It takes a lot to be yourself. Paradoxically, it’s not something that comes easily to many. You have to find yourself first. We grow up beholden to a life of outside expectations. Inescapable diversions. It’s a dog-eat-dog world, as they say. But there always remains a chance for self-realization. A crack in the mirror through which we can see our true selves on the other side—as we’re meant to be, as we want to be, deep down.
Read MoreWhen asked what he’s focusing on today, Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee says more than anything else, he’s just trying to be better. For the notorious music icon who seems to have lived as many lives as he has hit records, the purpose of life as he sees it now is to exist in the moment and be better than he was before, whether that was last year or last decade. For Lee, whose band released its newest single “Dogs of War” today (April 26) along with a new music video, the hope is to push ahead with a little more grace than he had previously.
Read MoreWhen you’re young, says 76-year-old singer/songwriter T Bone Burnett, everything in life is a mystery. As you get older, things get clearer and simpler. Nevertheless, for Burnett, who has worked with the likes of Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, and Brandi Carlile throughout his illustrious career, even at a young age he says he was “audio-oriented.” He knew early on that he loved sound more than anything. More than painting, more than mathematics. That much was clear.
Read MoreTo be in communion with your brother, to create something with him that you’re proud of and, perhaps most importantly, keeps you close—what could be better? For Kevin and Michael Bacon, the two brothers from the City of Brotherly Love who comprise the singer/songwriter duo The Bacon Brothers, harmony—both literally and figuratively—is why their work as musicians is only getting better, as evidenced by their new album Ballad of the Brothers, which drops on Friday (April 19).
Read MoreLenny Kravitz‘s brand new single, “Human,” begins with a rattle. And either by choice or by divine intervention (or maybe both), it’s the perfect opening. The rattle, if considering the new track philosophically, can be thought of as a soul-stirring awakening. The jolt of bones, the spark of a spirit inside. A rattle, too, is almost always a person’s first toy, doubling also as our first musical instrument.
Read MoreWhen you’re a rock legend, chances are you have some harrowing experiences to share. Pearl Jam’s lead guitarist Mike McCready not only has stories to tell but also is ready to tell them in a new way. The Seattle-born artist has been playing his instrument since he was 12 years old, starting around 1979. From there, he saw the rise of the Pacific Northwest grunge rock scene and witnessed some of his closest friends and musical cohorts die as the result of fame and drug abuse. He’s since come out the other side, surviving his own health issues and struggles with addiction, to become a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer. Now, McCready says, he’s working on a script and soundtrack for a new rock opera that will tell the stories of his city and display the range of emotions many encountered on their paths to fame.
Read MoreFor anyone who’s been in a longstanding relationship with someone else, like in a marriage or a band, it can be hard to keep things fresh. That’s why the Pacific Northwest-born rock group Sleater-Kinney, co-founded by Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker, is always working, as Brownstein says, to find “new ways of expressing what is essential about the band.” It’s with this approach, she adds, that the duo make their best records. They operate at their peak performance, she says, “when there’s a thread between the early ingredients of the band, the early desperation of the band, with our skills as songwriters today.” With that intention, Sleater-Kinney is poised to release its newest LP, Little Rope, on Friday (January 19).
Read MoreTaking a mental health break in Arizona’s Santa Catalina Mountains a couple years ago may have saved actor/pop star Kevin Quinn’s life. At least, his creative one. For Quinn, 26, who auditioned for American Idol just two weeks after his 15th birthday and rose to fame thanks to his work as an actor on the Disney Channel, it was a chance to get out of the public spotlight and change and reframe his future.
While checked into a facility in Arizona, Quinn says he was able to wake up free of professional responsibility, go for jogs, take in the air and witness the majesty of the mountains. Now, that recent refresh has helped him write his new EP Real Me, which is out Friday (January 19).
Read MorePaula Cole is a songwriter you’ve heard likely hundreds of times over. Whether it’s her songs like “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” or “I Don’t Want to Wait,” both of which were on the airwaves in the 1990s seemingly every hour, or her new work, Cole is an important figure in the music business.
In 1998, Cole won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist and that same year she (stunningly) became the first woman to ever be nominated for Producer of the Year at the awards show. A trailblazer and an iconic artist. That’s big time.
But now, Cole has new music coming out, including her newest single, “Green Eyes Crying”, which is out today (January 10), and a new LP, Lo, which is set to drop March 1. So, we caught up with the songwriter and performer to get the scoop behind the new music and her lasting legacy.
Read MoreFor the Japanese-born Renaissance man Yoshiki, risk is an essential aspect of his creativity. The piano player, kimono designer (highlighted at Paris Fashion Week), Golden Globes theme composer — and more — knows that to achieve anything, to make any kind of unique mark, one needs to find new ground. Explore new territory, both inwardly and outwardly. That’s the recipe, if there is one, to success. And Yoshiki is continuing to test that important maxim. This fall, he made his directorial debut with the music documentary, Yoshiki: Under The Sky, which also features the likes of St. Vincent and the Chainsmokers. He then held performances in honor of the doc in New York, L.A., London and Tokyo in a matter of days. There will be no resting on laurels.
Read MoreSongwriter and performer Regina Spektor is one of the most dazzling artists on the planet. This makes sense considering she cares for each work as if it is its own little thriving universe. Soul-stirring on the piano, Spektor’s voice bounces and her words alight.
Sadly, as you can read below, she has been feeling deep distress due to the dire conflict overseas. Still, she has hope for peace, inspiration, health, and laughter. And her music will assuredly give that to others along the way.
Read MoreKrist Novoselic, the former bassist for the iconic grunge band Nirvana, is up to a lot of things today, musically and creatively. From those having to do with his famous band to new projects like his supergroup 3rd Secret, Novoselic is investigating his myriad interests.
The artist, who is based in Wahkiakum County, Washington, recently landed in Seattle (literally flying his own plane) a few days before Christmas and that’s when he connected with American Songwriter for a conversation about new work, Nirvana memories and a brief exploration into the reality of artificial intelligence.
Read MoreIt’s no secret that the pop star Kesha has been in the news of late and for some pretty dark subject matter, unfortunately. But from darkness can come light, from sadness can come redemption and new surging power. And take note world: Kesha is in her redemptive era. (It’s a beautiful thing to see.)
With the release in May of her latest LP, Gag Order, the sublime pop offering she created with the help of music icon Rick Rubin, Kesha is reclaiming herself in a way that is both blissful and honest. As you can read below, the songwriter and performer feels like she’s herself again for the first time in maybe decades.
Read MoreThe 34-year-old Atlanta, Georgia-born songwriter and performer Victoria Monét made giant waves in the music industry this year with the release of her debut LP, Jaguar II. Previously, Monét had written for big names like Ariana Grande, Nas, Travis Scott, T.I., Lupe Fiasco, and Chloe x Halle.
Now, on her own as a solo artist, Monét has recently garnered seven Grammy nominations for her debut LP, including those for Best New Artist and Record of the Year. Below, we caught up with the burgeoning star to ask her about her 2023, her songwriting, and what goes into collaborations.
Read MoreIt’s the little things. And Dolly Parton, known for big hair and country music’s most iconic silhouette, is a master of detail, right down to the opening of her new album, Rockstar, which begins with the essence of rock and roll: rebellion. Specifically, that of a child from her parents.
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