Latest / Women's Writes / Episode 1: Lauren Alaina on Songwriting, Motherhood, “Stages” & the Women Behind the Writes

Transcript

Episode 1: Lauren Alaina on Songwriting, Motherhood, “Stages” & the Women Behind the Writes · Women's Writes

0:19
Hi, I'm Parker Welling and I'm Lydia Vaughan and
0:23
we are Women's Writes We are staff songwriters
0:26
and close friends, and we're here to highlight
0:28
some of the most iconic songwriting combos in
0:30
country music. And give you a peek behind the
0:33
curtain into their friendship stories and songs.
0:35
So let's get into it. This season is all about
0:38
female collaborators. And Lydia and I knew that
0:40
we couldn't have these conversations without
0:42
inviting one of our all time favorite female
0:45
collaborators. She is a Grand Ole Opry member,
0:49
a powerhouse vocalist and songwriter. one of
0:52
country music's most recognizable voices with
0:55
multiple number ones, songs like Road Less Traveled,
0:58
One Beer, and What Ifs, a career that's built
1:01
on honesty, humor, and heart. You probably fell
1:04
in love with her when she was on American Idol
1:06
or maybe Dancing with the Stars, but Lydia and
1:08
I fell in love with her when we started writing
1:10
with her. She's someone we've laughed with, cried
1:14
with, created with for years. She is Benny's
1:18
mom, the life of the party, and one of our favorite
1:21
people. This is... Lauren Alaina. Why did that
1:23
make me want to cry? Because I love you so much.
1:27
I feel like you were about to start crying just
1:29
reading that. I was pregnant here. I think it's
1:33
me. No, I'm not. No, it's me either. Thank God.
1:37
I am not me. 100 % confidence, I am not. No,
1:41
we just love you so much. You are the only solo.
1:45
person we are having on the podcast this season.
1:47
Why, because you're my people I write with. Yes,
1:50
because you're my people. We felt like when we
1:52
were talking about it, we were like, we want
1:53
Lauren to do it, but who would be the combo?
1:56
And we're like, we love Lauren, we'll be her
1:58
combo. Yeah, you are like two of my go -tos.
2:02
And when people ask me who I can trust in a room,
2:05
you know, you build your village. If I have an
2:07
idea and I need it to sound like a hit, I know
2:10
I can bring it to you guys, for sure. So tell
2:12
us the truth. Okay. Which one of us do you like
2:16
riding with better? And why is it Parker? I like
2:23
riding with you together. I think it's a together
2:25
thing. We're a package deal. Have I written with
2:29
you without Parker? No. I don't think so. We
2:32
really are a package deal. But I'm how you guys
2:35
know each other. Hey, I recently had an idea
2:38
and I was with Ben Johnson and I said we should
2:40
do this with Lydia. So there you go. You've graduated.
2:44
Wow. No, I think you both bring different things
2:50
to the table. I was also totally joking about
2:52
that. You don't have to answer that. It's definitely
2:55
Parker and here's why. We just have known each
2:57
other longer. That doesn't mean anything. Do
2:59
you remember the first write with the three of
3:01
us? Yeah, like us plus Casey, because Casey's
3:05
usually with us. Was it a walk in the bar? Yes,
3:08
it was. Do you remember how Lydia ended up there?
3:11
I was thinking about this the other day. It's
3:12
such a crazy story. No, I don't. I was not supposed
3:15
to be there. She wasn't supposed to be there.
3:17
So you walked in, and we were talking for way
3:20
too long, like we always do. And I had asked
3:23
you, I don't remember. Oh, I said something about
3:25
Lydia, and you're like, oh, that's crazy. I think
3:28
she's on my calendar next week. And I was like,
3:30
oh, you guys are going to vibe. It's going to
3:32
be awesome. And you're like, well, you should
3:34
just see if she can come today. So I called Lydia
3:36
right then. So did we cancel the next ride? I
3:40
guess you were on my calendar. She was supposed
3:43
to, and you said it got rescheduled. And you're
3:45
like, do you know this girl? That's right. I
3:49
think the other person had to reschedule. Yeah,
3:52
the whole thing had fallen apart. And I was really
3:55
upset about it. I feel like when our rights fall
3:57
apart, we always end up in the same room. Like,
3:59
we'll be like, hey, what are you doing today?
4:01
But you're like, oh, just see if she can come
4:02
today. And I was like, OK, I'll call her. And
4:04
so I had it on speakerphone. I was like, do you
4:06
want to come write with me? And it was already
4:08
like 11 or something. It was like past the time
4:10
that the write would have started. But we had
4:12
been chatting for a while. And I was like, my
4:15
write just got canceled. Yeah, I'll show up.
4:17
And we did a walk in the bar, which is one of
4:20
my faves, by the way. I was actually going to
4:23
ask what your favorite song is that the three
4:25
of us have written together. Is it a walk in
4:27
the bar? I really like Spin. I honestly like
4:32
them all. We have a song that. I didn't cut that
4:35
we all did 10 and 2. Oh, I love that song. That
4:38
one's so great. I mean, it wasn't, like, it's
4:40
not on the project, but I literally, every time
4:43
we do a song, I love it. But A Walk in the Bar
4:46
is... Yeah, that's one of my favorites. What
4:47
was that other one we did together that didn't
4:50
get recorded, but it was like two... Two Guys
4:54
and the Truth? Yeah, two guys. Like Cheatin'
4:56
One? Yeah, Two Guys and the Truth. Was that us?
4:58
Yeah, it was. I loved that one too. Y 'all, that
5:01
song is crazy. I can't believe it's not on the
5:04
record. I will put that song out. That song will
5:08
come out. I love that song. Like that song is
5:11
one of my faves. I kind of forgot about it. Yeah.
5:15
I also, my personal favorite that we did together,
5:17
other than Walk in a Bar, I loved Bad Things.
5:23
Oh, I liked that one too. That one was a little
5:25
spicy in a way that I liked. I wanna go and do
5:30
some bad things. Bad, bad things. Yeah, that
5:35
one. I loved that one. I was thinking about,
5:39
we were talking about. So we don't miss, basically.
5:41
Yeah, I mean, I feel like this combo is kind
5:43
of iconic. I was thinking about one of my favorite
5:47
memories of us writing together was during spin.
5:50
Do you remember when you were cutting the vocal
5:52
and you and Lydia? We're laughing. What were
5:55
we laughing about? I was crying. I was crying,
5:58
too. It was because the end of spin, you say
6:00
spin like an octave lower. Spin. Yeah, it was
6:04
that. And something about that made me lose it.
