CRS 2024: 5 QUESTIONS WITH RAELYNN

1) In just two weeks (March 15, 224) you’ll be releasing your new single “Funny Girl.” Tell us a little bit about the song.

I wrote “Funny Girl” to my younger self. I was thinking about all the things that I’ve gotten to accomplish by the grace of God and how blessed I am. If I could go back and tell little Rae, little Racheal, “Hey, look at all you’re gonna get to do. You’re gonna be a songwriter. You’re gonna get to sing on incredible stages. You’re gonna meet a man. You’re gonna have a family. You’re gonna get to follow your dreams AND be a family woman.”

If someone would have told me all that, I would have told them they were crazy.

Growing up, I wasn’t the most popular kid, but I was the one that made everybody laugh. I definitely blossomed into the person that I am today, but it took time…and that time, grit, and hard work made me into the woman I am today.

I just love this song because I think it’s a testament to all the funny girls out there that might have been brought up the same way I did and have a beautiful life. Or maybe a young girl listens to it and thinks, “Okay…I can accomplish and do this!”

2) Rumor has it that the song is part of a bigger project you’re putting the finishing touches on. Can you fill us in on an upcoming full-length album?  Will it also include your recent singles “It’s Happening Right Here,” “Broken One,” “Somebody Else," and “What’s Wrong With That”? Etc.

“Funny Girl” is going to be part of a bigger album that I’m working on. I’m writing every day, and I would say that until it’s the last moment, we always have a chance of a song creeping in there.

I’m really excited for this project. I’m in such a great headspace mentally, and I feel really truly blessed that I still get to do this 12 years later.

I started in this business when I was 17, and I’ll be 30 this year. With that, there comes a lot of experience and I’m so grateful for all the memories I’ve gotten to make…and will continue to make now with the foundation that I’ve already built.

3) You’ll be taking your show on the road this year with your ‘Funny Girl Tour.’ What can your fans expect from this tour that might be new and different (besides new songs) from your past shows?

The set is really cool because at first you have the up-tempo songs like “Rowdy” and “Keep Up,” but there’s a sense of it that’s also really organic. We have a cool acoustic section that we put into the show where I can truly tell my story, the journey that I’ve been on, and all the cool things that I’ve gotten to do and how I got here.

That’s what’s really so important to me with the ‘Funny Girl Tour,’ to really get to tell my story and how I got here, which is all because of the fans!

4) You’ll also be doing some stadium dates with Kane Brown this year. How is your approach to your shows and your setlist different in the stadium atmosphere in comparison to your more intimate, headlining dates this year?

Yes! I’m doing 5 stadium shows with Kane and I truly can’t even begin to explain to you how blessed I feel to get to do those shows.

Kane called me at the end of the last year, it was he and his wife…his wife is one of my best friends; But Kane was just like, “Hey, I’m just wondering if you wanted to come out with me to play some stadium shows next year?”

I was like bawling my eyes out, “Are you serious? Like yeah, I’m coming!”

It was really sweet. And then Katelyn was like, “We’re gonna bring the babies and it’s gonna be awesome!”

Kane has just been a really big supporter of me over the years and I’m really fortunate.

I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do. I do a 90-minute set now so to pair that down to 25-30 minutes is gonna be fun. It’s just gonna be a power punch. We’re gonna come out, hit ‘em, and then leave. Make them want more is the plan.

5) We have so many aspiring songwriters and artists that read our website, so we always like to end by asking this…what is the best piece of advice you can offer?

Keep on writing and take your time. There’s no rush.

You see someone like Jelly Roll; He’s been doing it for years and he wins the new artist of the year. That made me cry.

Don’t think you have to be too hot or too this, too blonde or too tall. The way you are and the story you have to tell is yours. Figuring that out, that’s when you’re gonna find success. Don’t try and be like anyone else. Be yourself.

(Interview by: Jeffrey Kurtis) 

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