The past few months have been quite the whirlwind for Big Loud Records/Songs & Daughters recording artist Lauren Watkins. She’s recently been named as the newest SiriusXM Highway Find, released her 7-song project INTRODUCING: LAUREN WATKINS, and has impacted radio with “Shirley Temple.” We checked in with Lauren to talk with her all about the new project, working with famed producer Joey Moi, co-writing with the top echelon songwriters in town, the influence that growing up in Nashville has played on her, and much much more!

(Interview by: Jeffrey Kurtis/Photo by: Claire Schaper) 

1) Your seven-song sampler, INTRODUCING: LAUREN WATKINS, is out now. Tell us a little bit about the album and what we can expect from it.

Oh goodness. Expect a lot of different layers, a lot of different vibes. Each song is somehow tied to heartbreak—whether it’s a song that makes you want to go out and drink a beer and have a good time, or it’s a song that makes you want to shut the blinds and cry. It’s all me, though, it’s all real life—it's all things that I’ve thought, said, done, or felt. I hope that it’s all pretty relatable.

2) The album was produced by Joey Moi. What expertise did he bring to the studio that really helped shape the overall feel of the album most, which might not have otherwise been a part of it if he wasn’t producing?

I have been a fan of Joey forever so getting to work with him I was, first of all, so nervous because that’s just a really cool thing for me; and I guess the main thing, I mean, I don’t know how he does it, but Joey just has this way of knowing exactly what the vibe should be from hearing the song.

For a lot of these songs, I just had work tapes, I didn’t even have demos produced for them, so he literally took just a guitar vocal and somehow made it into “Shirley Temple,” and what it is.

Also, the musicians we used are the best guys in town. They’re all amazing, but a special shout out to Dan Dugmore, the pedal steel player. One of the first things I told Joey about what I wanted it to sound like was “it has to have pedal steel.” To me, that’s the most quintessential classic country thing and it’s just my favorite sound, ever. That really really made it for me, it just took it to the next level. So, shout out Dan.

3) You released two songs ahead of the album, with one being the autobiographical “Camel Blues.” Was it a conscious decision to release a “get to know me” type song first, so to give more of an immediate personal connection to the listeners who might be new to your music?

Yea, it definitely was. I mean, “Camel Blues” is cool because it’s a funny title. It’s one that you would see and go, “what? I’m clicking on this. What is she going to say about camel blues?” Also, it’s just kind of funny and self-deprecating, like my baby left me / my rent isn’t paid / I have $18 to my name, which are definitely all places I have been at in life. I wanted people to hear that first because it’s just funny, and it’s me, and I think it’s also everybody else at some point.

4) The other song released that you mentioned earlier, “Shirley Temple,” is really an incredible showing of your songwriting prowess. Dive a little bit more into that song and tell us what that one means to you.

The day we wrote it was really, really fun. I wrote it with Nicolle Galyon and Meg McRee, and when we were writing that day, I think it was in October, we were kind of joking about “Sober October” and whether we were going to try to do it, probably weren’t going to try to do it. I think I did try it out, didn’t really work.

So, anyway, we were just kind of joking about that and Nicolle, actually, was like “I have this title ‘Shirley Temple,’                  I’m not really sure what it means, but I wonder if that’s interesting.” And, of course, I thought it was very interesting and said that’s what we’re going to write about today. It actually took us a minute to settle on what the song was going to be, but we tossed around a bunch of things and ultimately got to “what if we could personify the Shirley Temple drink, where she’s sweet, simple, safe, and unproblematic?” That’s how we got to the kind of “girl to girl” comparison and it being about a guy that you can’t have.

So, it was just really cool to see and feel all of the creative juices flowing that day. Nicolle had just gotten a brand-new piano, and it was the first song that had ever been written on it, so we were kind of like “something is special about this, not sure what it is, but this song is special,” and here we are.

5) You had a hand in writing every song on the album but co-wrote with a lot of the top talent of today’s songwriting scene. How did writing with those of that caliber really help you discover what it is that you wanted to say with this album and the exact ways that you wanted to say it?

Oh god, I mean, I feel really, really lucky to have even gotten in a room with pretty much everyone on the EP. Especially having people like, number one, my sister, Caroline Watkins, and one of our best, best friends, Lauren Hungate.

To have people that know you well enough to be able to write songs with you is just really, really cool because we just work so well together and they know so many things about my heart that most people don’t, which is really, really special.

And then there’s people like Shane McAnally. The first time we had written together was the day we wrote “Dark Places,” and that was just really cool because he’s someone that I’ve looked up to forever, literally since I first knew what a songwriter was, I looked up Shane. That was just really special because he’s just a genius. He’s got one-liners for days and you can give him an idea and he just knows - the way he can put together a song is crazy.

6) You signed with Big Loud Records/Songs & Daughters for your label home. What did each of those sides bring to the table that ultimately made you feel they were the perfect fits for you and your music?

It was kind of funny because right off that bat, I knew that Songs & Daughters and Big Loud was the place for me. When I met Nicolle in person for the first time, I kind of, you know, I wasn’t thinking of a publishing deal. I was thinking about her more as a mentor and that we were just meeting to help get me off the ground and get connected with people.

Then, the more time we spent together and the more writes she set me up on, I was like, “Oh, the people I’m meeting, it just feels right and the people I’m writing with there’s just a real connection.” Then, you know, we started working together and I just felt like she was so down to earth, and really gets me and believes in what I'm trying to do. That’s ultimately what did it.

Same thing, when she introduced me to Seth England and the whole crew at Big Loud. I immediately felt like they liked what I was doing, and they wanted to help me do it. It was never like, “this is who you could be, let us help you be it;” it was, from the get-go, “we love who you are and want to be a part of it.” That is really all you can ask for as an artist, that is exactly what you want.

7) Growing up in Nashville, what type of influence did the city have on you through your formative years that ultimately made you decide to pursue music? Was there one defining moment for you, or several of them all working together?

The main influence Nashville had on me was just getting to be around music all the time. It made it really easy for my sister and I, who we grew up playing together, to have a place to sing and people to listen. I think a lot of kids, if you grew up outside of Music City, you might pick up a guitar and realize you have this talent and not know what to do with it. But because we were surrounded by countless live music venues and people who also loved music, it made it easy for us to have somewhere to go with it. I think I would love country music no matter where I was in the world, but being in Nashville made it a lot more at the forefront of my life.

8) What one piece of advice can you offer to someone who is just starting out and trying to break into the music industry?

Well, I’m starting out so I don’t know if I can give advice on this, but I would say to write as many songs as you can. The first song I wrote, I was like “this is not the song that’s going to be out in the world, but there’s something there and I’m going to keep going with it.” From there, I realized so many things about myself that I didn’t even know could be written about. I don’t think, well actually I know, that my sound would not be what it is if I hadn’t been writing the songs. It would probably not be authentic to who I was.

Also, I got such a love for music and being an artist from writing songs because you just get to be creative and learn things about yourself and life, and I’m never going to stop doing that. I’m never going to stop writing songs. I am the vessel for the songs, they are the ones driving this whole thing. My career wouldn’t exist if it hadn’t been for the songs.

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