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Speaker 1: Taking a Walk Nashville.
00:00:23
Speaker 2: We have a lot to talk about.
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Speaker 1: She just announced her new album, The Bird, is releasing January 15th of next year. And she is going on the Take Flight World Tour, which you can get tickets to on her website. She has been named one of New York Times' 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters Award. And no doubt she has penning songs such as Casey Musgraves' Follow Your Arrow, Miranda Lambert's Mama's Broken Heart, and even winning a Tony Award for composing the music for the musical Shocked. Join me today as I sit down with singer-songwriter Brandi Clark. Welcome to Takin' a Walk Nashville with your host, singer-songwriter, Sarah Harrelson. Hi, listeners. This is Sarah Harrelson, your host of the iHeartMedia podcast, Takin' a Walk Nashville. And this week has been crazy in Nashville with Americana Fest happening. And sitting here with me today is Brandi Clark.
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Speaker 2: Brandi, how are you today? I'm so great. And I have to tell you, I'm even better than I thought I was going to be because I thought we were literally taking a walk on this podcast. And, you know, it's 100 and something degrees outside, and I don't have a lot of clothes that are cool. And so I was like, okay, well, I'm just going to sweat. And then on the way here, I found out, no, we're actually in studio.
00:01:56
Speaker 1: Listen, sometimes I do take an actual walk with guests, but so many people say that. We don't actually take the walk, so I feel like I have to preface that. But I am with you. I do not want to walk outside today. It is miserable here.
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Speaker 2: Yeah.
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Speaker 1: Well, thank you for joining me today. You have been very busy this week at Americana Fest. You performed the Martin Guitar Kickoff Party last night. Before this, you were just performing at SiriusXM's studio. And tomorrow, you have a sold-out show at the Bluebird Cafe. Now, this Bluebird Cafe performance is very special because you are previewing your upcoming album, The Bird. It releases January 15th. What can you tell us about this new album? Wow.
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Speaker 2: So, And I just have to shout out, it wasn't my idea, but the idea of the bird at the Bluebird was such a genius idea. I wish I could take credit for it. It was not me. This album, the reason why I called it The Bird is not just because there's a song on it called The Bird, but there are a lot of songs on this record that are from an up-above point of view. And the other thing in researching Birds, when I decided that that was a front-runner title, is birds, they see two sides of something. Their eyes, they don't work together. And I think there are songs on this record, like there's a song called The Loner and the Lonely, about two very different perspectives of two different people in a relationship. And so that was, as we started to make the record and there are songs on there, like a song called Astronaut. There's a song called The Sunset to the Moon, Stranger on a Plane. Flight really started to become a theme, not on purpose, just the songs that started to rise up to the top as we were recording. Flight was in all of them.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, so many of the song titles mentioned being from above, as you mentioned. I got to preview it. It's a beautiful album. I love Astronaut.
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Speaker 2: Oh, thank you.
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Speaker 1: Where did you record the album and who did you work with?
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Speaker 2: So we recorded the album at Sunset Sound in the heart of Hollywood with Shooter Jennings producing it. And it's kind of crazy how it happened. My last record, Brandi Carlile produced. And when we first started talking about it, Shooter was in the mix to co-produce it. And then he was going to play on it. And then schedules didn't match up. And so.
00:04:28
Speaker 2: It happened the way it was supposed to happen with just Brandy and myself. But after the record came out and had been out for a while, Shooter texted me. And I didn't know Shooter very well. I've always been a fan. And he said, hey, you know, I'd really love a second chance. Like if we could work together, I would co-produce. I would produce. I would play. If you just need a cheerleader, I'd love to be there. Long, really heartfelt, beautiful text. And I texted him back and I said, well, first things first, there's no second chance. There hasn't even been a first. So, you know, I think he thought maybe I had gotten upset that he wasn't involved in that other record. But we started talking about making a record and he's just one of the most creative people I've ever been around and just a beautiful human being. And this record would not be what it is without him because early on in the process, there was a song that's the first single off this record called American Roots. And we were playing it live and it was getting a response like I've never gotten from a song. And then Shooter and I went in and recorded it. And it sort of fell flat after that. And so it really freaked me out. And I reached out to him and said, I think we need to go back in and rerecord that. And I think we should use my road band, which, you know, is not always popular with producers. And he said, yeah, let's do that, and let's do like two or three songs because it'll make more sense budget-wise. So we went in, and that first session we recorded six songs, and then we just made the whole record together. And I don't know many people who have the sort of openness that Shooter does to make people comfortable because it's intimidating to be in the studio alone. And especially if you're not a studio musician who's playing two or three sessions a day for years and you're stepping into this environment. And everybody that I have on the road, they've played on records and been in the studio, but that's not been their main gig. And he just made everyone feel like a rock star. And that's so much of it. And I think everybody brought their best and he has a lot to do with that.