6:08
And I think both of us actually ended up on the
6:10
floor. You guys were like on the floor. You were
6:12
laughing so hard that it made me laugh. Parker
6:15
was like, it's over. And it went on. It's hard
6:18
to get it back. It went on for way too long.
6:22
I was a little embarrassed. Yo, we have so many
6:23
good songs. I know. Should we start a band or
6:27
what? I need another project in my life. That's
6:33
what I feel like. I'm like, what am I? Do I have
6:35
time to start a band? Two kids. About to have
6:38
a baby, definitely a good time. Yeah, good time
6:41
for another project. I would, though. But a lot
6:44
of these songs will be on your upcoming project,
6:47
like Household and Spin. Oh my gosh, Household
6:49
is so good. Oh, yeah. We forgot about Household.
6:53
That was really good. I was trying to remember,
6:55
I was on maternity leave, I think, when we wrote
6:59
that and you're like, I still need another song
7:01
for the record. And you're like, I was like,
7:03
I don't know if I can come, like I'm still breastfeeding
7:06
and my baby is very small. She's like three months
7:08
old. You're like. If you don't bring her, I'm
7:10
gonna be mad. You did, I did bring her. That
7:13
was like, aw, I remember it was your, aw. She
7:16
was so little. Yeah, she's big now. Yeah, she's
7:19
two and a half now. She's big. She's a big girl.
7:23
She's gonna start preschool. I literally can't
7:25
believe that. How old was she? I mean, she was
7:29
probably three and a half months when we wrote
7:31
Household. Oh my gosh, now as a mother? Me calling
7:35
you like get over here. I'm like me doing it.
7:38
What's wrong? I probably would have done it too.
7:41
I've got a smash song idea. I've been like on
7:44
my way. Come on, Benny Have you brought Benny
7:47
to any rights? I don't think I've taken her to
7:50
a right She went to the studio with me because
7:54
we like we were pretty much done. I wrote a few
7:57
more songs to add to the project because all
8:01
my exes came out and blew up and sonically it
8:02
was completely different than everything else
8:04
we had cut. So we added some more. So I did write
8:07
a couple. Yes, I did take her one day to a ride
8:12
at Ben Johnson's place, actually. I think I was
8:14
like just singing or finishing the song and then
8:18
singing it and my mom went with me. But she goes
8:20
everywhere with me. She goes on the bus. We leave
8:22
this weekend. She's got a little crib. in the
8:26
hallway. Do you have like the little zippers?
8:28
Yeah. Yeah, those are so fun on the bus. And
8:30
she's a champ. I mean, I was actually worried.
8:34
I didn't know how she would handle the sound.
8:36
I don't know why, though, because she was traveling
8:38
on a tour bus my whole pregnancy. So I think
8:40
she's acclimated pretty well. Well, they say
8:41
they get like used to whatever they're hearing
8:44
outside of the womb, like. when they're in your
8:47
belly. So like my dog's barking doesn't affect
8:50
my kids because my kids have heard it since before
8:53
they could hear, you know? Isn't that crazy?
8:56
So how do you think? I know that Stages has probably
8:59
got the name because of how many like phases
9:01
of life you've been through just in the last
9:03
year and a half, two years. Yeah. that you've
9:05
lived a lot of life. Is that where that name
9:06
came from for the record? Tell us about it. Yeah,
9:09
so I've literally been recording, y 'all know,
9:11
because you've written for it and helped me work
9:13
on it, but I've been working on it for like four
9:15
years. So I cut a bunch of songs a couple years
9:19
ago, and then I got married. And then my dad
9:23
passed away, which you guys walked through that
9:25
with me as well. And then right after dad passed,
9:31
I, surprise, was pregnant. which is the best
9:35
thing that's ever happened to me, but it was
9:36
very unexpected and just everything changed in
9:40
an instant. Like I got married and then my dad
9:43
passed away, which is the hardest thing I've
9:44
ever had to go through. And then I was pregnant
9:48
and we had recorded most of the record and we
9:52
were like, what are we gonna do now? Cause I
9:55
was not gonna be able to promote a full album.
9:59
Yeah. on maternity leave, you know. So we made
10:03
a plan with the label to put out individual songs
10:07
leading up to the album. And we put, well, Household
10:11
was one of them. We put out five or six songs,
10:15
I think, while I was pregnant and leading up
10:18
to having her. And All My Exes. was the one that
10:23
kind of popped off, and it literally sounded
10:25
completely different than everything else on
10:27
the record. I mean, there's 808s in that song.
10:29
I've never done a song with 808s. Like, it's
10:31
just a complete different thing for me. And then,
10:38
you know, when I came back, we were getting ready
10:40
to make our plans for, like, album release and
10:43
everything, and I had a meeting at Big Loud,
10:45
and we were just, like, strategizing. X's was
10:48
at radio and doing really well for us, and...
10:52
I and I think the rest of the team were concerned
10:54
that we didn't have anything sonically that felt
10:56
like it at all, you know. And I've been doing
10:59
this for 15 years, so I have a great fan base
11:02
that's very loyal to me. But I also put out this
11:05
new sound that I didn't want these new people
11:07
who have come on board to not have anything else
11:10
like that. So I actually went in and wrote and
11:15
cut, I cut outside songs as well, but... songs
11:18
that kind of fit that vein. So then I was like
11:21
listening to this record and I've been making
11:22
it for so long and lived through so many different
11:25
experiences while creating this music. And I
11:28
was like, what am I even saying here? So honestly,
11:31
listening to the music gave me the album title
11:36
because I can categorize accidentally just how
11:41
it happened. the music into like three different
11:45
stages of my life. And like the first stage of
11:48
the album, I put them in order in the album stages.
11:52
So the first five or six, I don't remember exactly
11:56
how many, but it's considered stage one for me.
11:59
And the first song is with my brother and he
12:03
crushed it. I'm so excited for people to hear
12:05
that one. But I opened the record with him and
12:08
it's like songs about my parents' divorce, my
12:10
parents' marriage, a song with my brother that
12:13
really just kind of represents where I came from
12:15
in Rossville. And I have a song in there called
12:19
Those Kind of Women. When you say a song with
12:21
your brother, he's singing with you? He sings
12:23
it. That's awesome. I wrote it about him and
12:25
his wife. It's called Babies Raising Babies,
12:28
which is actually crazy. I wrote it like four
12:29
or five years ago. And now I have a child and
12:32
I've released this song and it is... actually
12:35
so crazy because I had no, I don't even think
12:38
I was married. I definitely wasn't married when
12:41
I wrote this song and we didn't have plans of
12:43
children yet. So it's kind of crazy that it's
12:45
coming out now, but I wrote it about him and
12:48
his wife and their love story and he sings it
12:52
with me. He came to me one day. and he works
12:55
at Costco in my hometown. He's very shy. He is
12:58
the opposite of me in every way. Like I soaked
13:00
up every bit of the personality, outgoing personality.
