upon graduating, Quisenberry was chosen by her Pepperdine vocal coach to sing lead vocals for the Harbor Unplugged bluegrass concert. As she sang with a Nashville based band, Quisenberry knew that country was the direction she wanted to take her music! Alongside legendary artists, her music has been spotlighted in print, online publications, and major Spotify playlists including: New Music Nashville, Nashville Stripped, CMT, Whisky Riff’s New Friday Playlist, The Nash News, Country Belles Radio, 97.9 Kiss Country, KLZ 100.7 FM, Women of Country, Raised on It, Country Note, Westword, ThinkTankNashville, NewBreak, Off The Row Magazine, Pro Country, The Country Note, Denver Westword, SpotOnColorado.com, Voyager, Medium.com and more.
Currently, the red-headed vocalist is enjoying success with « Blue », « S.O.S. », « Let Love Die » and « Imogene ». Quisenberry continues to write music and is gearing up for the release of her next single titled, « Get Loud With Me », her most dynamic single yet!