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Speaker 1: That's so important. It's such a beautifully produced album. I can't wait for everyone to hear it. The first single off the album, American Roots, as you mentioned, you put a live video of it out on YouTube.
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Speaker 2: It took off.
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Speaker 1: What can you tell us about the inspiration behind that song?
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Speaker 2: We wrote that song right after I had just seen myself and then the co-writers on that, Michael Pollack and Griff Claussen. We had all just seen that movie, A Complete Unknown, about Bob Dylan. And This Land Is Your Land was in that movie because of Woody Guthrie. And I grew up knowing that song my whole life. You learn it in kindergarten. And I never think of songs like that as having actually been written by people. I just always think, oh, God made the planet. And on one of those first seven days, just put certain songs out. And This Land is Your Land is one of those. And so we were all talking about that and just how none of us thought of that as a song that a person had written. And we started talking about where we're at in the country and just how divided things are. And we started talking about, well, let's write a song about what makes us more alike than different. And American Roots came from that. And I just thought it was just another song until we played it live. And First night we played it live, it got a standing ovation. And I thought, oh, wow, I've never had that happen. And so I knew that it was something that was resonating in a different way than anything I had done.
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Speaker 1: It's such a beautiful song.
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Speaker 2: Oh, thank you.
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Speaker 1: Going back, we talked about your artistry and your new album. But before launching yourself as an artist in 2013, you penned so many songs for other artists, such as Follow Your Arrow by Kacey Musgraves. Mama's Broken Heart by Miranda Lambert. The list goes on. You've landed multiple Grammy nominations. And I was introduced to your music when I picked up a copy of 12 Stories right here, this CD, still one of my favorite albums to date.
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Speaker 2: I love that.
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Speaker 1: What was the turning point for you that made you want to release your own songs as an artist?
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Speaker 2: Well, you know, I came to town, um, town being Nashville, wanting to be an artist. But when I got here, there were just a lot of things that told me I wasn't an artist, you know, and a lot of people told me that. And so, but the thing that I knew I was at the heart of myself was a songwriter. And so I really just doubled down on that and thought I let go of that dream of being an artist until the opportunity to make 12 stories was presented to me. And that record, really, it's crazy. I always will say that there are a lot of successful songwriters that were failed artists. I feel like I was a failed songwriter who became an artist out of it. Because so many of the songs on that record, I was frustrated that they weren't recorded, that they weren't hits. And so that was really where the majority of that material came from. Songs like Hold My Hand. you know it would it did get recorded by a young artist Joanna Smith I don't even know if her album came out though on that label and I always had the dream that Leanne Womack would record that song and she never did and just so many of those songs that was that was you know, why those songs made that record.
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Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, a couple of them did get cut by artists, like The Day She Got Divorced by Reba. So there's definitely some on there that have been gems by other artists, too. Yeah. Oh, yeah.
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Speaker 2: And, you know, I think one of the really big blessings in that, because Reba had recorded that. It had been on an album. Leigh-Anne Rimes had recorded Crazy Women. But I never felt like I never felt like I couldn't record those songs as my own artist. And I do think it was, even though they were all recorded, none of them had been big hits. And I think I was just sort of in that place where I was really full of myself and thought those should be hit songs.
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Speaker 1: And they were meant to be your own songs. Yeah.
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Speaker 2: You know, and honestly, Hold My Hand is a really great example because When I made 12 Stories, I really quit writing for the commercial country market. I decided, okay, you know, I'm going to be my own artist now. And I took that fork in the road. And there were times where I would think, did I take the right fork? Because I watched all of my friends who were my peers become massive hit songwriters and And, you know, when you're out there, like, really slugging it out as an artist, as much as people think it looks like a really cush job, it's not. And there were times where I thought, did I take the wrong fork? Until Hold My Hand got nominated for a Grammy. And I remember that was such, it was really a surprise to me because the album wasn't in cycle. I had performed it on the show with Dwight Yoakam the year before. And When that happened, I thought, you know, I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. Because that song has gotten out in the world enough that it's now being recognized with this beautiful nomination. And it wouldn't have otherwise.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, timing is everything. You are originally from Washington State. You moved to Nashville in 98 to join the music business program at Belmont University. I remember you were a frequent guest when I went to Belmont doing panels with Josh Osborne, Shane McAnally. Has it been important for you to go back to your alma mater and spend time with students who want to pursue songwriting themselves?