13:03
And he's just always been the supportive big
13:06
brother, like kind of along for the ride, but
13:08
loves to sing. Like he sings every Sunday at
13:10
his church. But he loves to sing and he came
13:14
to me a few years ago and said, I know you'd
13:16
probably never get to release it or anything
13:18
like that, but do you think we could ever go
13:20
in the studio and record a song so I could see
13:22
what it's like to be you for a day? That's so
13:25
sweet. And you got, I will wait, I can't even
13:28
think about it. I'm like very close with my brother
13:30
and I think he hung the moon. He's like my hero,
13:35
like his heart, his personality, everything about
13:37
him, the way he shows up for his family. and
13:40
his children and his wife. Like, I just literally
13:43
think he hung the moon. So for him to say that
13:45
to me was, like, the biggest compliment of my
13:46
life. I was like, you would be like, wait, this
13:49
is hilarious. I love that. So I wrote that song
13:51
for him. So I started the whole record with that.
13:53
And then there's stage two. So, like, when you
13:56
listen to the album, it's seamless. There's no,
13:59
like, pause or anything. But I just sequenced
14:02
them, kind of how they happened through my life.
14:05
And so stage two, if you will, is, like, the
14:07
All My Exes stage. which a lot of that we cut
14:10
because of All My Exes. But thematically, they're
14:14
definitely representative of a different time
14:16
in my life when I was not married. I mean, I
14:19
was like nine months pregnant singing All My
14:21
Exes at the top of my lungs. And it really taught
14:23
me something, that I don't have to release music
14:27
just about where I am right now. And so those
14:30
songs were really crucial for the record because,
14:33
well, first of all, they're bangers and... Like
14:35
I may not have cut them or been hesitant to cut
14:38
them because they're like about drinking on Broadway
14:43
or they're about going through all these breakups
14:46
and I'm married and I have a daughter now. But
14:49
because all my exes kind of pushed me into that
14:51
narrative a little bit, we chased that and anyway,
14:53
so that's stage two. And then stage three is
14:57
love song, Spin, fell into stage three. Oh, I
15:00
love Spin. And then I have a song with Kane Brown
15:03
called Never Been In Love that's in stage three.
15:05
And there's two songs about my dad, one about
15:08
my daughter. So that's kind of how we named it
15:13
because I looked at the project as a whole and
15:16
I was like, what am I saying with this project?
15:19
And it really felt like my whole story. front
15:24
to back, and I introduced myself to the world
15:27
at 15, you know? People have known me a long
15:30
time. I'm 31 now, so that's a math problem, but
15:34
16 years. It's a math problem. But anyway, so
15:39
I've been doing this a long time, and I just
15:41
feel like a lot of these songs represent the
15:43
different times in my life that people have known
15:45
me, and maybe some of the things they don't necessarily
15:48
know. about me. And then also, I'm on stage every
15:52
night, so that just makes sense. Double meaning,
15:54
yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And what stories or themes
16:00
specifically does this new record cover that
16:04
your other records haven't touched? Well, all
16:08
my exes. I mean, I have had some breakup songs,
16:11
but I've never really gone there or really like...
16:15
does she even really talk about it? Because I
16:18
was so uncomfortable talking about my exes before
16:22
I found like my safe place now. Like I just was
16:26
kind of racking up the exes. So I will never
16:30
have another one in the name of Jesus. Thank
16:32
you so much. But probably that and then like
16:39
there's a song on there. And I actually did not
16:42
write this one. And I've talked about my parents'
16:43
divorce, but I've never really talked about,
16:46
like, what that looked like, really. I have a
16:50
song called Doin' Fine that kind of touches on
16:51
the fact that they got divorced but never really
16:54
went there. And I cut an outside song called
16:57
Paints the Picket. And it reminds me so much
17:02
of their marriage. And it's just about... two
17:04
people living in the same house and completely
17:06
avoiding the conversations they need to have
17:08
and busying themselves with other things. So
17:10
really kind of, and then I have songs that are
17:13
about like the good parts of their marriage too.
17:18
And then, you know, I am in a new phase of life
17:22
called love songs, which is great. I haven't
17:25
really had a ton of those cause that was really
17:27
failing in that department. So I guess, I mean,
17:31
I have been doing this so long. I've shared a
17:34
lot about a lot of parts of my life. I just feel
17:37
like I kind of dove in slightly more with this
17:40
album or something. I think that's great. Like
17:43
when I think about you, I was like prepping for
17:46
this and I was like, I know you so well because
17:49
we've written together for so many years. So
17:51
I feel like I get to see these like... many facets
17:54
of you. You know all my stories. I know so many
17:57
stories. More than we will share. My husband
18:00
was like, he's like, what do you think is interesting
18:01
about Lauren that people don't know? And then
18:03
I started thinking, I was like, I can't tell
18:05
that story. I can't make her tell that story
18:07
either. There's a lot of that. Do not start naming
18:10
the exes. No, I won't. I will not. But you have
18:13
some great stories. But if we did, people would
18:15
be like. What? And I have some crazy exit stories.
18:19
Some crazy stories. Some really crazy ones. But
18:22
I was thinking about how you have this fun, witty,
18:26
big personality, but I don't feel like people
18:30
get to see as much of the wise, deep, empathetic,
18:35
resilient Lauren. And I love that this record
18:39
is covering many phases of your life and you
18:42
get to delve into that. I'm wondering, like,
18:45
when people listen to this record, what do you
18:48
want them to take away from it? Like, if there's
18:50
one thing about you that you want them to see,
18:53
what would that be? Well, I guess as a whole,
18:56
just listening to the record, I want people...
18:59
It kind of takes you on a journey of my life.
19:02
And I end the record with Heaven Sent, which
19:05
is a song that I wrote about my daughter and
19:09
my dad. And... I kind of went back and forth
19:12
on what I wanted to leave people with. But I
19:15
think just I want to leave people with like hope
19:20
and happiness even in the midst of like grief
19:24
and sadness because the last two years of my
19:27
life have been like emotional highs and emotional
19:30
lows kind of mixed into one. And I think it's
19:33
okay to share all of that and also to have space
19:36
for like the funnier, wittier parts of your life.
19:40
I do think there's parts of this record that
19:42
really represent a part of me that I haven't
19:46
done in the past. Like Heaven Sent is one of
19:49
my favorites and it's a very serious song about
19:51
my dad dying and sending my daughter. So I guess
19:55
just like I hope people feel hopeful and cry
19:59
when they need to and happy when they need to.
