A Dirty Dozen with ERIN GIBNEY – May 2021

According to a recent press release: “Nashville-based pop-country singer-songwriter Erin Gibney has released a new single today (April 16, 2021) called “Easy Like That” via Rock Ridge Music. Written by Gibney, the song was produced by Marshall Altman (Amy Grant, Eric Paslay, Frankie Ballard, Colin Elmore, Josh Abbott Band, Raelynn) and recorded at Altman’s studio, Galt Line, in Nashville. The track premiered earlier this week at Americana Highways, who praised the song: “With a pop country flare, Erin Gibney delivers good vibes. ‘It ain’t easy like that’ is something we can all relate to.” “Easy Like That” is the first single from Gibney’s forthcoming EP, Rose Colored Glasses, which will come out in late summer 2021.” We get Erin to discuss new music, influences, and more…

Photo credit: Kailee Rose Photo & Video

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Something that fans may not know when first listening to “Easy Like That” is that this song is actually a combination of real stories and made up stories in my life. The lyrics are based on breakups that I have watched my best friends go through over the years, but I imagine their heartache through my own eyes. I wrote this story about how I would feel if I had gone through what they did in their past relationships. I did not put any hidden nuggets in the actual song, “Easy Like That,” but in the music video, which will come out soon, I put clues as to what the title of the EP will be. I am interested to see if anyone can pinpoint the hidden nugget in the video once it releases.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

I have grown up around music my entire life, which originally inspired me to take up instruments like piano, violin, and ukulele. I had never taken it all that seriously until I decided to begin vocal lessons. I absolutely fell in love with singing, and when I stepped on stage for the first time at 12 years old, I knew it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. My dad then encouraged me to pick up a guitar and begin songwriting. He played every night when I was a kid and taught me the basics of chords and strumming.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

There have been elements that have guided my musical taste in every different stage of my life. From adolescence, I heard artists like Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles, which was baseline for my music taste and helped me appreciate the poetic structure of lyrics. When I got a bit older, Taylor Swift became not just an influence for my musical taste, but an influence for me as a young woman as well. When I decided to move to Nashville after graduating high school, I began turning my focus to new women in country music like Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris, and Lauren Alaina. These women strongly influenced my taste at the time and became big role models for me in the industry. I would say that I can’t put a specific song, album, or performer that overarchingly guided my music taste because I have noticed that my taste changes as my life changes.

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

Taylor Swift, Kelsea Ballerini, Dolly Parton, Bruce Springsteen, and Ron Pope.

5. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

If I could do a collaboration with any artist, it would definitely be Taylor Swift. She has been a massive influence for me as a new woman in the music industry, and I am inspired by the way that she can create music in virtually any genre. She also has a really clever structure to her lyrics, and it would be amazing to see how she writes her music. I have been a huge fan of hers since I was a kid, and doing a collaboration with her would be an absolute dream come true.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

I would classify myself as a pop-country artist to someone who has never heard my music before. Being on social media, there have definitely been a few comparisons that I’ve disagreed with in the past. I remember one time I had someone in my comments compare me to Katy Perry, which made me laugh, because, while Katy Perry is a great artist, I think we have very different styles. It was a comparison I disagreed with, but it’s always interesting to me to see how people connect my music to well-known artists.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

When my band is hanging out together, my drummer is usually the one who starts up a singalong, my guitar player is the one who brings the drinks, and I am usually the one who cooks. I always have so much fun with my band and I can’t wait for the day (hopefully soon) where we can play live music like we once did.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

The last time I was completely starstruck was when I was at the CMAs as a seat filler a few years back. My friends and I were confused on where to go and asked a security guard where the entrance was. He pointed us in the wrong direction, and we ended up back by the tour buses. As we were wandering around, still looking where to go, Keith Urban came out of the back door at the Bridgestone Arena and started walking toward his bus. He was extremely kind and stopped to talk and take photos with us, but I was utterly speechless when he first walked out.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

The best part about being a musician is connecting with people over the stories you tell in your music. My favorite moment is when someone hears my song and says, “I can relate to this so much right now,” or, “This describes my life perfectly.” It’s moments like those that make me fall in love with being a musician all over again. I love when I find a song that I relate to on a deep level, because it comforts me that someone out there understands what I am going through. I love that I can bring that to people the way my favorite artists have brought it to me. If I could no longer be a musician, I would be an author. I think this job would appeal to me because it still has that same aspect of being able to connect with your audience.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

One question I have always wanted an interviewer to ask is why I chose Nashville! I love Nashville and am always looking for a reason to talk about it, but I think it is a question worth asking because there are so many cities for an artist to go to that I think it would be interesting to learn about why they chose the one they’ve settled in. The question I am always tired of answering is, “Where do you see your career in five years?” because, honestly, I have no idea. The industry, social media, and streaming are all changing every day. My song could go viral out of the blue and my career could be fast-tracked or it could take me a few more years to get there. It is always difficult to put a timeline on a music career because the truth is, you never really know how your career will play out.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

I think the biggest misstep I have taken in my career was during my first year in Nashville. I moved right out of high school, and being newly 18, I was pretty naïve as well. I let every “no” feel like the end of the world and made that entire year really hard for myself. I wish I could go back and give myself a long, hard talk about growing tougher skin because if I had, I would have been able to take every failure as an opportunity to grow, not as a sign that I would never make it. I think as a whole that year was really discouraging for me and though I know it led me to where I am now, I see it as something I would want to do over so I wouldn’t have wasted so much time comparing myself to others and feeling like I was failing.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

If I could go back in time and be a part of any recording, I would be a part of the recording of Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run. This is my dad’s favorite album and growing up it was played constantly in my house. I remember getting my first iPod shuffle and only having the Born to Run album alongside the songs “Honky Tonk Women” and a few 2000s Britney Spears hits. When I first took an interest in music, it was this album that I based my writing off of. I looked for the ways that Springsteen crafted his poetry in “Thunder Road” and “Backstreets” and the way he created his catchy melody in “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.” This album has been extremely influential for me in my music career, and seeing its creation would be an unbelievable experience.

BONUS QUESTION – Due to the current world situation with COVID-19 / quarantine / shelter in place, what have you discovered you miss the most from your life before the pandemic struck?

I really just miss being with the people I love without the anxiety and six feet of distance. Quarantine has felt like a really isolating experience, and while I miss events like concerts and going to restaurants, the thing I miss the most is seeing my loved ones. I can’t wait for the day that I can hug my grandma and have a bunch of my friends over without there being any fear attached to it. That was definitely a luxury I never thought I would lose.

ERIN GIBNEY LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

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Category: Interviews