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Speaker 2: You know, it has been important to me. And I haven't really sat down like one-on-one with anybody.
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Speaker 1: I would.
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Speaker 2: I've been a judge for a few of the songwriting competitions. And, um, and done some panels, but I'm really proud that I went to Belmont and, and I went there because I just, I'd spent so much money at that point on my education that I thought I have to finish it. And, um, and I was watching, um, oh, TNN one night and they did a special on, on Belmont or a segment and, uh, Tricia Yearwood had graduated from Belmont. And so I thought I've got to get into that school. And, um, So yeah, I'm really proud I got in. I'm proud I graduated. I'm always proud to go back.
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Speaker 1: There's a path that led you to Nashville, and that path led you to being named as one of the top 30 greatest living American songwriters by the New York Times. When you get in a room with an artist who has cut a song written by you maybe 10 years ago, do you ever consider... 10 years or however many years later, how their sound has evolved when you sit down to write a song with them again?
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Speaker 2: Oh, that's such a great question. Yes. You know, and I think the biggest example of that that I've written with in the last couple of years is Miranda Lambert. You know, I mean, she recorded a song, Mama's Broken Heart, that that She wasn't a writer on, and then I got the chance to write with her, and we wrote a couple songs, and she recorded one of them. But recently, I wrote with her and Lainey Wilson for a song for them in Reba called Trailblazer. And yeah, I mean, even though we were writing that for all three of them, but Miranda, you notice people's growth as not only an artist, but as a songwriter. And it feels weird for me to say that about Miranda Lambert, because She was always a great songwriter, but I definitely felt a growth with her.
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Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, every artist, even yourself as an artist, evolves with their sound throughout the years. Yeah. So you just have to see what they're going through. And you mentioned Trailblazer. You released your own version of that song this year, the Dream Chaser version. It features yourself, Reba, Lucas Nelson. Who are some of the women that paved the way for you, and how do you hope to be a trailblazer for other women in country music?
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Speaker 2: Well, I mean, definitely Reba, you know, and having her... asked me to be a part of that was huge. And then when she asked me to be a part of what became the Dream Chaser version, which was what we performed on the Grammys, that was mind-blowing. You know, I think, you know, the first two women for me are Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn. And that's because, you know, when I was a little girl, they both had biopics, you know, that were, you know, movies, Coal Miner's Daughter and Sweet Dreams. And those two movies influenced me more than the radio at the time. I was so taken with both of those movies. And, you know, I wanted to sing like Patsy and write songs like Loretta. So those were the first. And then, you know, I grew up in a time where the women in country music were so great. The Judds, that was early. I remember I wanted to learn to play guitar because I wanted to play Have Mercy. And then Patti Loveless. she might be my favorite ever. Um, I just got, I would devour everything by Patti Loveless and all the women in that time, you know, uh, Patti, Pam Tillis, Roseanne Cash, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Kathy Matea, Wynonna, you know, after the Judds, when Wynonna went solo, um, Tricia Yearwood, you know, and then I think, you know, I think Miranda, I've mentioned her, but I think she's blazed a trail for a lot of women. She has, you know, women older, even women who are older than her or younger than her, um, because she's embraced women so much. I, I, I've always been blown away. Um, I don't know what she's done touring in the last couple of years, but I remember, um, you know, back a few tours ago, she was, she was taking all women was an all women tour. And she, selling tickets. And, you know, so I think she's blazed a lot of trails. Yeah, absolutely.
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Speaker 1: Definitely great women to look up to. In addition to writing country music, you are also writing music for musicals. You and your collaborator, Shane McAnally, wrote the music for the musical Schacht in 2022. It's a Tony Award-winning musical. How did you and Shane decide to land in the world of musicals?
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Speaker 2: Well, I've loved musical theater my whole life. And Shane came to it a little later. You know, like, I was loving the movie musicals like, you know, The Music Man and Grease and, you know, all those. I grew up on those shows. And Shane discovered musicals through The Book of Mormon. Yeah. But what happened was Gaylord owned Hee Haw, the television show, and they wanted to musicalize it. And so they hired Robert Horn, who wrote the book, and he had been working on an outline for about a year. And he was the one who said, I think we should get Nashville songwriters as opposed to Broadway composers because it will feel more authentic. And so he came to town and he interviewed several teams of writers and he chose Shane and I. And, you know, we just dove into it. And I have to say, it's one of, it's one of my favorite things I've done, not only in the music business, but in life. And because I, it was always a bucket list to write a musical, but I didn't think it would come along when it did. I'm glad that it did because these things take a lot of time and hopefully I have enough life left to write another one or two, I hope. But yeah, just in such a cool world.