20:03
get to know me a little bit more. And maybe,
20:05
yes, see the more serious side of me, because
20:07
I'm very, like, outgoing and loud. I'm always
20:11
the loudest person in the room. Always. But that's
20:14
what makes you great. I feel like you can't have
20:16
that, like, big, fun, joyful personality without
20:21
having seen... the things that you've seen and
20:24
experienced, the things that you've experienced.
20:26
Like, as your friend and as a fan of what you
20:29
do, I'm really excited for people to see that
20:32
side of you. Like, I think about, you know, after
20:35
you had lost your dad, you came in to write.
20:37
And, like, we text, like, fairly often, and I
20:40
hadn't heard from you in, like, a week or two,
20:43
which is, like, a little bit unusual. And when
20:45
you came in and, like, shared all of that and
20:48
then... A few months later, we had a friend,
20:51
a mutual friend that passed away and you called
20:53
me to check on me. And like, I'll cry thinking
20:55
about it. Like it was so, and that's you. That's
20:59
you to me. Is that like, we can like laugh so
21:02
hard we're crying and like can't catch our breath,
21:04
but then like the next day you're the person
21:06
who's like. meeting someone like in a really
21:09
deep, low spot. And I think that's what makes
21:11
you so special. And I love that you're... I know,
21:15
I'm crying because I love you so much. But I
21:18
think that it like, I'm excited that you're like
21:21
showing that side to the public because I think
21:24
that's something that's so like... magical about
21:26
you. I think that's one of your superpowers.
21:28
Thank you. My goodness, Parker. Is there like
21:32
a version of you you think that needed this record
21:35
the most? Is it like the present you would think
21:37
there's like a past version of Lauren that would
21:39
need to hear this record? I think now, honestly.
21:46
The songs that I wrote about my dad mostly too,
21:50
I'd closed the record with the two that really
21:52
stand out, but... Even for me when I listen to
21:57
this record, I think about all the things I've
22:00
been through and it makes me proud. Like the
22:03
good things, the bad things, the hard things,
22:06
the really happy things. But I think listening
22:10
to the record, I mean, I have records that I
22:13
would have, like the Roadless Traveled record
22:15
I would have wanted my 16 -year -old self to
22:17
listen to because I really dove in about like
22:19
my eating disorder and shared a lot about like
22:22
learning to love myself. how I got to be the
22:25
woman that I am now. So I think like I would
22:28
have loved for my 12 year old self to hear that.
22:30
But for me, I am so proud as the woman that I
22:34
am that I'm sharing the stories that I'm sharing
22:36
and that I have the life that I have. Like I
22:38
have my husband and my daughter, things that
22:41
I wasn't sure I was ever gonna be able to have
22:43
in this career. I think this record really is
22:50
for me now. Yeah, I think it's for me now. I
22:52
love that. Which is fitting because every stage
22:55
up to now makes you who you are now. And I also
22:58
think it really tees me up. Obviously, the album
23:03
is very new and about to come out, but I think
23:05
it tees me up to share whatever stories I want
23:07
to share. You know, it really frees up the space.
23:11
Like, I don't feel like I left anything unanswered
23:13
and I can just kind of... share whatever I want
23:15
to share moving forward, too. That's great. So
23:18
on this record, you have another collab with
23:21
Kane Brown. Yes. Y 'all's other previous collab,
23:26
What Ifs, was a huge hit. What I personally want
23:30
to know is what made now the time to do it again.
23:35
You know, it's so... Oh, sorry, go ahead. Like,
23:38
I bet fans were begging for that to happen before
23:42
now. So... What took you guys so long? You know
23:46
what's crazy? When someone told me it had been
23:48
10 years since we did What Ifs. I didn't realize
23:51
it had been that long. We looked it up before.
23:53
I was like, what? Like that is so crazy. The
23:57
way this song came together is really wild. I
24:00
had written Never Been In Love. I think around
24:04
the time I wrote All My Exes, like back before
24:08
I was even... like back before any of that stuff
24:12
happened. And I kind of had it in my back pocket,
24:15
but once again, it was like sonically very poppy
24:17
and just kind of different than the vibe we were
24:19
going for for the record. And when I had the
24:23
meeting at the label, I actually texted Ben Johnson
24:26
and I was like, hey, because we did all my exes
24:28
together. And I was like, hey. we're kind of
24:30
looking for things in this vein. Do you have
24:32
that? Because he did that track. And honestly,
24:34
All My Exes was such a departure for me sonically
24:38
that I was like, do you have more of this? Right.
24:42
And he was like, well, I know exactly what you
24:44
need to follow that up with. And it is a song
24:47
that we wrote together with Ashley Gorley, and
24:49
it's called Never Been In Love. And he sent it
24:51
in the meeting. And that is just so crazy that
24:54
that can happen that I just like had that song
24:56
sitting around. Totally. I do think that's a
25:00
thing with songs. Sometimes they're not right.
25:04
It's not the right time. It's not the right time.
25:05
It's not. Whatever you're listening for in the
25:07
moment. And he said, and you need to sing it
25:11
with Cain Brown. So Ben Johnson manifested every
25:15
day. That's amazing. That's awesome. I love that.
25:18
But Cain and I have talked about... doing a song
25:21
together ever since. Like, we have sent songs
25:24
back and forth and just never found the right
25:26
one. And we, do y 'all know that we grew up together?
25:29
Did y 'all know this? Yeah, she didn't know that.
25:31
Recently found that out. I didn't know that.
25:33
She was like, I didn't know that. Like, he played
25:35
T -ball with my brother. That's amazing. I don't
25:38
remember that. Obviously, I think my brother
25:40
and like my mom remember that. I was too young
25:42
to remember. But we started singing together
25:45
in like sixth grade choir class. So we've been
25:48
singing together. That's awesome. And then this
25:52
song is just like a lighthearted love song. And
25:55
honestly, it fit perfectly because he's married
25:57
and he has three children. And it's so funny
26:02
to think that we were in sixth grade. together
26:05
singing, and now we're married, and we have children
26:08
that play. Benny goes over and plays with his
26:11
children. That's so awesome. That's so sweet.
26:13
I love that. When Ben said that, I was like,
26:14
wait, this is a great idea. So shout out to Ben
26:18
Johnson for that moment. And it's like my high,
26:22
it just came out, but Big Loud told me it's my
26:25
highest streaming debut ever. Wow. Amazing. I
26:30
feel like What Ifs was so magical that it would
26:33
make sense that y 'all are back. I think the
26:34
narrative makes sense, too, because the fans
26:36
have already bought into that narrative. They
26:38
love seeing us together. So it's just kind of
26:40
a continuation of that. But I don't think it
26:44
ever hurts to do multiple songs with people.
