EXCLUSIVE: Karen Lee Batten Talks New Single ‘Too Strong’

Multi-award-winning singer/songwriter Karen Lee Batten is one of country music’s most exciting talents and her latest release ‘Too Strong’ is a hugely impressive offering from the performer who has quickly risen up the ranks to become one of Canada’s most loved and revered artists.

Here we chat exclusively with Karen to discuss hew newest single in more detail:

Congratulations on the release of your new single, how have you found the response so far?

Thank you so much! It’s been pretty awesome, honestly. People have been sharing their excitement with me about this release, which means the world because I also wrote it. There is a totally different feeling when you have created something from scratch that people genuinely love. Phew!

Did you have any set goals in mind for this project before its release?

Not really and that was totally on purpose. Obviously, I had little goals that I was hoping to see, like being added to CBC/Sirius XM radio here in Canada… checkmark, we got that. But I just take every radio play, every interview, and every stream as a win. We are so “up in the air” globally right now, so every little bit I feel totally grateful for. This way, I also don’t feel let down, because that is way too easy to let happen these days… and I refuse to let that happen!

Can you tell us a little about the writing experience for this track?

One thing I love about the track is that it wasn’t planned. We had just finished a long day in the studio working on other tracks when Jeff Johnson and I sat down in the studio kitchen around 3:30 am and just started chatting and hanging out. Of course – in true musician nature – that conversation led to us noodling on guitars and recording on phones. We knew we had a good riff going and didn’t want to lose it. Thank goodness we had something rough recorded! When we woke up and listened to it, we laughed a lot at some of the “toss away” moments, but went, “Dang… we really have something here.” We then played it for Mitch Merrett and Chad Kroeger and decided on the spot that we were going to finish this track and record it right now! 24 hrs in total – we had written it and had a rough track cut! So the moral of the story is not everything that happens after midnight is bad – hahaha!

The lyrics seem to have taken on a deeper meaning since the beginning of the pandemic, what’s it been like seeing people find comfort in this song?

I love how people have related to this song so much. It’s funny how you can write a song and at the time, it means one thing, and then – fast forward 6 months and it takes on an entirely new meaning. We all deal with things differently – whether it’s relationships or the world as we know it now. That is life. But we are in this together, and in the end, we are way too strong to give up. We have to move forward, there are better days. I’m grateful that people have connected to it in whichever meaning helps them the most.

How have you found the process of sharing new music during this time?

It feels good. Like I touched on before, we all deal with things differently and I did find myself sliding when this world started to change and my shows were being cancelled. I woke up one morning and said, “Stop for a second. Everyone is healthy around you. You are still able to make music and release it. Let’s just do it and whatever happens, will happen.” I didn’t have any expectations because nothing is the same right now. I just knew I wanted something to look forward to. So, to answer your question, it’s been great. I told myself it was going to be, whatever that may look like today! This doesn’t mean I don’t have my days that don’t feel great, but it keeps me looking forward and not dwelling on what could have been.

Have you come up with any innovative ways to promote during lockdown?

Well, one thing I thought that was cool that I came up with, and all because of the pandemic was a QR code for my single! When we go into restaurants now, people are pretty used to opening their cameras, hovering them over a square, and finding a menu. So I thought – why can’t I do that with my single? I proceeded to make postcards and business cards to give to people or place in businesses locally that I know personally. Anything to make them find and download the song easier was my goal! It was a way to be creative when we have to think outside of the box.

What are you hoping listeners will take away from this song and its lyrical story?

I want to give some hope to people and the courage to know they can get through anything in life no matter how big or small. Hey… I’m a musician, it’s not easy. That’s always the joke right, “the starving musician” – but I can do it. I am doing it. If I tell myself I can’t because it’s hard, then I can’t because it’s hard. Or I can, because I am “Too Strong” to give up.

What else can we expect from you this year?

Well, we also released the official video for “Too Strong”, so we are pretty stoked about that. The song also went to Canadian radio this month, so we are excited about the adds and spins that are happening. I think the next step will be performing this song live through a video performance for people to see it that way and maybe a few more songs – a couple of covers and I may just throw in a Christmas song, too. I do love the season a lot!! Then starting in the spring of 2021, we will be looking at releasing more new music. I can’t wait to hear what people think of it!

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