Elyse Saunders is a talented country singer songwriter from Canada. I dug what I heard and knew I had to interview for the site. This is what she had to say.

https://www.elysesaunders.com/

1. What inspired the new song?

I wanted to write a fun tribute to the summertime and it was all about capturing snapshots of my summertime memories growing up in my hometown. We created a hook and melody that was inspired by some of the electronic sounds in music and brought it into country music with my own spin on it! It was a fun one to write and I love singing it!

2. Were you happy how it has been received?

I was super excited to see how quickly people caught onto the song and how much people are still loving it! It came out during a pandemic and at a time when we were all feeling like we wanted to feel free again and to just enjoy being with our friends and loved ones enjoying the summer. It was pretty cool to see it hit the top 100 on the Country Music iTunes charts and then reach over 300,000 streams on Apple Music so quickly in its release! It’s now at radio and I’m pumped for more people to listen to it!! I like to call it my summer anthem song.

3. How was the recording process different from earlier material?

It’s been fun to see how the songs come to life. I had never worked with Dan Swinimer before and when I showed him this song, he instantly wanted to work on it and knocked it out of the park!! This recording definitely brought out a different quality and sound that I’ve never had before, and really showcases where I’m at in my career right now. We tried some new things on this track and infused my country sound with my pop influences and made it uniquely my own. 

4. Are you happy how fans and the industry have responded to your music?

I’ve been so happy! When you release a new song to the world, you can only hope that other people can relate to it and love it as much as you do. The kind of response it’s been receiving through the various ways I mentioned has been amazing to see. I’m a singer and a songwriter so I always hope that my performance as well as the creation speaks to my audience and the country music industry and it seems to be doing that! So I’m counting my blessings on this one for sure.

5. Has your songwriting changed from when you were starting out?

It’s definitely grown and come into its own since I started. I started writing songs when I was just a kid, but I learned to become a professional writer by collaborating with others. The best way for me to learn is just by doing it. I’ve spent some time reading up on it and have attended seminars and I’ve been able to apply those pieces to my writing but what’s really changed the quality in my songwriting since the early stages is life experience and soaking up my environment. I love to bring my listeners lyrics that tell a story and paint a picture in their minds using all of the senses. At one time, I would overthink the lyrics but I’ve really found my authentic voice as a songwriter. 

6. What has been the best piece of advice you have given about your music career?

To enjoy the journey! The music business is almost never a straight line – it’s up and down, rewarding and challenging all at the same time. If you can learn to enjoy the journey no matter what, it will help to build a stronger career and make you a happier, more rounded person, too! 

7. Do you have a set theme for your music or does it go with the flow and changes?

With this album, I didn’t want to feel held down by one style or direction, so I made the decision to collaborate with several producers, so that I could bring a variation of creative influence. With my voice and songwriting being the centerpiece of the album, there will be a fluidity but it will explore some different sides of me as a singer and songwriter. 

8. Has the virus changed everything for you at the moment?

Like everybody else, the pandemic threw everything upside down for a while. At first I had no idea how to move forward in this new world as everything was cancelled but I feel like I’ve found my footing again and my song “Free” has really helped me to do that. My team and I had multiple conversations on what to do in order to move forward, and for me it was all about finding new ways to stay connected to my fans. I’ve been doing that through my weekly YouTube series, releasing new music content and promoting the single online. Fortunately things have started to open back up again too, so although it was delayed, I was able to get in the studio again and we’re finding ways to play smaller shows again too. 

9. How important is your brand Elyse Saunders?

It’s very important. I’m an artist but I’m also a business and to be a professional artist, there isn’t really one without the other.

My brand is authentically me and when I can be myself and release material, whether it be music, photos, video whatever it might be, it has to come from a real place that is me and represents what I do best. It’s important to really establish that brand in a growing industry, so that not only the industry can understand who you are, but your fans, too. 

10. How important is social media to you?

I think that social media is important more than ever.

It’s super important to have a social media presence as people spend hours of their day online. If you want to be seen and heard, that’s a big opportunity right there! But especially during this pandemic. We’ve become isolated and I believe that people are going online to find ways to stay connected right now so if I can give them that, than I hope it helps in some way. 

11. What next for yourself?

Well… I’ll be finishing up the recording of my new album, getting ready to release the new music video for my song “Free”, continuing to do interviews with radio and media, and then I plan on releasing more music and more music videos! After all of that, I hope to have my new album out and playing live in person shows again for 2021! Fingers crossed!