26:47
Well, it's almost like, well, it worked before.
26:49
Why don't we do it again? I've done multiple
26:51
songs with John Pardi. I've done two with Chase
26:55
Matthew. I'm just gonna start doing two with
26:58
everybody. If I do one, you get a second one,
27:00
okay? It's like a buy one, get one. Yes, yes.
27:04
Okay, so I wanna talk about, you've cut some
27:07
outside songs on this record. I don't know what
27:10
those are exactly, but I was thinking about just
27:12
outside songs you've cut in general throughout
27:14
your career. And there's one song that I feel
27:18
like kind of like sums up the theme of this podcast
27:22
with us, like this first season, at least with
27:24
us interviewing. female combos. And you played
27:27
it when we wrote Walk in the Bar, and it's called
27:31
Judge a Woman. Oh, yes. And it was written by
27:36
Joy Beth Taylor, Sarah Allison Turner, and Autumn
27:39
McIntyre. Yes. This is just a way to get into
27:44
this question. I think that song is amazing.
27:46
I love that it's three female writers. Me too.
27:48
It is like... That song is very good. Unbelievable.
27:52
So you're such a great songwriter. What has to
27:56
happen for you to hear a song and be like, that
27:59
person told that story better than I could? You
28:02
know, I, on my Road Less Traveled album, I think
28:06
I wrote like every song on there. And then...
28:10
Also, the climate was just different. I don't
28:12
think people were pitching songs for women as
28:14
much then. I think better songs are being pitched
28:17
for women now. Like people are seeing that women
28:20
are crushing it and so I'm getting better songs
28:22
sent to me. But when I was working on Sitting
28:26
Pretty on Top of the World, which was the album
28:28
after Road, I cut a few outside songs and I just
28:32
kind of learned that I don't always write the
28:35
best song. You know, like the best song has to
28:37
win. That's my rule. So... If I hear an outside
28:42
song and it's better than the ones that I've
28:44
written that I'm cutting that song, I don't care
28:46
who writes the songs anymore. If they feel...
28:49
I love that. Yeah, I love that. Like if I put
28:51
out an album and I wrote one song, but I loved
28:53
every single song in the album, that would be
28:55
fine with me. I love to write, so I don't know
28:57
that that would ever happen because I love to
29:00
write songs so much. It's such a huge part of
29:03
who I am. Like if I... stopped going on the road
29:06
and stopped. I would love to just be a songwriter.
29:09
Well, I think you could. That's why I think it's
29:11
so interesting that you have cut so many outside
29:14
in your career because you're such a great songwriter.
29:17
I think that also shows how much you just love
29:20
songs. Yeah, I just want the best songs. Yeah.
29:22
I really try when I cut a song. I want to play
29:28
it for my family and they could think that I
29:31
wrote it. When I cut Getting Good, Emily Weisband,
29:35
by the way, wrote that song 100 % by herself.
29:38
So in the demo was her just singing acapella.
29:45
Like the demo was just an acapella work. Wow.
29:47
Oh, I didn't know that. That's awesome. What
29:49
a crazy story. So did she just text it to you
29:51
or did someone pitch it? I can't remember. I
29:53
can't remember exactly how because Emily and
29:55
I worked together so much for so many years that
29:59
like... Honestly, I just think sometimes when
30:01
I hear her things, I'm like, did I write this
30:03
song? Because she and I learned so much about
30:06
songwriting together. Like, it's just crazy.
30:09
But I played the song for my mom and she thought
30:12
I wrote it. And I remember being like, okay,
30:15
so that's a great sign because my own mother
30:18
thought that it was something that I could have
30:20
written. So when I cut a song, I tried to find
30:25
things that represent me and my artistry well
30:28
enough that you would believe it. It has to be
30:31
believable. Obviously, I can't go out there and
30:33
cut a song that is completely unrelatable to
30:36
who I am. But I just really believe, I mean,
30:39
there are so many good songwriters in this town.
30:42
And I mean, I feel really proud to be in the
30:46
community and able to write songs and have had
30:48
success as a songwriter and, you know, Road Less
30:51
Traveled, I wrote that song and it was my first
30:53
step. So I know that I can write hit songs. But
30:57
there are so many songs out there. And if I've
31:01
written 100 songs for a project and there are
31:04
songs that are better than those 100 songs, those
31:06
are the songs I'm putting on the album because
31:08
at the end of the day, the best song has to win
31:10
because the best songs and the best music are
31:13
what get people to come to the shows and get
31:15
people to keep coming back and listening for
31:17
more. So I don't know. I just kind of had to
31:21
put my ego to the side and like just know that
31:24
There's so many good songwriters. I consider
31:27
myself to be one, but it doesn't necessarily
31:29
mean that I'm always gonna write the best songs
31:33
for the project. And I don't wanna miss out on
31:35
these really great songs just because I didn't
31:38
write them. Also, I don't know how many, like,
31:43
fans who aren't in the industry know or care
31:47
whether an artist writes their own song or not.
31:50
I feel like that songwriters exist. Like, they
31:53
don't think about it. I think a lot of people
31:55
just assume that everybody writes all of their
31:58
writing. Yeah, that if you're singing it, then
32:00
you must write. Well, if people come up to me
32:01
and say, like, you know, we do a VIP every night
32:04
on tour pretty much, and I do a Q &A, and they'll
32:08
say, well, what made you write those kind of
32:10
women? You know, and I did not write those kind
32:13
of women, but because it represents my life.
32:15
So I announced my pregnancy with my child with
32:18
a song that I did not write because I believed
32:20
in the narrative of the song so much. and it
32:23
aligned with my life so much that it didn't matter
32:26
to me that I didn't write it. But people think
32:28
that I did because I've released it. So, and
32:31
that's kind of what I'm saying. Like I want people
32:33
to feel like I could have written it. I want
32:36
it to be that true to me, but I don't have to
32:38
be the one that writes it. So if you all got
32:39
some big hits in your back pockets. We might.
32:43
I mean, I'm putting this album out for the next
32:45
one. So what do you think the most underrated
32:49
quality in a co -writer is? for you, like when
32:53
you're writing with someone. Most underrated
32:57
quality. I think more so than being a good songwriter
33:05
and good at coming up with the right words and
33:07
the melodies is being a good listener. There
33:12
are times when I'm in the room and I just need
33:15
to share where my heart is and it's not even
33:18
necessarily a song. I've had a lot of those moments
33:20
with y 'all. And the song comes out of it eventually,
33:26
like something comes out of it. So I think just
33:30
like taking your time and having real conversations
33:33
and like everyone listening is something I think
33:36
a lot of people want to get in and they want
33:38
to write the song. They want to get out. But
33:40
I think there's so much to be said for just like
33:43
hearing where people are in their lives, because
33:45
a lot of times I think that can spark something.
