An Interview With Country’s Newest Songstress, RACHELE LYNAE!

Meet the country singer-songwriter Rachele Lynae! The video for her latest single “Quicksand” was filmed outside of Nashville and is directed by Spencer Glover. Playing the role of Rachele’s love interest is former American Idol contestant and actor, Spencer Lloyd.

Rachele was among the latest group of emerging artists to be part of CMT’s Artist Discovery campaign back in January. As part of the promotion, “Quicksand” aired on CMT Music three times per day for five weeks.

Learn more about Rachele in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! So, how’s 2016 been treating you so far?

So far, so GREAT!! I started out the year by releasing a music video for my latest single “Quicksand” and I can’t wait to see where the rest of the year will take me!

What are you most excited about for this year?

I get to marry the love of my life this year!! Hands down, one of the most exciting things that has ever happened!! Of course I am also SO stoked to see where my latest single “Quicksand” takes me.  I have a really good feeling about 2016… I think its going to be a great adventure and an especially creative year!

Growing up, did you always know that you were going to be a musician? Was there ever a time when you thought about doing something else?

I have ALWAYS wanted to be a country singer!!  When I was little I did go through a phase of wanting to be a singer AND a variety of other jobs, but even then music was number one!

The video for your single, “Quicksand” was just released and has already been seeing a lot of success! What does that feel like for you?

I am SO HAPPY that everyone is loving it!! Also, having the support of CMT and GAC on the video has been so encouraging… I’ve been walking on cloud nine!!

Can you talk about the video for “Quicksand” and how American Idol contestant and actor, Spencer Lloyd got to be involved? How creatively involved were you with the video’s concept and idea?

My social media team found and discovered him! We told them what we were looking for and he was absolutely perfect for the role. The video’s director gave us a treatment (which is a storyline for the video) and then together we made adjustments and formed it into the video that it is.  Probably the biggest thing that I wanted to add in was the inclusion of my girlfriends.  It was important to me because I feel like the song is really about one girl helping out another by warning her about a guy that is bad news!

What’s it been like getting to be a part of CMT’s Artist Discovery campaign? How were you approached about it all?

I feel so blessed!! Leslie Fram, Senior VP of Music Strategy at CMT, has been a big supporter of “Quicksand” and she kept saying she couldn’t wait to see the video. So, when we finished the video, I was so thrilled that she loved it!! I’m sure that played a big part in this. I’m just so grateful to CMT to be featured like this and to be able to reach new fans!!

Who are your favorite artists?

There are too many to list, so I’m gonna go with what artists have influenced me the most! Shania Twain, Reba McEntire, Jamie O’Neal and Martina McBride.

Who would be your dream collaboration partner?

There are so many people that I would LOVE to collaborate with… I’ll say Taylor Swift because she is a genius at writing songs that connect with women!

What have been some of your favorite live shows?

Garth Brooks, Sara Bareilles, Taylor Swift, The Band Perry, Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert… I could keep going, but I better cut myself off! 🙂

Generally, where do you get the inspiration for your music? Is that always changing?

Inspiration can literally come from anywhere! It can be a chord progression or something someone says in passing conversation or something I see and think would be interesting to write about… however, no matter where the idea is sparked from, I usually draw from my own life experiences when writing.

When do you hope to release a full-length album?

I am working on new music right now, and I’ll have to keep you posted on the timeline! In the meantime, you can check out my self titled debut album on iTunes!

I just saw on Facebook that you are wedding planning right now! (me too!) How are you balancing all of that and this blossoming music career? Has it been tough to do both?

As I’m sure you know, it is definitely a juggling act!! (Congratulations! by the way 🙂 ) For me, it’s about making daily goals.  Every day I will make career goals, musical goals, and wedding planning goals.  I start off the day with a plan on how to knock as many goals off of the list as I can, and what doesn’t get done gets moved to the next day! Also, I am not afraid to ask for help from my family and bridesmaids, and while I try to do most things myself, their help has been invaluable!

At the end of the day, what do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope listeners take away from your songs?

My hope is that my music is empowering! I hope that people hear my songs and it makes them feel stronger.  Whether they are inspired because they know someone else has felt the exact way they are feeling or if it’s because the song helps them to cut loose and dance, music is powerful! At the end of the day, I hope that my songs help people the way that the music of all the artists I admire have helped me!