EXCLUSIVE: Rachel McIntyre Smith Talks New Single ‘Baggage’
On March 16th-, fast-rising country crossover singer/songwriter Rachel McIntyre Smith will release her latest single ‘Baggage’ with the track promising to be one of the most impressive releases of 2021 and one that will see Smith break further into the growing mainstream market.
Here we chat exclusively with Rachel McIntyre Smith to discuss the track, her inspirations, and more:
Having been playing music from such a young age how do you feel your style has developed over the years?
When I was younger, I never would’ve guessed that I would be playing country music now. I started playing piano when I was 9 years old, and then joined the middle school band in 6th-grade playing clarinet. Those two instruments made me develop a love for jazz music, and I think that still influences my vocal tone. When I was in high school, I took a music history course and became a big fan of 60s girl-bands. When I write a song and think about how it could sound after production, I still gravitate to a lot of the classic sounds of The Marvelettes & The Supremes. It wasn’t until college that I became a country music fan, but once I started diving into it I was hooked. I studied the lyrics and writing styles of classic & contemporary country artists and found my own songwriting voice. I love the diversity of country songwriting- the songs can make you crack up laughing or bawl your eyes out. I realized that so many of my observations about life fit perfectly into country songs. It brings me joy to make music now that has been influenced by everything that I’ve picked up through the years.
You are also very much influenced by the likes of Taylor Swift, would you say your aim is to blur the lines of country-pop like those who’ve come before?
I am a huge Taylor Swift fan because of her incredible songwriting. Her songwriting style has been much more influential to me than her genre of music. I wouldn’t say that my aim is to blur the lines of country-pop because I’m more influenced by the sounds of traditional country, blues, and classic rock than by pop. Some albums that are indicative of the type of music I aim to make are “Heart Like A Wheel” by Linda Ronstadt, “Tapestry” by Carole King, and “Pageant Material” by Kacey Musgraves.
You have a new single out soon, what can listeners expect from the soundscape?
I’m so excited about my upcoming single “Baggage” because it has a fun groove to it. When we were recording it, I started saying that it was groove-grass because it has some of the traditional sounds of county bluegrass (banjo, pedal steel guitar, and acoustic guitar) mixed with a classic rock beat. It will be out on March 16th, and I’m pumped for people to hear it!
Who have you been working with to create this vision?
I wrote Baggage by myself, and then joined forces with producer Dran Michael out of Deadbird Studio in Chattanooga to create the groove-grass vibe. Dran plays most of the instruments on the track including an impressive acoustic guitar solo in the middle of the song, but we also brought in a few talented musicians to complete the sound. Johnny Smith, who has played with The Oak Ridge Boys & Travis Tritt, plays drums on the song. Andy Ellison, who has played with John Pardi, plays pedal steel on it. I also had a strong vision for how I wanted the visuals to look so I worked with photographer Sara-Anne Waggoner to create a sparkly glam vibe. I painted some old suitcases to go with my pink & purple color scheme and brought my sequined show clothes to place around the set. Overall I’m really happy with how it turned out. It’s exactly how I envisioned it when I was writing the song.
How have you found the process of creating and sharing new music amidst the global chaos?
When I released my song “High School Reunion” back in the fall, I found it encouraging because it brought back the sense of community that I had been missing since the start of the pandemic. Before its release, I put out a call for people to send me their high school yearbook photos for me to use in the lyric video. I had over 80 people send me their photos and was able to include them all in the video. When the song came out, it got over 5,000 streams on the first day which may not be impressive to most but for me, it was a record! I got several kind messages and doubled the size of my audience through a social media ad campaign. It gave me the confidence to not wait until the pandemic is over to put out more music.
Do you have any set goals in mind for this offering?
My main goal with the release of “Baggage” is to gain more listeners. I think this song really embodies the vibe of music I will be releasing in the future, and if people like “Baggage” then there’s a good chance they’ll like what’s coming next.
Can we expect this track to lead to a full-length project?
At the moment, I’m not really sure. I would love for it to eventually lead to a full-length album, but for right now I’m just focusing on one song at a time.
Looking ahead, what else can we expect from you this year?
More new music! I am planning on releasing at least 2 more singles in 2021. Hopefully one in the summer, and one in the fall.
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Feature photo credit: Sara-Anne Waggoner
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