33:48
And I think a lot of the most honest songs I've
33:50
written I've spent just like actually sharing
33:54
my heart and not necessarily like trying to write
33:57
the hook at the time. So I think there's a lot
34:00
to be said for that. I think that's, I feel like
34:04
I had that vocal injury and I had my first publisher
34:08
said to me, he's like, I listened to songs before
34:10
your vocal injury and I listened to songs after
34:13
and you became a better writer when you weren't
34:16
writing. And he said, why is that? And I said,
34:18
I learned how to listen. And it made me a fan
34:22
of music again. And I think that's so true. I
34:26
think that like, obviously like, as a staff songwriter,
34:30
like we want to show up every day with the artist
34:32
and like serve your cause. But I think so much
34:36
of that is coming in with like no preconceived.
34:39
And I think that's why we clicked so much, the
34:41
three of us, is because you have so many compelling
34:45
stories and you're so dynamic in so many ways.
34:48
And it was so easy to get to know you because
34:50
you had a tone of voice and you had what you
34:53
wanted to say in a perspective that we could
34:55
get on board with. And I think it's important
34:58
to build your village too, like having your people
35:01
that you trust and you feel safe with. Because
35:04
now when we get in the room, we just catch up,
35:06
but we know each other and we can get there like
35:09
really fast. But I think to build that relationship,
35:12
which is what this podcast is about, right? Like
35:14
finding your team, your people. you have to be
35:19
able to listen and to learn about these people.
35:21
And it makes creating so much easier when you
35:24
truly have a relationship with people. I mean,
35:26
it's really fun, too, to get in with someone
35:29
brand new and to call them randomly and make
35:31
them come over. But then, like, look what that
35:33
led to. Like, y 'all are, like, real -life friends
35:35
now. What a fun thing. Like, I think creating
35:39
with people you love is, like, that's the best
35:42
part. Like, none of us have to co -write. Everyone
35:44
could sit and write by themselves in their bedrooms,
35:46
but that's not, like... It's not fun, it's not
35:49
the same. It's so fun to be able to like, like
35:53
the days that we write, I always come home, Spencer
35:55
will be like my husband, for those of you who
35:58
don't know, he works in the music industry also,
35:59
he's a publisher. But he will be like, what did
36:03
you do today? Did you have fun? What did you
36:04
write? It's like, well, we started like five
36:06
ideas and we laughed so much. And we finished
36:08
two songs. We write two songs every time. Every
36:11
single time, yeah. Have we ever written one song?
36:14
I'm like so serious. There might have been times
36:17
where we didn't finish two songs, but we almost
36:21
always write a song, and at the very least, talk
36:25
through another spin, start something else, and
36:27
then we're like, oh, we have to get another day
36:29
to finish the second one, or whatever. I know,
36:32
because I'm thinking the day we wrote Spin, we
36:33
also wrote Wanchigo Country. Yes, I love that
36:36
one, too. It's so good. We write two songs every
36:39
time. Oh, I forgot about that one. That one's
36:41
really good, too. That's a good one, too. We
36:43
have a bunch of good ones. I started thinking
36:44
about the days. I was like, wait, we always have
36:46
two songs. We really do. I think that's a common
36:49
thing. I saw online today another songwriter
36:51
was talking about how the second song is really
36:54
special. There's a lot of hits that were written
36:57
as the second song of the day. Because you're
36:59
not so stressed or something and trying to...
37:02
Yeah, I think there's a magic to that. Okay,
37:05
so is there a personality type you work well
37:08
with? or one that you know that you don't work
37:11
well with, if it was like a cold riot? Oh, interesting
37:16
that I don't work well with. Yeah, or that you
37:19
do. Or that you know that you do. You're like,
37:21
I don't know that person, but I know I'm going
37:23
to vibe with them because they're like... Well,
37:26
I do really well with very chatty people. Like
37:29
very outgoing chatty people. I think sometimes
37:33
I don't know what to do with the person who's
37:36
looking at the computer screen and not really
37:39
looking back and chatting. Also, I'm a words
37:44
of encouragement, words of affirmation person.
37:49
So words are very important to me. So a quieter
37:52
person is sometimes harder for me to thrive with.
37:57
I would rather you just be like, that's a terrible
37:59
idea than not give me feedback at all. Why do
38:03
you think there's some people who have that like
38:05
internal dialogue and they may like what's happening.
38:07
They're just harder to read. I do feel like I
38:10
agree with that. I feel like that's a harder.
38:11
I do better with like a, yeah, like a very outgoing.
38:16
chatty person that's gonna like meet my energy.
38:19
And I do like soaking up the energy. But I need
38:25
like something. Have you noticed a difference
38:29
in like dynamic with all female writing rooms
38:34
versus not? Yes. A lot more freedom. I'll say
38:40
that. I say a whole lot more in those rights
38:41
than I would if a man was there. There's just
38:46
an understanding, I feel like, when all women
38:49
are in the room that I can just share my heart,
38:54
like, slightly more. Not that I can't share my
38:57
heart with men. I'm not, like, saying that. But
38:59
I actually got with the combo of Don't Judge
39:03
a Woman. Oh, awesome. After I cut that song.
39:06
And they came out to my house and we wrote up
39:09
my house, which I should do more. I really loved
39:11
that. And we just kind of... on acoustics, wrote
39:15
songs together. And I don't know, we were all
39:20
in very different places in our lives, but we
39:23
just, it was such a great day. It was just such
39:26
a great day just to be around women. It's just
39:29
so inspiring to see women killing it and crushing
39:33
it and doing it differently and having different
39:36
voices and different sounds and the way we can
39:38
kind of all come together and. Come up with a
39:41
narrative. I don't know. I do I do love all women
39:43
rights like I've written a lot with the love
39:45
junkies Oh, yeah, we love that and love anytime.
39:48
I'm gonna tell you something right now. That's
39:50
like going to therapy for me I am and I'm like,
39:53
I'll just tell Blakely. I don't need to come
39:54
this week. Yeah cleared my brain Laurie will
39:58
make me cry ten out of ten times and her voice
40:00
Yeah, just something about her speaking voice
40:02
even yeah, she's you know what she is a listener
40:05
She is. She's a great listener, but she's also
40:09
very compelling when she speaks. She's so good
40:11
at finding what makes someone, like, great. and
40:14
then like fanning that little spark and making
40:17
it like a fire in a room. She's so good at that.
