Camille Rae has made great strides in the world of country music. With a debut album already under her belt and being featured on whats one of the best Nashville web series The Chris Burkmenn Experience, she’s back with her sophomore release is better than ever. Come Find Me isn’t much like her debut I Need Me. It’s a project featuring raw vulnerabilities, beautifully tragic stories of heartache and love lost with a voice of empowerment and confidence.
If we have an opinion in any of this, we say that Rae is a force to be reckoned with. Come Find Me isn’t just an album that you’ll want to listen to, it’s an album you’ll be needing to listen to.
It was our pleasure that we had the opportunity to talk with Rae about Come Find Me during CRS (Country Radio Seminar) in Nashville. Read on below to learn more about the album and what the country artist had to say about it.
BEYOND THE STAGE: Your new album ‘Come Find Me’ is a much more raw and honest album than your last. Was making this album a concept album a conscious decision? Was it hard for you to be vulnerable and share your story through these songs?
CAMILLE RAE: When we started recording, we were just going to have a 7-song EP and then a lot of writers in Nashville pitched all these amazing songs to us. So, in the process of listening and making the decision to make this an album, it kind of progressed into a story project by the songs that I chose. I was going through a lot of things during the time, so I chose songs that mimicked what I was going through. That made it really use to go with the story concept for the album.
There are songs on the album that I wrote years ago that aren’t exactly what I was dealing with at the time, but fit in really nicely with the story, so that pieced everything together to make the entire album a story.
BTS: The song “80 Down 65” is such a relatable song about not just your story but any kind of situation where someone is questioning a relationship and what happened. We all rehearse what we want to say. What was it like writing the track?
CR: I wrote this song from an exact experience. I had just gotten home from this trip and I was broken and sad about so much. On this adventure, I didn’t say what I needed to say, which bothered me. So, the night I got home is when I wrote the song, and I sent it to the guy that I wanted to say these things to. I said, “this is how I feel and you need to listen”.
It was an excruciating experience writing that song but sometimes when I write emotional songs like that from a personal experience, I write the song and wonder how it happened and how I saw it happen. But, I didn’t realize with this song that it would be so relatable to everyone. Everyone seems to have this same reaction, and it’s cool to see it connecting with people.
BTS: You chose three Jaida Dreyer songs for this album. What is it about her writing that resonates with you? Would you ever consider writing a track or two with her in the future?
CM: The first song that I had her of hers was actually sent over from my manager. She’s written so many songs for the show Nashville, and one song in particular that she wrote was “This Town,” which is a song about Nashville and the ups and downs of being an artist in the city. It was one of the first songs I had heard of hers and I fell in love with her writing. Her play on words and the depths to her music is awesome.
So, with that, I asked my PR company if they had any of her songs that she’d be interested in pitching. I thought they’d say no but they surprised me and sent a full roster of her music. “But I Want You” was the first single for the album and the first song I had recorded for the album. The track did well, so Jaida pitched me more songs for the album. I chose the three for the album in particular because I resonated with them the most. It’s incredible that I have three of her songs on this album, and working and writing with her would be a dream come true.
BTS: “I Need Me” is such a girl power anthem I think, and i really think that’s the core message of the album. Is that what you intended? What do you want the main message from this album that your fans get from it?
CR: “I Need Me” is the next single and it definitely inspires women, but I would love it to be more broader than that. Rather than just inspiring women, I would love it for to inspire them to take initiative in a relationship or a breakup and be willing to get out if they need to get out.
The song was the title track for my first album but we changed it up a little bit to make it more radio friendly and it’s more upbeat than the original recording. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s the main underlying message for the album though. The storyline is more about relationship. I’ve always been a private person and never have really talked about my personal life but with this, I really dove into emotions and what I was feeling. I took great responsibility as a writer to connect with my fans and friends and help them in whatever way they need help.
For the main message, I would say it’s about being vulnerable and being brave enough to say what you feel and what you mean, and not being afraid of the outcome. Connecting with everybody on this album is important to me, and I hope it helps my listeners and inspires them to be real with themselves.
BTS: “Fear” is another track on the album that I think resonates with everyone. What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done in your career? How did you overcome it?
CR: Right now is the scariest point in my career because there are so many great things happening and there are so many doors that could open. The release of this album is going to determine the next step in my career and what door I go through. I have a lot of days where I freak out and ask myself “what if?” That’s a lot of what “Fear” is saying is, “What if I fail before I get started?” It resonates and I just don’t like not knowing what’s around the corner. It’s scary for me and I feel like I’m at a brand new level of fear.
I do a lot of praying and I have a vision board that I look at every morning. “Fear” pertains to anything in your life and I want it to inspire my listeners to take that risk to get to where you want to go. You’re only here once, so why not take the chance?
BTS: Do you have any touring plans for 2017?
CR: I will focusing mainly on the single “I Need Me” and visiting radio stations. After that, summer brings festivals and more full band performances. Doing a lot of touring and booking different things. I love being on the road, so 2017 is definitely going to be focused on that and promoting this new album.
You can stream Come Find Me now on Apple Music and purchase it on iTunes now!
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