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INTERVIEW: Indie-Folk Trio TROUSDALE Blend Their Own Take On The Young Country Sound. Talk CMT Music Video Premiere, Managing Group Creative Differences & MORE.
Effortless harmonies that blend with authentic storytelling is what you get with American-country trio Trousdale out of Los Angeles. Consisting of Quinn, Lauren and Georgia, these three ladies are looking to make good music, spread a universal message of love and self-acceptance, empower women and have fun while doing it. Following up their debut EP, Look Around – which racked up over 2 million streams – the young country group returns with the first look of their upcoming EP with singles, “Always, Joni” and “This Is It” – with the latter’s music video recently premiering on CMT. All Access got the opportunity to ask this talented group about their new music, how they balance the creative and business side of music, why Joni Mitchell is such a huge inspiration to them and much more. Check out the full interview below:
ALL ACCESS: Let’s start from the beginning, what is it about music that made each of you want to pursue a career in it? How did you end up coming together to make Trousdale?
We all had different experiences with music growing up:
QUINN: I started playing classical piano when I was 4, and grew up singing in choir and performing in musical theatre. Interpreting and performing music was something that I knew I always wanted to do, but I didn’t really start writing my own music until late high school/early college.
GEORGIA: I was brought up in a family of music but never thought of doing it as a career. It wasn’t until college that I decided to pursue it professionally. Meeting and singing with Lauren and Quinn was magical and we’ve been following the magic ever since.
LAUREN: I grew up in a super small town in the midwest, and I didn’t know anyone in my entire town, let alone state, that had a career in the entertainment industry. I grew up watching my dad play old 70s classics by the campfire and began learning guitar and writing songs when I was 13. It wasn’t until I started attending an arts boarding school that I really realized that kind of path was possible for me. I got into USC and have just always followed my love for making music since then.
TROUSDALE: We all met our freshman year in the Popular Music program at USC. We started singing covers and writing together and just clicked as friends and musicians. We’ve really been following that organic connection for the past 7 years.
AA: Congrats on the release of your single, “This Is It” and having CMT premiere the music video for the song. What’s the inspiration for this one? How’d it feel to watch yourselves on CMT?
T: “This Is It” is what we’ve been calling our “friendship anthem” of the EP. It’s about stopping to acknowledge the small moments of happiness that we might normally overlook. The song idea started literally at a bar, when we were all drinking beer and talking about how much happier life feels when we stop and appreciate the small joys that usually pass us by. Watching ourselves on CMT was definitely a surreal moment. We’ve been pouring so much hard work and passion into this group for seven years now, and it was so exciting to see ourselves on such a big platform that we all love so much.
AA: As a group, you really focus on empowering young women which is evident in the message and video for “This Is It” and the fact that you had an all-female crew for that song’s music video shoot. Why is it important for you to have this mission as a group and with your music?
T: All three of us have experienced our fair share of challenges as young women in the music industry. We’re so inspired by each other and other amazing women around us, that we’ve made it a goal to uplift and hire as many of them as possible in our projects. We believe this is the best way to empower and support women in the music industry and be hope others do the same.
AA: “This Is It” has the lyrics in the chorus, “in case we ever forget what happiness is / this is it.” For each of you, what are moment(s) in life where you think of these lyrics and feel like you’re in pure happiness (ex. At a concert, laughing with family, etc)?
QUINN: It’s always been the small moments with my family and friends. I feel like the most important thing in my life will always be the connections I make with the people around me. No matter what goals I achieve in my career, the moments I will always remember the most are the ones I’m sharing with the people I love.
GEORGIA: Listening to new music, watching anything hilarious or inspiring, meeting new people and spending time with family and friends all make me feel pure happiness and remind me of life’s simple pleasures.
LAUREN: I know it sounds cheesy but driving in the summer with the windows rolled down is definitely up there for me. Sharing food I love with people I love is also really special to me. Give me a charcuterie board with some nice drinks and my favorite people – that’s a little slice of heaven for sure.
AA: Being a part of a musical group can have its pros and cons – how do you balance creative differences when making group decisions?
T: We try to remember that we don’t need to agree on everything, and our differences are the very things that make our band stronger and more diverse. Something we say often is that if we’re not okay, the band isn’t okay. Our personal relationships to one another simply have to come first in order for the band to work. Our willingness to compromise, mutually respect and commit to one and other is what’s kept us going all these years.
AA: One of your latest singles, “Always, Joni” is a love letter to Joni Mitchell’s songwriting. What is it about her that is so inspiring? Did you feel more pressure in your songwriting for this song than others?
T: We are all huge Joni Mitchell fans and came to love her at different times in our lives. Her profound ability to depict love in such intimate ways paired with her heartbreaking melodies touch us all very deeply. The writing process was actually pretty relaxed. We started the song on a writing trip in Big Bear, and were just having a lot of fun jamming on ideas. That being said, the production and release of the song definitely felt a bit more nerve-wracking, simply because we wanted to take the time and do the song justice.
AA: I heard there is a debut EP in the works. What can fans expect from this EP?
T: Our upcoming EP is almost the polar opposite of our first EP. Filled with heartbreak tunes and love anthems, we want to show our fans that we have as much of a goofy/happy side as we do a serious/sad side.
AA: Nowadays there’s so much pressure on artists to not only create good music but also run various social media accounts, engage with fans, tour, design merch and so much more. How do you as a group balance all the necessary evils of being an independent artist? If you could eliminate one thing about being an artist nowadays, what would it be?
T: We always say that one of the perks of being in a group is that we can divide and conquer. If we don’t manage our time well, the business side of being an artist can become overwhelming and distract from our creativity. We try our best to manage all the tasks outside of creating art by dividing the work up equally. Social media is a huge part of our business, and while we absolutely love the platform and engaging with fans, it can be overwhelming. If we had to pick, we’d say “bye bye” to Insta!
AA: For each member, if you could only listen to (5) artists for the rest of your life, who would they be?
GEORGIA: Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, Chaka Khan, The Japanese House and MUNA.
LAUREN: Billy Joel, Frank Sinatra, Jack Johnson, Stevie Wonder and Carole King.
QUINN: Bonnie Raitt, Nora Jones, Fiona Apple, Sara Bareilles and The Beatles.
AA: What else can fans expect from Trousdale in 2021 and early 2022?
T: They can expect our second EP and lots of live shows!!
Congrats to the ladies of Trousdale on all the success so far! To keep updated with the release of their upcoming EP and those live shows, be sure to follow along on their journey below:
TIKTOK | INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | YOUTUBE
