Brodie Dawson is back with another impactful single titled Will I Ever.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Brodie about the new release, musical memories, motivations and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
What’s something you’d like readers to know about “Will I Ever?”
Well something I’ve realized through the process of releasing this song is that I’ve always called WILL I EVER one of my ‘bitter break up songs’ and I’ve discovered that it’s actually a song about resilience and faith, and I’d go as far as to say it’s about self love!
Another fun fact about this song is that it only had one verse for its entire life until I went into the studio. The second verse was written the night before recording the vocals, in an unexpected inspirational moment in my Nashville apartment.
How does this song compare with the others off your upcoming album?
Compared to the other songs on my album, this one probably has the most badass feel to it. You know, they say you should have a specific sound or ‘brand’ and that’s always been a bit of a problem for me because I like so many different types of styles of music.
To that point, I have quite a variety of different sounding songs on my album. SKIP A BEAT is a sweet and soft country ballad, ROLLERCOASTER is a moody and dreamy jazz-type song, FUNNY is like a Bonnie Raitt ’70s blues tune, PAYCHECK has somewhat of a comedic bluegrass feel to it, and OVERTIME has a gospel flair.. Thankfully these days they can all sort of sit under that ‘Americana’ umbrella, so I get to have my cake and eat it too! (I’ve always thought that was a really weird saying to be honest… I mean, isn’t that why you have cake? So you can eat it?? Anyways I digress…)
What was the songwriting process like for this song?
The songwriting process for this song was fairly effortless actually! And that’s not always the case… I had just separated from my husband and was offered a beautiful retreat weekend on Hornby Island at a little private cabin from some sweet friends of mine. So I packed up my dog and my guitar and my journal and went and spent some time by the ocean, writing and singing and crying… And on the last morning, as I was drinking my tea in my fuzzy flannel reindeer pajamas, this song came to me! (Super badass hey?!) Haha
What’s one of your first or most powerful music memories? Did that play any role in driving you to create?
Well my Dad was in a band (Brent J. Dawson and The Breeze) when I was a kid and they would come to my house and rehearse in the basement regularly, so live music was simply a part of my life and that definitely imprinted on me. I remember being lulled to sleep by them playing – sometimes I would lay on my bedroom carpet up on the 2nd floor with my ear to the ground so I could hear better and feel the vibration of the music, and I’d fall asleep that way.
My parents got me my own record player when I was 10 years old and they indulged my love of music. I borrowed so many of my dad’s records (and he has a legendary record collection!) And I would listen to albums like Juice Newton, The Eagles, Olivia Newton-John in my room for hours singing along.. Then I got a pink ghetto blaster the next year under the tree for Christmas and some of my favorite cassette tapes – Madonna, George Michael, Michael Jackson of course.. And I am so grateful to my parents for letting me listen to so much music in my room (pretty much as loud as I wanted to I think??) I remember the healing power of that – even still to this day, when get the chance to listen to music nice and loud and just putter around my house singing along, it is pure medicine for me – I feel so free!
I know that having that intimate time spent with all of that music was a huge powerful opening for me in my creative portal. I continued writing short stories, poetry, and just writing in my journal, and exploring that space within my heart, mind and soul. Music helped to explore all of those other worlds and express what I found there.
So bottom line – let your kids blast their music in their room! 😍
What was the last song you listened to? And who is one of your favorite all-time bands/artists?
The last song I listened to (and loved!), was BACK TO ME by Grace Potter ft. Lucius.
And I have so so many favorite artists that it’s really hard to choose but if I had to pick one, my all-time favorite artist (and I mentioned her above), is the legendary Bonnie Raitt.
Where is the best place to find you and stay connected?
The best place to keep up with what I’m doing is probably my website www.brodiedawson.com or Facebook, Instagram etc but if you go to my website it connects you to all of my social media platforms and hangout spots.
I’m actually trying not to spend as much time on social media these days… Which is pretty much impossible as a musician! It’s a necessary medium as it connects me to all of my friends, fans etc. And I am very grateful that it exists for that reason!!! But quite honestly, most times I really really struggle with it! It can sometimes get to the point where I don’t even want to do the music thing anymore if I have to do the social media part of it. But there’s no way I can not have music as a huge part of my life. And every time I start playing music again and connecting with people at shows, it makes the social media stuff not as much of a big deal.
I really appreciate Your time. Anything else before we sign off?
Can I say how amazing it is to see real faces at shows again? These past couple of years have really made me appreciate all of the little things so much more – they are usually the most important things!
Speaking of gratitude, I really appreciate this opportunity to chat with you! Thank you so much for being interested in my creative project. And thank you so much for supporting independent artists! You are an essential component of the lifeblood of this industry…