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Speaker 1: It's amazing. And it's going back on the North America tour for 2027. People can find tickets, shuckedmusical.com. You also have more upcoming dates for the remainder of 2026 for your own shows. I see you're going to Switzerland. And then in 2027, you just announced you're embarking on the Take Flight World tour. Tickets are on sale at brandyclarkmusic.com. What are you looking forward to the most with this upcoming tour?
00:19:18
Speaker 2: Well, you know, you mentioned Switzerland, the Basel sessions. Uh, that's something that, um, by my international agent, Keith Nesbitt has worked a couple of years on getting me. And, uh, I'm really excited to go. I've never been to Switzerland and to go that time of year. I'm hoping for snow, you know, it'll, it'll be really fun. Um, But I really can't wait to roll this record out and to do it with this tour because the people on stage are the people that played on it. And so that's exciting.
00:19:50
Speaker 1: Special.
00:19:50
Speaker 2: Yeah, I've never had that happen. And I look forward to just building a show that people come away from and tell their friends, you know, if we played in, say, Philly one night and then we're playing in D.C. the next, I hope it's the kind of thing where people will call their friends in that next city and say, you got to see this. Yeah.
00:20:11
Speaker 1: Yeah. People should take.
00:20:12
Speaker 2: A flight to take flight tour. That's good.
00:20:16
Speaker 1: So Brandy, it's been so fun having you on Taking a Walk Nashville today, talking about your upcoming tour and album. We're on Taking a Walk Nashville, and I would like to know what has been the most memorable walk you have ever taken in Nashville? Oh, wow. Wow.
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Speaker 2: That's a great question.
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Speaker 1: Okay.
00:20:35
Speaker 2: So for me, and I've taken this walk many times, but there is a trail at Percy Warner Park. It's called the Mossy Trail.
00:20:44
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:20:45
Speaker 2: And I used to walk that trail twice a week.
00:20:49
Speaker 1: Wow.
00:20:50
Speaker 2: And I just, I love that trail. In fact, I need to get out there because it just is, it's beautiful. And, you know, it's amazing that we're in this city, but we have, you feel like I wouldn't want to get lost out there. I'll just say that.
00:21:05
Speaker 1: Oh, yeah, me either.
00:21:07
Speaker 2: That's my most memorable walk. And like I said, I've taken it many times and it's always a little different depending on the time of year, how many leaves are on the trees. I think it's about a five mile. It's a hike.
00:21:20
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it's four and a half.
00:21:22
Speaker 2: It's the Red Trail. Yes.
00:21:24
Speaker 1: I've done that many times, and the hills are outrageous.
00:21:27
Speaker 2: And it starts on a hill. That starts on a hill. That's part of what's hard, you know?
00:21:31
Speaker 1: You know, it's funny because that's usually like a frequent answer for people to say, like, going to Percy Warner Trails or going on the Red Trail. I guess, especially with creatives, like it's just a great way to, you know, have everything off of your mind or meditate while you're walking. And as you said, it changes.
00:21:50
Speaker 2: With the seasons. It's beautiful. It really is.
00:21:53
Speaker 1: But it's not something I'll be going to until summer is over.
00:21:56
Speaker 2: Yeah, it wouldn't be a good time to go now. But I used to, because I went with a couple of other women and we would go, we would meet, I think it was Tuesdays and Thursdays. And when it would get like this kind of heat, I remember we would meet there before the sun came up. Yeah, that's smart. And it was still hot.
00:22:12
Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, Brandi, thank you so much for being here today on Taking a Walk Nashville. I am looking forward to your upcoming album, The Bird. You're performing The Bird at the Bluebird Cafe this week. Thank you again for being here.
00:22:27
Speaker 2: Thanks for having me.
00:22:30
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to Taking a Walk Nashville with Sarah Harrelson. Please check out our other shows produced by BuzzNight Media Productions. Comedy Saved Me and Music Saved Me, hosted by Lynn Hoffman, and Taken a Walk, hosted by yours truly, Buzz Knight. All shows are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and are part of the iHeart Podcast Network.
Speaker 1: Taking a Walk Nashville.
00:00:23
Speaker 2: We have a lot to talk about.