40:19
I tell her every time I write with her, I'm like,
40:21
you're so good at making. She makes everyone
40:24
better. What a great - And that combo, the three
40:27
of them is just like insane. I'm just like, I'm
40:30
gonna sit here and let y 'all do something. And
40:34
I'm gonna learn. I bet it's such a fun, because
40:36
they all have a great sense of humor too. I bet
40:37
that's such a fun day. It's the best. It's literally
40:40
the best. I love them so much. We've written
40:41
a bunch of really fun stuff together. This is
40:44
a good way to like get into this question Who
40:47
is a songwriter a female songwriter that you
40:50
don't think people like recognize enough that
40:53
like Maybe someone that you're like could be
40:55
a newer writer. It could be someone that's like
40:56
you've worked with in the past I think she gets
41:00
Actually, she gets recognized, but I don't think
41:02
people know how insanely talented she is, and
41:05
I haven't worked with her in a really long time,
41:07
but Emily Wiseband is... Oh, I think she's, yeah,
41:09
she's so talented. She's so good. It is crazy
41:12
to be in the room with her. I think she's one
41:15
of the best writers I've ever worked with. Yeah.
41:17
Yeah. Like, truly. When she has such a unique,
41:20
like, voice as a writer, it's, like, she says
41:23
things in a way that, like, I haven't heard.
41:25
She just has a way of being honest and, like,
41:27
she... She's so transparent. She has a way, too,
41:31
of literally saying... saying something, like
41:33
communicating just with melody too. Like even
41:37
beyond what the lyric she comes up and says,
41:39
it's like it all just, everything communicates.
41:43
I also just feel like when I really, when I hear
41:45
a new song and I love it, I feel like a lot of
41:48
times Emily Weisband wrote the name. That's awesome.
41:50
Oh yeah. I'm like, okay, well there we go again.
41:52
When for a singer, like you should set it down.
41:53
So she's not underrated, but I can't say enough
41:56
like. Yeah. Amazing things about her. And before
42:00
I would have said, Joy Beth Taylor. Oh, yeah.
42:03
Oh my gosh. Yeah, now she's like having such
42:05
a big love thing anymore. But she is so good.
42:07
But I also feel like - But like I would work
42:09
with her and she just - She's so good. She's
42:11
like quiet and sneaky and like just comes up
42:15
with these crazy hooks and - Yeah, she's so good.
42:18
And she's definitely getting the moment she deserves
42:20
right now with all that Ella stuff. Yes. Yeah,
42:22
crazy. I would have said her for sure. Yeah.
42:25
Yeah, until like very recently. Until like the
42:27
last year. Six months to a year. I love, it's
42:30
so fun to watch that play out for her. She's
42:33
been working so hard. And she's a new mom. And
42:35
she's a new mom too. Yeah. So I've been checking
42:37
on her about that. Me too. Like always checking
42:40
in. So how's mom life? Everything else seems
42:43
to be going really well. I feel like I'm always
42:45
a person who's like... How is feeding going?
42:48
Literally every new mom in my life was centered
42:51
around feeding first. I remember texting you,
42:53
like every time I was feeding one of my kids,
42:56
I was like, hey, you okay, girl? Triple feeding
42:59
sucks. How did you, yeah, I don't even wanna
43:02
talk about it with you. Yeah, we don't need to
43:03
go down that route. I could do a whole podcast
43:05
just on that. That's not gonna be your journey.
43:07
That's not gonna be your journey. Don't scare
43:08
me, guys, okay? No, it's gonna be perfect and
43:10
whatever you. Whatever you feed your child and
43:14
whatever you do for your child will be the perfect
43:16
thing and you're going to crush it. I like that.
43:19
I feel like so many people will be like, ooh,
43:22
just wait. Oh, the amount of times that I've
43:25
heard just wait, just in general being pregnant.
43:28
I want to tell you something. This is so unrelated
43:29
to what we're talking about, but motherhood is
43:31
the best thing I have ever done. It is hands
43:34
down, I would never ever write another song or
43:37
ever get on another stage to be her mother. Aw.
43:40
Like genuinely and that is a lot coming from
43:43
someone like me because I place pretty much all
43:47
of my identity into my career. Yeah. My whole
43:50
life. Yeah. And she is that is now my identity
43:54
and everything else is a bonus. So like it is
43:56
hard and there are a lot of challenges every
44:00
day that will pop up. But being a mother. overrides
44:05
any challenge that you could ever have, at least
44:07
for me. I feel the same way. And I was someone
44:09
who wasn't sure if I even wanted kids. Yeah,
44:12
I wasn't sure I would ever have. Now I have two.
44:14
And I'm obsessed with them, both of them. It's
44:18
truly such a gift. And it is challenging, I'm
44:20
not gonna lie. When you feel really anxious and
44:24
overwhelmed, you have a lot of women in your
44:26
life that have done it that will understand.
44:28
Yes. You're gonna crush it. I know a lot of people
44:32
like. Aw, thank you. But the triple feeding thing
44:33
was brutal. But you're not gonna have to do that.
44:35
Yeah, I don't believe that. And if you do. But
44:38
if you do, you gotta tell us. I'm not even sure
44:40
what that means. Well, good, good. I hope you
44:42
never have to know. I'm not gonna ask more questions
44:45
about what I hope you never know. But anyway,
44:48
I'm so excited for you. Thank you. Okay, so who
44:50
was a woman who opened the door for you creatively
44:53
or professionally? Like maybe early in your career
44:56
or even like. even now, like maybe that unlocks
44:59
something different, like a different level.
45:01
I had a lot of women kind of along the way lift
45:04
me up. Early on, I feel like one of the first
45:13
people who really took me under her wing and
45:15
took me on tour and kind of showed me the ropes
45:18
was Martina. I love that. And it's so crazy now,
45:24
many years removed. From that torn me. I mean,
45:29
I was probably 18 on that. I don't remember how
45:32
old I was on that tour, but Much younger and
45:35
just watching her get up there She just showed
45:38
me first of all the powerhouse voice thing like
45:41
that I remember being a child and my dad saying
45:44
I couldn't hit the notes in broken wings So I
45:46
like locked myself in my bedroom until I could
45:49
get them all And Kate was so like first of all,
45:51
she unlocked that in me before she ever knew
45:54
me, but then getting to know her and just seeing
45:57
what a legacy she's created for herself with
46:00
her voice and her songs. Like I remember that
46:03
being very impactful early on to witness. And
46:06
now we're friends. And when I was baby -proofing
46:12
the bus and like getting ready to tour with a
46:16
baby, I talked to her about it, you know? So
46:19
she has been... She's been set. I don't even
46:22
know if she knows how impactful she's been for
46:25
me. I hope I've shared that with her enough,
46:28
but She's just wonderful that she's the first
46:32
one that comes to mind and then Trisha Yearwood
46:35
has been so good to me and More so of just like
46:41
protecting my heart and just like listening.
