Ahead of her performances this week during C2C Festival, we interview Tiera about her latest releases, signing with Valory Music Co., finding her sound and more.
Hi Tiera, lovely to chat to you. The past year has been absolutely insane in terms of all the thingHave you had time to take a break and reflect on everything that’s happened?
Yeah, I’ve tried to do that more often because there have been so many cool things. Even five years ago, if I looked at what I’m doing right now, I’d be like, ‘I cannot believe this’. I’m definitely trying to take a second and appreciate it all because it is wild right now. It’s only going to get crazier and I love it. I’m really excited.
Are there any particular stand-outs? The Opry must have been one?
Yeah, I would say signing a record deal and playing the Opry are really cool things for me. They both happened right after each other. When I moved to Nashville, both of those things were on my bucket list to do as an artist. I really felt like The Opry when I got to play it, it felt like home. It really is the home of country music. I was really excited to get to cross that off my bucket list and the second performance there – we’ve got another one, it’s really cool.
Everyone always says that the second one’s actually more enjoyable, because the first one there’s so much happening – the nerves are so high that probably actually the second one you can enjoy yourself a bit more.
There were so many interviews the first time around – so many cameras in my face. The second time we were just chilling backstage to talk to other artists.
Speaking of that record deal, you released the EP off the back of it, what has that deal enabled you to do? Has it changed your mentality? When you arrive in Nashville, you spend so many years doing everything and having to do all these things that artists don’t even think about when they’re independent. How has that changed the way you approach it?
Definitely, I was independent for a long time, and was doing everything myself – down to the cover artwork and website, I did all of that with husband. We still do that together even after signing my record deal. It’s definitely an adjustment, having a team and there are more channels to go through for everything. I’m really pumped to release new music with them and be able to reach a wider audience, because they just have way more resources than I could ever imagine.
Talking about the songs you’ve released very recently, can you talk about ‘Gentleman,’ I know you wrote it with some writers you’ve written with a lot? Can you talk about the evolution of the track?
Yeah, so I wrote ‘Gentleman’ with Cameron Bedell – my producer – and Emily Landis. We wrote it a couple years ago and I wasn’t even engaged at the time, so I thought I definitely can’t release this right now, because it’s a little too spicy, but I always knew that whenever I did put it out, I wanted it to be after we got married. It was fun because it was my first release with Valory and it’s just a little nugget for people, because I hadn’t released music in a while. It just showed a different side of me. I had a lot of love songs and fun songs, but never dove into that sexy side.
I guess it’s always important when you’re introducing an artist to show that you’re a multifaceted human being. I don’t just have one song, that’s not just what I’m about.
Totally, I’m still young, I’m 24 so not in high school but as I evolve and grow, I want my music to follow along with that.
Speaking of writing the track with Cameron Bedell, I know that you actually convinced him to produce the track because he hadn’t produced much before?
Yes, so we wrote ‘Found It In You’ together, that was our first song. I didn’t have a producer at that point, I didn’t even know what my sound was at that point. After we wrote that song, I was like, this is such a good special thing that I can’t let go of. I just texted him, and I asked if we could write more and we wrote a lot of songs together. Initially, I was like, come on, it makes sense for you to produce music. He had never done anything like that before, so he was a little apprehensive because he was he only did tracks and stuff. He said ‘I’m a writer, I don’t produce’. I just kept asking him, and I kept writing with him. I kept showing him, he sounds so good – we’ve created something so cool.
I guess it’s so important to find those people who bring out the music that you want to create, because when you first arrived in Nashville was it difficult to figure out your sound and where you want to position and what kind of songs you want to release? Can you talk a bit about the evolution of your music to the stuff here today, because I can imagine it’s been on a journey?
Oh, my gosh, it’s so different. The music when I moved here was very pop country. I was just writing what I heard on the radio and what other artists are doing and I was trying to pull different parts of what I love from other artists and make that into my own thing. I mean, it worked for a second, but it wasn’t me. The more I wrote with people in town, the more I figured out, it started with figuring out who I love to write with and who I gravitated towards more. I found my group of people that I love to write with, and they’re similar age and have been through similar things – I really gravitate more towards people that can marry influences. My sound is very RnB country – I love to write with people that can marry those two. I feel like the people I’ve written with have pulled that out in me because I didn’t know RnB was something that I wanted to integrate into my music. I grew up listening to that music because my parents listened to it. I definitely feel like the people I co wrote with, really helped me shape that.
I think there is something to be said for the way that modern country is moving has got some similarities with old school RnB – I feel like a lot of the lyricism and stuff is coming over. I feel like it is becoming a natural thing.
Totally. I mean, we’ve got R&B country, rock country, Latin country, everyone is just pulling their influences from where they grew up in music and what they grew up listening to you, and merging that with country music. I think it’s beautiful because, at the core of it, I feel like country music is all about the story – you’ve got that at the centre. You’ve got all of these other influences that make this very unique sound.
I think it’s a very cool time just generally to be a part of this scene – there’s more influences and even the song material is changing. It’s not just about being cheated on and all this stuff, it’s a little bit different than that. So, it’s an exciting time to be in Nashville.
Yeah, for sure, I mean I think back to when Maddie & Tae released ‘Girl in a Country Song’ when we had that whole bro country thing happening. It’s not really a thing anymore, you’ve got this evolution of music with more substance.
It’s more about the heart and leads with different people’s stories and different people’s experience and more people are being showcased in the songs. I guess for the rest of the year, I know you’re coming to the UK. When can we expect new music and what will that look like?
Yes. We’ve got new music coming out, hopefully, in about a month or so. I’ve been writing some music that I am really proud of and creating a project that I’m really proud of. I feel like it showcases me as an artist and introduces me to people. During COVID, I released a song called ‘Found It In You’ and I got way more streams than I ever thought I would – that song just really catapulted and opened this whole new world for me, writing with people who really understand my sound. I’ve been playing those songs out, at writers rounds and people have really been falling in love with them. So, I’m excited to finally release those and people can stream them as much as they want.
From the smile on your face, I can’t wait to hear them! Thank you so much and speak to you soon.