00:00:25
Speaker 1: She just announced her new album, The Bird, is releasing January 15th of next year. And she is going on the Take Flight World Tour, which you can get tickets to on her website. She has been named one of New York Times' 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters Award. And no doubt she has penning songs such as Casey Musgraves' Follow Your Arrow, Miranda Lambert's Mama's Broken Heart, and even winning a Tony Award for composing the music for the musical Shocked. Join me today as I sit down with singer-songwriter Brandi Clark. Welcome to Takin' a Walk Nashville with your host, singer-songwriter, Sarah Harrelson. Hi, listeners. This is Sarah Harrelson, your host of the iHeartMedia podcast, Takin' a Walk Nashville. And this week has been crazy in Nashville with Americana Fest happening. And sitting here with me today is Brandi Clark.
00:01:34
Speaker 2: Brandi, how are you today? I'm so great. And I have to tell you, I'm even better than I thought I was going to be because I thought we were literally taking a walk on this podcast. And, you know, it's 100 and something degrees outside, and I don't have a lot of clothes that are cool. And so I was like, okay, well, I'm just going to sweat. And then on the way here, I found out, no, we're actually in studio.
00:01:56
Speaker 1: Listen, sometimes I do take an actual walk with guests, but so many people say that. We don't actually take the walk, so I feel like I have to preface that. But I am with you. I do not want to walk outside today. It is miserable here.
00:02:09
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:02:10
Speaker 1: Well, thank you for joining me today. You have been very busy this week at Americana Fest. You performed the Martin Guitar Kickoff Party last night. Before this, you were just performing at SiriusXM's studio. And tomorrow, you have a sold-out show at the Bluebird Cafe. Now, this Bluebird Cafe performance is very special because you are previewing your upcoming album, The Bird. It releases January 15th. What can you tell us about this new album? Wow.
00:02:38
Speaker 2: So, And I just have to shout out, it wasn't my idea, but the idea of the bird at the Bluebird was such a genius idea. I wish I could take credit for it. It was not me. This album, the reason why I called it The Bird is not just because there's a song on it called The Bird, but there are a lot of songs on this record that are from an up-above point of view. And the other thing in researching Birds, when I decided that that was a front-runner title, is birds, they see two sides of something. Their eyes, they don't work together. And I think there are songs on this record, like there's a song called The Loner and the Lonely, about two very different perspectives of two different people in a relationship. And so that was, as we started to make the record and there are songs on there, like a song called Astronaut. There's a song called The Sunset to the Moon, Stranger on a Plane. Flight really started to become a theme, not on purpose, just the songs that started to rise up to the top as we were recording. Flight was in all of them.
00:03:50
Speaker 1: Yeah, so many of the song titles mentioned being from above, as you mentioned. I got to preview it. It's a beautiful album. I love Astronaut.
00:03:59
Speaker 2: Oh, thank you.
00:04:00
Speaker 1: Where did you record the album and who did you work with?
00:04:03
Speaker 2: So we recorded the album at Sunset Sound in the heart of Hollywood with Shooter Jennings producing it. And it's kind of crazy how it happened. My last record, Brandi Carlile produced. And when we first started talking about it, Shooter was in the mix to co-produce it. And then he was going to play on it. And then schedules didn't match up. And so.
00:04:28
Speaker 2: It happened the way it was supposed to happen with just Brandy and myself. But after the record came out and had been out for a while, Shooter texted me. And I didn't know Shooter very well. I've always been a fan. And he said, hey, you know, I'd really love a second chance. Like if we could work together, I would co-produce. I would produce. I would play. If you just need a cheerleader, I'd love to be there. Long, really heartfelt, beautiful text. And I texted him back and I said, well, first things first, there's no second chance. There hasn't even been a first. So, you know, I think he thought maybe I had gotten upset that he wasn't involved in that other record. But we started talking about making a record and he's just one of the most creative people I've ever been around and just a beautiful human being. And this record would not be what it is without him because early on in the process, there was a song that's the first single off this record called American Roots. And we were playing it live and it was getting a response like I've never gotten from a song. And then Shooter and I went in and recorded it. And it sort of fell flat after that. And so it really freaked me out. And I reached out to him and said, I think we need to go back in and rerecord that. And I think we should use my road band, which, you know, is not always popular with producers. And he said, yeah, let's do that, and let's do like two or three songs because it'll make more sense budget-wise. So we went in, and that first session we recorded six songs, and then we just made the whole record together. And I don't know many people who have the sort of openness that Shooter does to make people comfortable because it's intimidating to be in the studio alone. And especially if you're not a studio musician who's playing two or three sessions a day for years and you're stepping into this environment. And everybody that I have on the road, they've played on records and been in the studio, but that's not been their main gig. And he just made everyone feel like a rock star. And that's so much of it. And I think everybody brought their best and he has a lot to do with that.
