Jimmie Allen joins The Ty Bentli Show on Apple Music Country to talk about collaborating with Lindsay Ell, choosing the different styles and collaborations on his Bettie James Gold Edition, and what outside influences he allows into his creative vision. Listen to the full interview here.
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Jimmie Allen on his song “Tequila Talkin” with Lindsay Ell:Â
“…when people pitched me their songs, like the one with Lindsay Ell, Tequila Talkin’, as soon as I heard it, I was like, “Hmm. I want to do something different. But I don’t want to do this with a pop artist, I want to do this with a country artist that has a little pop edge to it.”Â
So I just reached out to Lindsay. And this was in the last minute, three months before the record came out, I reached out to Lindsay, I was like, “Yo, let’s do a song together. I think I got the song.” Sent it to her and she said, “I’m in.” So I said, “Let’s go.” But this song, at first I just told her she was going to sing. I wanted her vocals. I said nothing about guitar playing, I just wanted to focus her focus on dope vocal delivery. So she came to the studio and sang her ass off. And then I asked her, it was a couple days later, I said, “Hey, you want to put some guitar towards the end of the song?” Because I wanted to have Lindsey Ell, the singer first, the vocalist. Then I wanted Lindsay Ell, the guitar player, afterwards, to where it was more candid, to where the song is more about… Because she’s more than just a guitar player, man. People when they see Lindsay Ell, think Lindsay Ell, they think, “Oh, she’s a girl guitar player.” No, Lindsay is a badass vocalist, she’s a great artist, great singer, great writer. And so I’m just glad we finally… Because we’ve been talking for years about doing something together. I’m glad we did, because I’m sure when people saw Jimmie Allen and Lindsay Ell, Tequila Talkin’, they thought it was a ballad country song about somebody in a bar, all that other stuff. But it’s a fun song. Actually, it’s a forbidden fruit type song, but it feels good.”Â
Jimmie Allen on working with the Oak Ridge Boys:Â
So I just reached out to Lindsay. And this was in the last minute, three months before the record came out, I reached out to Lindsay, I was like, “Yo, let’s do a song together. I think I got the song.” Sent it to her and she said, “I’m in.” So I said, “Let’s go.” But this song, at first I just told her she was going to sing. I wanted her vocals. I said nothing about guitar playing, I just wanted to focus her focus on dope vocal delivery. So she came to the studio and sang her ass off. And then I asked her, it was a couple days later, I said, “Hey, you want to put some guitar towards the end of the song?” Because I wanted to have Lindsey Ell, the singer first, the vocalist. Then I wanted Lindsay Ell, the guitar player, afterwards, to where it was more candid, to where the song is more about… Because she’s more than just a guitar player, man. People when they see Lindsay Ell, think Lindsay Ell, they think, “Oh, she’s a girl guitar player.” No, Lindsay is a badass vocalist, she’s a great artist, great singer, great writer. And so I’m just glad we finally… Because we’ve been talking for years about doing something together. I’m glad we did, because I’m sure when people saw Jimmie Allen and Lindsay Ell, Tequila Talkin’, they thought it was a ballad country song about somebody in a bar, all that other stuff. But it’s a fun song. Actually, it’s a forbidden fruit type song, but it feels good.”Â
Jimmie Allen on working with the Oak Ridge Boys:Â
“Oak Ridge Boys was my grandma’s favorite group of all time. And I’ve been a fan, shucks, I’ve been a fan of the Oak Ridge boys forever. So the crazy thing, William Lee Golden from the Oak Ridge Boys, his son is my tour bus driver. So that’s how I was able to make that connection. So he just reached out to his dad, and he’s like, “Hey, Jimmie wants to do a song with y’all.”I wanted them to have their own moment, man. They’re such a legendary group, I didn’t want the Oak Ridge Boys to get lost in the commotion of the song. I was like, “I’m going to introduce them at the end, and it’s going to be a moment.” And I had a couple of people, it’s like, “Well he should not have Oak Ridge Boys on there because they’re older and people might not play it or country radio might not play it.” I said, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I never make music country radio. I never write music for blogs. I write music and create music I like.” Then we go from there, and then we pitch that one to country radio. But I said, “When you start letting outside distractions influence how you create music, the creation has been tampered. It’s diluted.”
