1) You have a brand-new single dropping August 18, 2023, “Right Back.” Tell us a little bit more about the song?

Yes! I’m so excited to have my first new music since becoming a mom come out! “Right Back” felt like a great title to tell the world, “I’m back!”, with of course the classic sassy storytelling that I love!

2) “Right Back” embodies your honky-tonk, modern traditionalist sound with two-stepping flavor embedded into its melody. How important is it to you that you keep pieces of that traditional flare prevalent within today’s ever-changing country sound?

It’s definitely something that I like to be mindful to include, because I love to think about my live show whenever I’m writing. One of my favorite things during shows is when the dance floor is full of two-steppers, so I always like to try to write something they’d like to dance to! 

3) We love hearing about the inspirations behind a song. Take us to the writing session that day. Where did the idea come from? How did it all come together? Etc.

I wrote “Right Back” with my husband, Dave Brainard, and our good friend, Jeff Silbar (“Wind Beneath My Wings”) back in 2019, at Jeff’s house in LA. It was my first time in LA, and Dave and I were there because Jeff Bridges was singing another song we had written, “My Welcome Mat”, at Lebowski Fest that weekend. So it was a very interesting weekend! But “Right Back” really came about from a feel we were wanting to write - something like “Lay Down Sally”, and the storyline just kind of followed. I love storytelling songs, and especially strong female storylines, so this one is no different. I always joke to the audience that this is the song for your husbands if they don’t do what they’re told. ;) 

4) We noticed that you’re giving away the lime green boots from the photo shoot as part of a contest for pre-saves on the song. You mentioned that people ask you all the time for your shoes. How did that all start, and we just have to know, have you ever ended up giving away a pair of your shoes to a fan after a show?

Haha - it is funny how many times I’ve been asked for the shoes off my feet at shows. Ladies love their sparkles!! But, I actually have never given my shoes away.  I love them too much! So, I thought this would be a fun way to finally part from one pair for the greater good.

5) We know you’re working on new music right now, with “Right Back” being part of it, but you’re also doing something really cool to satisfy the itch of your fans with your ‘Broke Down In Jennyville Sessions,’ releasing stripped down demos from your early days. When you look back on these from your now perspective, in what ways do you see how you’ve grown most?

When I listen back, I actually enjoy remembering how I used to sing certain things. I’m re-applying some of the techniques I’ve lost along the way because I liked listening back to them so much! But, I can definitely just hear how I’ve matured and how sonically we’ve grown into something really unique and special. 

6) The first song released in this series at the end of July was the very popular title track of your debut album “There Goes the Neighborhood,” which closely resembled the original, albeit more acoustic and not as freshly mixed. Was it by design to release something familiar to your fans first that would whet their whistle or is each song going to be similarly recognizable to its original?

Yes! I wanted TGTN to be the first track so that it really set up what was coming. To start with the title track of my first record that introduced the world of “Jennyville” just felt right. 

7) What are the next releases in this series? Any songs that fans haven’t heard yet that kind of got left on the recording studio floor or just raw takes of what is already known and loved?

As of right now, we have more songs from “There Goes the Neighborhood” and “Married in a Honky Tonk” coming, but I’ve been toying with the idea of releasing some that never saw the light of day…you’ll have to stay tuned!

8) Sliding back to 2022; a milestone year for you musically, and personally, with both the release of “It’s A Boy” and the literal birth of your baby boy. Congratulations on becoming a mom! In what ways has being a mother changed your perspective toward the music you record, what you release, and how you approach the business?

Thank you so much! I think one of the coolest things about becoming a mom is that you lose so much ego in the process, which releases you of a lot of insecurities and just gives you so much more confidence, I’ve found. I have something that matters to me more than anything else in the world ever will, and everything else I get to do in this life is just a beautiful cherry on top. That being said, he gives me motivation to ensure success, no matter what, which is very beautiful to have.  

9) We always like to end with this one, but what is one piece of advice can you offer to someone who is just starting out and trying to break into the music industry?

Meet as many people as you can, make as many friends as you can, be kind, but always stay true to yourself and your beliefs, and you’ll be good.