00:06:46
Speaker 1: That's so important. It's such a beautifully produced album. I can't wait for everyone to hear it. The first single off the album, American Roots, as you mentioned, you put a live video of it out on YouTube.
00:06:57
Speaker 2: It took off.
00:06:59
Speaker 1: What can you tell us about the inspiration behind that song?
00:07:02
Speaker 2: We wrote that song right after I had just seen myself and then the co-writers on that, Michael Pollack and Griff Claussen. We had all just seen that movie, A Complete Unknown, about Bob Dylan. And This Land Is Your Land was in that movie because of Woody Guthrie. And I grew up knowing that song my whole life. You learn it in kindergarten. And I never think of songs like that as having actually been written by people. I just always think, oh, God made the planet. And on one of those first seven days, just put certain songs out. And This Land is Your Land is one of those. And so we were all talking about that and just how none of us thought of that as a song that a person had written. And we started talking about where we're at in the country and just how divided things are. And we started talking about, well, let's write a song about what makes us more alike than different. And American Roots came from that. And I just thought it was just another song until we played it live. And First night we played it live, it got a standing ovation. And I thought, oh, wow, I've never had that happen. And so I knew that it was something that was resonating in a different way than anything I had done.
00:08:23
Speaker 1: It's such a beautiful song.
00:08:25
Speaker 2: Oh, thank you.
00:08:26
Speaker 1: Going back, we talked about your artistry and your new album. But before launching yourself as an artist in 2013, you penned so many songs for other artists, such as Follow Your Arrow by Kacey Musgraves. Mama's Broken Heart by Miranda Lambert. The list goes on. You've landed multiple Grammy nominations. And I was introduced to your music when I picked up a copy of 12 Stories right here, this CD, still one of my favorite albums to date.
00:08:53
Speaker 2: I love that.
00:08:54
Speaker 1: What was the turning point for you that made you want to release your own songs as an artist?
00:09:00
Speaker 2: Well, you know, I came to town, um, town being Nashville, wanting to be an artist. But when I got here, there were just a lot of things that told me I wasn't an artist, you know, and a lot of people told me that. And so, but the thing that I knew I was at the heart of myself was a songwriter. And so I really just doubled down on that and thought I let go of that dream of being an artist until the opportunity to make 12 stories was presented to me. And that record, really, it's crazy. I always will say that there are a lot of successful songwriters that were failed artists. I feel like I was a failed songwriter who became an artist out of it. Because so many of the songs on that record, I was frustrated that they weren't recorded, that they weren't hits. And so that was really where the majority of that material came from. Songs like Hold My Hand. you know it would it did get recorded by a young artist Joanna Smith I don't even know if her album came out though on that label and I always had the dream that Leanne Womack would record that song and she never did and just so many of those songs that was that was you know, why those songs made that record.
00:10:19
Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, a couple of them did get cut by artists, like The Day She Got Divorced by Reba. So there's definitely some on there that have been gems by other artists, too. Yeah. Oh, yeah.
00:10:29
Speaker 2: And, you know, I think one of the really big blessings in that, because Reba had recorded that. It had been on an album. Leigh-Anne Rimes had recorded Crazy Women. But I never felt like I never felt like I couldn't record those songs as my own artist. And I do think it was, even though they were all recorded, none of them had been big hits. And I think I was just sort of in that place where I was really full of myself and thought those should be hit songs.
00:10:56
Speaker 1: And they were meant to be your own songs. Yeah.
00:10:59
Speaker 2: You know, and honestly, Hold My Hand is a really great example because When I made 12 Stories, I really quit writing for the commercial country market. I decided, okay, you know, I'm going to be my own artist now. And I took that fork in the road. And there were times where I would think, did I take the right fork? Because I watched all of my friends who were my peers become massive hit songwriters and And, you know, when you're out there, like, really slugging it out as an artist, as much as people think it looks like a really cush job, it's not. And there were times where I thought, did I take the wrong fork? Until Hold My Hand got nominated for a Grammy. And I remember that was such, it was really a surprise to me because the album wasn't in cycle. I had performed it on the show with Dwight Yoakam the year before. And When that happened, I thought, you know, I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. Because that song has gotten out in the world enough that it's now being recognized with this beautiful nomination. And it wouldn't have otherwise.
