EXCLUSIVE: Joey Clarkson Talks New Single Can I Have This Dance’
On Friday, June 26th, rising country-pop singer/songwriter Joey Clarkson will share her stunning new single ‘Can I Have This Dance’ which is inspired by her dad and their close bond. It’s a beautiful, heartfelt track that showcased Joey’s gorgeous vocal and shines a light on her emotive storytelling skills.
Here we chat exclusively to Joey Clarkson to discuss the forthcoming single in more detail:
Your new single ‘Can I Have This Dance’ releases soon, how are you feeling about sharing this track?
I am feeling incredibly excited, and nervous about sharing this track. This is a song that is so very close to my heart, and means the world to me because my Dad means the world to me!
What was the writing process like for this song?
This is a song I tried to write many times in the past, but it took me until a couple of weeks before the wedding for it to actually happen – because every time I had tried before, I would just start crying and get nowhere. I still cried my way through the writing process when it finally started flowing, but it all came fairly naturally. I had the image of my dad and I dancing when I was a child, and knew I wanted it to be a waltz. The rest just fell into place!
You have danced with your dad to this track, what do you remember from that moment?
I remember such a rush of emotions because the father-daughter dance (for some people) is such an iconic part of the wedding. I had been holding onto the secret through the whole build-up, and luckily my Dad didn’t press for the name of the song we would be dancing to – or ask me to practice! I remember feeling gratitude for my Dad, and everything he has given my family.
How does it feel to be sharing music during this time period?
I love sharing music right now! Lockdown has given me an excuse to hole up in the apartment and record tracks I’ve always wanted to release – as well as new songs we are writing at this time. Don’t get me wrong, I love touring, but it’s also nice to have the time to focus on creating.
Do you have a favourite line from the song?
My favourite line from the song would definitely have to be “They (your hands) passed on bad habits as well, like biting my nails and flipping off cars”. There is so much honesty in those lines, as we both have battled with nervous nail-biting our whole lives and we both definitely have our own healthy amount of road rage.
You asked fans across social media to help pick the final artwork, what’s the story behind the chosen photo?
I did, and I was so glad I asked for the input! It was great to have different perspectives from people who weren’t already invested so strongly in the project. In the end, we ended up picking a picture that my sister had taken of my Dad and I dancing to the song at mine and Peter’s wedding in Canada. We chose that shot because other people had pointed out that it appeared to be a bit more “artsy” and also allowed others to picture themselves in our places as the photograph leaves who we are up to interpretation.
What inspired you to create this track for your dad?
My Dad! I love him more than anything, and to be honest: living across the world is really hard. He’s never been great at communicating online, he is definitely an in-person, person so living across the world can be hard because I end up missing him a lot. I knew I wanted to write him a song for our Father-Daughter dance before I even had anyone to marry because I always thought it would be a nice gesture, and the least I could do after he’s put up with me for this many years!
What was the driving force behind you choosing to officially release this single?
Before Covid-19 had struck, my Dad had actually bought tickets to fly to Ontario, Canada where he planned to meet me and see my showcase at Cashbox Caravan as part of Canada Music Week at the end of May. From there, he also had tickets to London, England, as he planned to fly home with me and spend some time at our flat in the city Obviously, this was all canceled as the seriousness of Covid-19 grew. When we knew he wasn’t going to be visiting this year, and that we probably wouldn’t be seeing him for a year, we decided that we had to take this time to record his song so we could gift him a very unique birthday present during a very hard time.
How have your family reacted to the song?
I think they love it! They heard it for the first time on my Dad’s Birthday and there were many tears.
What do you hope listeners take away from the message of the track?
This is really a song that is just about honest, pure love, and I really hope that people walk away feeling that. While the lyrics literally reference a father and daughter, the song can easily be interpreted for the many different parental figures we have in our lives; whether it’s grandparents, aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, or our chosen family.
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