46:43
The thing I said that she's just such a good
46:45
listener. Like when my dad died, she told me
46:47
to come over and I spent a whole day at her house
46:49
just like talking to her. And, you know, she's
46:52
lost people in her life too. And we just talked
46:54
a lot about that. And so. And just because I
47:00
had to go back on stage like the next weekend
47:02
after my dad died, you know, like I was on tour
47:05
and she was just talking to me about experiences
47:09
she went through. in her past relationships where
47:12
she was on stage and pretending like her life
47:15
wasn't just like falling apart behind the scenes.
47:17
And obviously I'm not gonna share her stories,
47:19
but just like hearing that and knowing like I
47:23
was probably, I would have been at that show
47:25
and just like, I don't know. So I've had a lot
47:28
of like really great women encourage me, but
47:34
really more so like in the sense of just like,
47:37
how to deal with the fame and the life that I
47:40
have. But like creatively, as far as creating
47:45
music goes, honest to God, I think, I keep talking
47:50
about her, but Emily Weisband, I was the first
47:53
artist that Emily ever wrote with. So like very
47:58
fresh into writing. And so we really kind of
48:02
learned how to write songs together. And she
48:08
really, like, gassed me up and made me believe
48:11
that I was a songwriter. You know, not just the
48:13
girl who sang on this talent competition and
48:17
it had this big voice. Like, she really helped
48:20
me learn. I really need to work with her again.
48:23
I haven't worked with her in so long for whatever
48:25
reason. But I think that... I think it would
48:29
be really cool to see, like, what we come up
48:30
with now. You know, you just kind of get your...
48:33
people that you work with regularly. But I think
48:36
I should have a right with her. And she's got
48:39
a baby now too. We're in very similar places
48:42
in our lives. Y 'all's babies are not that far
48:45
apart. Like a month or something. They're very
48:48
close in age. I saw her at Sprouts recently and
48:51
we were like, we need to get together. That's
48:54
easier said than done. Well, speaking of songwriting
48:58
and... needing to write with her again. She is
49:00
going to be so like, wait, I need to call on
49:03
Alina when she sings this. She deserves all the
49:06
hype, though. She's so great. She does. So funny.
49:09
But speaking of songwriting, we're going to do
49:12
a segment we like to call Title Talk, where I'm
49:15
going to give you three AI -generated song titles.
49:19
Oh, no. And just to get a peek into your songwriting
49:22
brain. pick one of them. How I would write it.
49:25
And then tell us how you would write it. Like
49:27
the angle that you would take on it. Okay, are
49:29
you ready? We'll talk to you, because this is
49:30
collaborative. If you need help, we'll talk to
49:32
you. So if we were going to write the song, this
49:33
is what we would do. So do y 'all do this with
49:35
everyone except they write it on... They don't
49:37
like write it right. They'll just talk through
49:38
how they would do it. How would it be about?
49:41
What's the hook? Like if you came into the room,
49:43
okay. Yeah, we'll be like, you're in the beginning
49:44
of a write. We'll be like, okay, what ideas do
49:46
you have? This is that. Okay, so here are your
49:49
three options. Pick your favorite. Option one,
49:52
church clothes and mud. Option two, half a hallelujah.
49:59
Option two, half a hallelujah. Option three,
50:04
saving the good butter. I like saving the good
50:11
butter. Okay. What's that about? How would you
50:14
write that? I would like make that a love song,
50:16
I think. Like I'm saving the good butter for
50:18
like my husband. Okay. That's exactly what she
50:21
said. I literally said, I was like, I'm saving
50:23
the good butter for a good man. I was like, that's
50:26
how I would do it. That's exactly what I was
50:27
saying. I feel like it would slip into a weird
50:33
place. So you'd have to be really careful with
50:35
the butter metaphor. Or you just, or you lean
50:38
into it, you know? I don't know. But you know,
50:41
there's that smooth like butter. Oh, yeah That's
50:44
like the country version of that but like I love
50:47
like like bringing home the bacon He's bringing
50:50
home the bacon. So I'm saving up the good butter
50:53
or whatever. There you go. I love that. That's
50:56
great. Something like that Okay, well, I think
50:59
that's all the time we have for today. Actually
51:01
that's not bad. No, we should write it. Saving
51:04
the good butter. He's bringing home the bacon.
51:06
So I'm saving the good butter. I love that you
51:09
make a good biscuit. Call Emily. I've baked like
51:13
a biscuit and I'm saving up the good butter.
51:16
That's great. Call Emily and be like, hey, I
51:18
got our next title. I've got this great title.
51:20
Tell Emily. You're never going to believe this.
51:25
Lauren, thank you so much for coming and talking
51:28
to us today. This has been so fun. Yeah, we could
51:31
definitely talk way longer. I could have done
51:33
this forever. I feel like we just love you so
51:36
much. I know I love you too, and when I start
51:38
writing for the record. We're ready. Immediately.
51:42
We are ready. With Casey too. We can't leave
51:44
Casey out. Casey was asking me yesterday, he
51:46
was like, have you done the Lauren episode yet?
51:48
I was like, yeah, I'm so sad that you're not
51:50
a woman. We could put a wig on you. So you only
51:54
do women's. Just this season. Just this season.
51:56
Just the first season because it came from like,
51:58
we were doing these all female. Great title.
52:00
That came from Lydia's brain, straight off the
52:03
dome. We were doing all female writing camps.
52:06
And so it was called Women's Rights. And then
52:09
when we started the podcast, it was kind of born
52:12
out of that. So we wanted the first season to
52:13
honor where we were. And then from there forward,
52:16
it'll be. Well, there's so many women that are
52:19
so talented. There's so many great combos. But
52:22
if we have you on next season, we could bring
52:25
Casey. Or bring Emily. We should have brought
52:29
Emily in. It would be so fun to hear her perspective
52:32
of that too, because we have talked about the
52:34
fact that I was the first artist that she, and
52:38
sharing those stories. I wrote over half of the
52:42
Roadless Travel album with Emily, I think. That's
52:45
awesome. I love that so much. Next Boyfriend
52:48
still slaps. Every time we play that live, I'm
52:50
like, that was such a good song. I feel like...
52:55
songwriting relationships go through those like
52:57
cycles where it's like, I see this person every
52:58
day for however long, but then when you come
53:01
back to it, it's like a lot of times just as
53:03
good as it was. So I hope that happens for y
53:05
'all. Well, thank you guys for listening. Thank
53:09
you, Lauren, for being here today. We want to
53:10
thank our sponsors, Kilometer and dVB, and this
53:14
is Women's Writes.