Artist Interview - Cassadee PopeThis week, TNB spoke with country artist Cassadee Pope about her brand new album Rise And Shine. If you have ever wanted a Chris Carrabba inspired country album, then this record is for you! See the highlights from our conversation below.
TNB - What inspired you to make this album entirely acoustic? Did you have to convince anyone of this idea, or were they onboard right away?Pope - I feel like the world is in an acoustic state right now. There aren’t many things to distract us from ourselves and our thoughts, like going out to a crowded club or live shows. So, I thought it would be fitting to make the album the same. There aren’t many things production wise to distract you from the lyrics and melodies. My team was on board right away, which really gave me extra confidence to execute this 100%!TNB - The arrangements sound very intentional and thoughtful, who played the guitars, and what was the process like getting the parts together?Pope - Todd Lombardo played guitar and produced this album. He really understood the vibe I was going for, which was an emo/country acoustic album. The process was unlike any other time I've recorded something! We chatted over the phone about it initially, then we did pre-production on FaceTime. That’s when he showed me all of the acoustic parts he had worked up for the songs and we talked about the order in which we wanted to record them. The only time we really spent time in the same room was when I went and recorded vocals for all eight songs in two days.TNB - One of the uptempo songs on this project is Hoodie, about finding an ex's hoodie in your car. Can you talk about how this song came together in the writers room?Pope - I remember my friend Emily Weisband bringing the title “Hoodie“ to the session and I immediately thought of a specific person. I thought “ If I thought of somebody that quickly, I bet the audience would too!“ The lyrics really fell out at that point. It’s a conversational song and we didn’t want to get over written with it. I was actually listening to a lot of the band Bad Suns at the time so that was the vibe I was going for!TNB - What has it been like promoting this project in quarantine? Have any ideas or opportunities come up, that would not have existed in normal circumstances?Pope - It’s been extremely unique! I’ve never been more rested during promoting an album! I will say though, I have really enjoyed being able to do press for outlets all over the world in the same week. That would’ve been impossible for me to accomplish had the world been in its usual state. I do miss touring and I do miss seeing my fans face-to-face, but I’ve been able to make the best of it with some virtual shows and virtual meet and greets. The meet and greets have been incredibly moving because I’m seeing people in their most comfortable state, rather than frantically being moved through a meet and greet line. I’ll definitely continue the virtual one on ones with fans even when I start touring again!
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