00:12:11
Speaker 1: Yeah, timing is everything. You are originally from Washington State. You moved to Nashville in 98 to join the music business program at Belmont University. I remember you were a frequent guest when I went to Belmont doing panels with Josh Osborne, Shane McAnally. Has it been important for you to go back to your alma mater and spend time with students who want to pursue songwriting themselves?
00:12:38
Speaker 2: You know, it has been important to me. And I haven't really sat down like one-on-one with anybody.
00:12:43
Speaker 1: I would.
00:12:45
Speaker 2: I've been a judge for a few of the songwriting competitions. And, um, and done some panels, but I'm really proud that I went to Belmont and, and I went there because I just, I'd spent so much money at that point on my education that I thought I have to finish it. And, um, and I was watching, um, oh, TNN one night and they did a special on, on Belmont or a segment and, uh, Tricia Yearwood had graduated from Belmont. And so I thought I've got to get into that school. And, um, So yeah, I'm really proud I got in. I'm proud I graduated. I'm always proud to go back.
00:13:23
Speaker 1: There's a path that led you to Nashville, and that path led you to being named as one of the top 30 greatest living American songwriters by the New York Times. When you get in a room with an artist who has cut a song written by you maybe 10 years ago, do you ever consider... 10 years or however many years later, how their sound has evolved when you sit down to write a song with them again?
00:13:49
Speaker 2: Oh, that's such a great question. Yes. You know, and I think the biggest example of that that I've written with in the last couple of years is Miranda Lambert. You know, I mean, she recorded a song, Mama's Broken Heart, that that She wasn't a writer on, and then I got the chance to write with her, and we wrote a couple songs, and she recorded one of them. But recently, I wrote with her and Lainey Wilson for a song for them in Reba called Trailblazer. And yeah, I mean, even though we were writing that for all three of them, but Miranda, you notice people's growth as not only an artist, but as a songwriter. And it feels weird for me to say that about Miranda Lambert, because She was always a great songwriter, but I definitely felt a growth with her.
00:14:38
Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, every artist, even yourself as an artist, evolves with their sound throughout the years. Yeah. So you just have to see what they're going through. And you mentioned Trailblazer. You released your own version of that song this year, the Dream Chaser version. It features yourself, Reba, Lucas Nelson. Who are some of the women that paved the way for you, and how do you hope to be a trailblazer for other women in country music?
00:15:04
Speaker 2: Well, I mean, definitely Reba, you know, and having her... asked me to be a part of that was huge. And then when she asked me to be a part of what became the Dream Chaser version, which was what we performed on the Grammys, that was mind-blowing. You know, I think, you know, the first two women for me are Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn. And that's because, you know, when I was a little girl, they both had biopics, you know, that were, you know, movies, Coal Miner's Daughter and Sweet Dreams. And those two movies influenced me more than the radio at the time. I was so taken with both of those movies. And, you know, I wanted to sing like Patsy and write songs like Loretta. So those were the first. And then, you know, I grew up in a time where the women in country music were so great. The Judds, that was early. I remember I wanted to learn to play guitar because I wanted to play Have Mercy. And then Patti Loveless. she might be my favorite ever. Um, I just got, I would devour everything by Patti Loveless and all the women in that time, you know, uh, Patti, Pam Tillis, Roseanne Cash, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Kathy Matea, Wynonna, you know, after the Judds, when Wynonna went solo, um, Tricia Yearwood, you know, and then I think, you know, I think Miranda, I've mentioned her, but I think she's blazed a trail for a lot of women. She has, you know, women older, even women who are older than her or younger than her, um, because she's embraced women so much. I, I, I've always been blown away. Um, I don't know what she's done touring in the last couple of years, but I remember, um, you know, back a few tours ago, she was, she was taking all women was an all women tour. And she, selling tickets. And, you know, so I think she's blazed a lot of trails. Yeah, absolutely.
00:17:05
Speaker 1: Definitely great women to look up to. In addition to writing country music, you are also writing music for musicals. You and your collaborator, Shane McAnally, wrote the music for the musical Schacht in 2022. It's a Tony Award-winning musical. How did you and Shane decide to land in the world of musicals?
00:17:31
Speaker 2: Well, I've loved musical theater my whole life. And Shane came to it a little later. You know, like, I was loving the movie musicals like, you know, The Music Man and Grease and, you know, all those. I grew up on those shows. And Shane discovered musicals through The Book of Mormon. Yeah. But what happened was Gaylord owned Hee Haw, the television show, and they wanted to musicalize it. And so they hired Robert Horn, who wrote the book, and he had been working on an outline for about a year. And he was the one who said, I think we should get Nashville songwriters as opposed to Broadway composers because it will feel more authentic. And so he came to town and he interviewed several teams of writers and he chose Shane and I. And, you know, we just dove into it. And I have to say, it's one of, it's one of my favorite things I've done, not only in the music business, but in life. And because I, it was always a bucket list to write a musical, but I didn't think it would come along when it did. I'm glad that it did because these things take a lot of time and hopefully I have enough life left to write another one or two, I hope. But yeah, just in such a cool world.
