EXCLUSIVE: Elyse Saunders Talks New Single ‘Free’

On-the-rise Canadian country music artist Elyse Saunders recently released her impressive pop-infused crossover hit ‘Free’ which has been expertly produced by Dan Swinimer and offers listeners a fresh new sonic stylistic of the current country-pop fusion

The track is currently being played across radio stations in Elyse’s native Canada and is set to break out across the USA and further afield thanks to its infectious and relatable lyrical and production offering.

Here we speak exclusively to Elyse Saunders to discuss the single in more detail:

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

Thanks so much! The release of “Free” has been receiving some amazing responses from the industry and fans so far. After the first couple of weeks of release, it cracked the top 100, reaching the 80th spot on the iTunes Country music charts and it has reached over 300,000 streams on Apple Music. These numbers were both milestones for me. As an independent artist, it feels good to know that people are really connecting with the song.

It must be strange for you sharing new music during this daunting period, how you managing the “new normal”?

Before the pandemic happened, I had planned to release “Free” to Canadian radio in the early part of June, but with everything going on, we decided to hold off a little bit, since there was a lot of uncertainty. My team and I had several discussions on what we should do, and we had decided that the show must go on and that right now, people probably need music more than ever. It’s been strange because it’s not a traditional release with a radio tour, live shows, and festivals. We’ve had to adapt to the change and really focus on promoting the single online. It’s been a great learning curve to see that with just the right amount of promotion and interaction online, the single has gained some legs on its own without any of the other traditional ways to promote it. I’ve also been adjusting to the new “normal” by releasing personalized episodes as part of my online YouTube series, which gives my fans a little more connection to what I’m up to and insight into me as a person and an artist. This has given me purpose at this time and it’s given my fans a new way to get to know me. I can’t be on the road connecting with them from the stage, but I can do it virtually through video! And that’s becoming normal to me now.

Talking of radio, what are you hoping to achieve with the campaign?

I’m hoping that the song will reach new audiences and that it re-connects me with the radio corner of the industry again. I haven’t released to radio in a little while, so this is a great way for me to showcase where I’m at in the creative journey and a great way to re-introduce myself to everyone again in a bigger way. Ultimately, I can only hope that radio likes what I’m doing and that it opens doors for the song now or new songs later down the road. At the end of the day, my hope is that my music can impact more people in some way.

Do you have a feeling this airplay will allow you to gain new listeners?

It’s a guarantee that radio airplay gains new listeners. There’s definitely something to be said about the digital music world. It’s a really exciting way for people to decide what they want to listen to, as well as a great way for new people to hear my music but, by getting radio airplay, it can potentially make the song more memorable to new listeners, since they’ll hear it more often. Once people hear a song at least three times on their station, they’ll be more likely to remember the artist’s name and be more interested in following them for more music and shows. Radio also has a following of listeners that are part of my genre demographic, so by having a song on the radio, it will hit the exact listening target that I want.

Looking back on when you wrote the song, what was the main inspiration behind the lyrical story?

I really wanted to create a summer anthem that would capture snippets of my youth growing up in my small town in the summertime. It’s all about taking the listener back to a time in their lives when they had moments of feeling free of responsibilities and carefree. These moments are simple and fleeting, but when you can feel that way, you’re living in the moment. I wanted to remind listeners and myself that it’s important to slow down and schedule in those times where you can be in the moment, enjoying the small things with your loved ones however that might be for them. Life gets busy, time passes by so fast! We need to soak it in!

Can you tell us a little about what the average writing and recording day was like for this song?

So, “Free” started with a lyrical hook and rhythm! My phone is my go-to tool for remembering song ideas and one night, I heard the words “we were young and wild and free” with this upbeat rhythm. I recorded it on my phone and then got together with my co-writer Shawn Moore and we really focused on creating verses that would paint a picture with a lot of texture in the lyrics and a soaring chorus. We wrote it in about 4 hours and would later add the bridge which tied the message together – “time passes by, keep the high alive, keep the high alive.” After that, Shawn and I worked on the parts so that it would have a driving chorus with a bit of a drop chorus similar to what techno music does but in my own countrified way – haha. Soon after that, I showed “Free” to my producer Dan Swinimer, who immediately freaked out about it and was 100% in. I had spent a bunch of time working on the vocal for it with my vocal coach so that the big vocals in the chorus would resonate just right and then I flew to Dan’s studio to record my vocals in January of this year. Dan works remotely, so he spent a lot of time building the track on his own and once he had my vocal, he sent it off to his favorite musicians and they killed it. He spent a whole bunch more time really perfecting every piece of it and making sure it sounded epic and from there, it was sent off for mixing and mastering and was ready to go in March. Since the pandemic happened around then, the song didn’t get released until a few months later, but I think it worked out for the better.

What are you hoping listeners take away from the track?

I’m hoping that it makes them feel joy and excitement and inspires them to reminisce – all at the same time. I also hope that the message connects with them and that they are reminded that it’s okay to slow down in a busy world and to really soak up those moments that make them feel free.

Do you currently have any plans in place to share an official video for the single?

Yes, I do! I released a fun lyric video for it with the digital release. Funny story – I did my hair and makeup and then grabbed my phone and videotaped myself singing and dancing against a white wall. We took that footage and used it for the lyric video along with some live performance footage and other beautiful stock footage. When the pandemic happened, I didn’t know if I’d get the chance to make an official music video, but I really wanted to make something that would be engaging for my audience, so it was the best I could do with what I had. It ended up reaching 50,000 views on YouTube!! So my music video dreams are finally coming true and with all that said, I do have an official music video coming out at the end of July. It was so much fun to make and I hope you’ll all watch it!! But in the meantime, feel free to check out the lyric video too!

Can we expect this song to be a launch pad for a full length project?

Yes, you can. With much appreciation, I was selected as a FACTOR recipient to fund a full-length project. For those who don’t know, FACTOR is a government agency here in Canada that is so helpful, as music can get expensive. I just finished one of my recording sessions in the studio today and can’t wait to put more new music out there.

Looking ahead, what does the rest of 2020 look like for you?

The rest of 2020, is a little uncertain because of the current circumstances. In a dream world, I hope to get back to performing again, to start booking a radio and performance tour next year, to release more songs online and to the radio, to create more music videos and to make my way back to Nashville for more songwriting, as well as music meetings. Fingers crossed that we can make my 2020 and 2021 visions a reality. But either way, I now know that I can still find ways to be productive and move forward, even if it’s not my usual way of doing things. And hey! I’d love to make my way over to see you all for a show or two as well. Okay, that’s all I got for now, thanks so much to you all at Music & Tour News for the support. I enjoyed talking to you today… be well!!

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