00:18:50
Speaker 1: It's amazing. And it's going back on the North America tour for 2027. People can find tickets, shuckedmusical.com. You also have more upcoming dates for the remainder of 2026 for your own shows. I see you're going to Switzerland. And then in 2027, you just announced you're embarking on the Take Flight World tour. Tickets are on sale at brandyclarkmusic.com. What are you looking forward to the most with this upcoming tour?
00:19:18
Speaker 2: Well, you know, you mentioned Switzerland, the Basel sessions. Uh, that's something that, um, by my international agent, Keith Nesbitt has worked a couple of years on getting me. And, uh, I'm really excited to go. I've never been to Switzerland and to go that time of year. I'm hoping for snow, you know, it'll, it'll be really fun. Um, But I really can't wait to roll this record out and to do it with this tour because the people on stage are the people that played on it. And so that's exciting.
00:19:50
Speaker 1: Special.
00:19:50
Speaker 2: Yeah, I've never had that happen. And I look forward to just building a show that people come away from and tell their friends, you know, if we played in, say, Philly one night and then we're playing in D.C. the next, I hope it's the kind of thing where people will call their friends in that next city and say, you got to see this. Yeah.
00:20:11
Speaker 1: Yeah. People should take.
00:20:12
Speaker 2: A flight to take flight tour. That's good.
00:20:16
Speaker 1: So Brandy, it's been so fun having you on Taking a Walk Nashville today, talking about your upcoming tour and album. We're on Taking a Walk Nashville, and I would like to know what has been the most memorable walk you have ever taken in Nashville? Oh, wow. Wow.
00:20:33
Speaker 2: That's a great question.
00:20:35
Speaker 1: Okay.
00:20:35
Speaker 2: So for me, and I've taken this walk many times, but there is a trail at Percy Warner Park. It's called the Mossy Trail.
00:20:44
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:20:45
Speaker 2: And I used to walk that trail twice a week.
00:20:49
Speaker 1: Wow.
00:20:50
Speaker 2: And I just, I love that trail. In fact, I need to get out there because it just is, it's beautiful. And, you know, it's amazing that we're in this city, but we have, you feel like I wouldn't want to get lost out there. I'll just say that.
00:21:05
Speaker 1: Oh, yeah, me either.
00:21:07
Speaker 2: That's my most memorable walk. And like I said, I've taken it many times and it's always a little different depending on the time of year, how many leaves are on the trees. I think it's about a five mile. It's a hike.
00:21:20
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it's four and a half.
00:21:22
Speaker 2: It's the Red Trail. Yes.
00:21:24
Speaker 1: I've done that many times, and the hills are outrageous.
00:21:27
Speaker 2: And it starts on a hill. That starts on a hill. That's part of what's hard, you know?
00:21:31
Speaker 1: You know, it's funny because that's usually like a frequent answer for people to say, like, going to Percy Warner Trails or going on the Red Trail. I guess, especially with creatives, like it's just a great way to, you know, have everything off of your mind or meditate while you're walking. And as you said, it changes.
00:21:50
Speaker 2: With the seasons. It's beautiful. It really is.
00:21:53
Speaker 1: But it's not something I'll be going to until summer is over.
00:21:56
Speaker 2: Yeah, it wouldn't be a good time to go now. But I used to, because I went with a couple of other women and we would go, we would meet, I think it was Tuesdays and Thursdays. And when it would get like this kind of heat, I remember we would meet there before the sun came up. Yeah, that's smart. And it was still hot.
00:22:12
Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, Brandi, thank you so much for being here today on Taking a Walk Nashville. I am looking forward to your upcoming album, The Bird. You're performing The Bird at the Bluebird Cafe this week. Thank you again for being here.
00:22:27
Speaker 2: Thanks for having me.
00:22:30
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to Taking a Walk Nashville with Sarah Harrelson. Please check out our other shows produced by BuzzNight Media Productions. Comedy Saved Me and Music Saved Me, hosted by Lynn Hoffman, and Taken a Walk, hosted by yours truly, Buzz Knight. All shows are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and are part of the iHeart Podcast Network.
