Tag Archives: Country

Features, Music, Pop

Riley Clemmons and Lauren Alaina Team Up For “Over and Over” Collab!

Leave a comment

Twenty-year-old, Christian artist, Riley Clemmons has teamed up with Country artist, Lauren Alaina to release a new edition of “Over and Over.” The new collab comes after the “Broken Prayers” singer has released a home video for the single.

“Over and Over” has the makings of becoming a cross over song. To a Christian listener, the lyrics are apparent she’s talking to God about choosing her over and over, no matter how many times she messes up. Clemmons sings:

Staring at a Mountain
Thought I had already Climbed
The Weight of my Mistakes
Hold me down like I’m Paralyzed
How many Times
Have I asked for Grace
Standing in the same Broken Place
I’ve given You Every good Reason
To Walk Away

But somehow You Choose me
Over and Over Again
Over and Over Again
You keep Running to me
No matter where I am

“Over and Over” can also be applied to various situations. A parent, a partner, a friend. Alaina is the perfect fit, as she is also very vocal about her faith being a big part of her life.

In a previous interview with News Release Today, Clemmons spoke about the meaning behind the song.

This particular songwriting session was super special to me. I was talking with my label about writing this song. We discussed who I’d like to meet with to co-write it. I picked three of my favorite songwriters. I normally start a session talking about what’s going on in my life at that moment, taking that and finding a title and lyrics, based on that situation. For this song, I had been at church the day before. The pastor preached about what it means to recommit yourself to God every day. In a personal way, for me, that’s waking up every day and making the decision to choose God, over and over again. More so that I’m in awe of the fact that somehow I’ve been chosen to be a child of the God of the universe every single day, over and over again. Really, this song came from a place of just being in awe of God’s grace that doesn’t ask for anything back.

Take a listen to the collaboration below!

About Riley Clemmons:

Riley Clemmons is a 20-year-old pop singer/songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. Raised on southern gospel music and classic rock, Riley began singing at a young age. She was discovered by her manager Mitchell Solarek at age 13 and began attending writing sessions shortly after. At 16, Riley was signed to Capitol CMG and sky-rocketed onto the scene with her 2017 debut hit single “Broken Prayers,” which has amassed over 30M global streams since its release. Riley followed up the song with her self-titled debut album in August 2018, which debuted at No. 13 on the US Heatseekers Albums chart. In June 2019, she released her single “Fighting For Me,” which was one of only two female songs to reach Top 5 on the National Christian Audience radio chart in 2019, establishing Riley as a radio mainstay. Riley was then nominated for “New Artist of the Year” at the 2019 Dove Awards and named a feature performer. She also hosted the award shows’ official pre-telecast. An accomplished composer, performer, and recording artist, Riley is inspired by numerous genres, from classic artists such as Fleetwood Mac and Barbara Streisand to 2000s female pop vocalists Ariana Grande and Katy Perry. Her latest single “Over and Over” is out on all streaming platforms now.

poetry

For All or Nothing

Leave a comment

For All or Nothing
For all the flowers in the field, that sway when the wind blows,
And for the view atop a mountain, where the water beneath flows.
For all the grain in the field, that makes a farmer flourish,
And the milk a mother feeds her young, to help keep them nourished.
Still for the gratitude of serving another person in need,
And the fight for doing what’s right, just for doing a simple deed.
For the love of a father who loves, even through the depths of despair,
To cherish that undying love that won’t be easy to find elsewhere.
For all the time spent training so a single race could be won,
It never does seem worthwhile, but it always shows when the task is done.
For all the love of money, that makes a greedy person stay despised,
And all the wealth and land that keeps feuding countries devised.
With all the love a lover seeks, to win a determined women to be his wife,
And all the passion a lost soul holds, to find the reasons for his life.
For all that seems uncertain and no comprehensible answers in sight,
And all that a warrior holds dear, so he can stay strong and fight.
For the passion a king possesses when his kingdom has become corrupt,
And when a person fights for what’s lost and never once gives up.
For the freedom this country fought for and the bondage to be set free,
The stars and stripes that remind us, of what we couldn’t see.
For the love of our country that keeps us united one and all,
And for all the brave in heart, that makes even a lion seem small.
With all the pride a father holds when his only son grows up,
And all the guidance a mother gives, to help train her pup.
For all that is in the world and all that I choose to live,
For all that has been mentioned, my love I still give!

~ Jennifer R. W. Vargas

February 5, 2003

For Cozette, the greatest HS English teacher and now friend. Age 15

Music

17 Female Singer-Songwriters, Song Suffragettes Cover Taylor Swift’s “The Man” – Watch!

Leave a comment

Taylor Swift‘s “The Man” has been inspiring a lot of people lately! It is easily a favorite of her latest album Lover as it speaks up against the hypocrisy against women in the entertainment industry. It will hopefully be the next single off her album!

Now, all-female, singer-songwriter collective, Song Suffragettes has produced a new version of “The Man”  Seventeen Song Suffragettes provide vocals on the track that was produced by fellow Song Suffragette Tasji. The song is available everywhere music is streamed or sold.

Song Suffragettes also produced a music video in support of the song with a humorous and empowering take on bad behavior in the workplace.  The music video features all 17 performers on the song (women listed in order of appearance in the music video): Chloe Gilligan, Sarahbeth Taite, Reyna Roberts, Maddison Krebs, Tasji, Regan Stewart, Emily Brooke, Erin Grand, Caroline Marquard, Mia Morris, Michelle Pereira, Nora Collins, Gray Robinson, Raquel Cole, Stevie Woodward, Lexi Lauren and Carter Faith.


The female empowerment themes of “The Man” aligned perfectly with the Song Suffragettes mantra of #LetTheGirlsPlay.  Says Helena Capps, Song Suffragettes’ VP, “With our past cover of Keith Urban’s ‘Female’ and our original song ‘Time’s Up’ , we took a more serious approach to female empowerment, but when we heard ‘The Man’, we decided it was time to do something fun. As usual, our Song Suffragettes alumnae didn’t hesitate to be a part of this project, which speaks again to the solidarity of our female singer-songwriters as they continue to strive to make their voices heard within the music community.”

Song Suffragettes remains at the forefront of the disparity and discrimination debate surrounding females in the country music genre.  PBS NewsHour showcased Song Suffragettes in a story earlier this year about Nashville’s gender imbalance. ELLE Magazine prominently featured Song Suffragettes in their November 2018 issue with a story titled “The Women of Nashville’s Music Scene Are Calling Time’s Up.” In December 2018, National Public Radio (NPR) touted Song Suffragettes nationally in a Morning Edition piece called “Female Country Music Singers In Nashville Navigate Gender Bias To Be Heard.”



About Song Suffragettes
Song Suffragettes is a collective of female singer-songwriters that performs every Monday night at The Listening Room Café in Nashville, TN.  In just five years, Song Suffragettes has showcased over 240 talented women out of more than 1,400 who have submitted to play the show.  With weekly sell-outs and a mantra of #LetTheGirlsPlay, Song Suffragettes vocally combats wide-spread discrimination against women in the music industry by giving female talent a place to play, grow and evolve with fellow creatives. Since its inception, 16 Song Suffragettes women have gone on to receive record deals and more than 40 have landed music publishing deals.  With over 3 million views on their YouTube channel, Song Suffragettes was named by Billboard magazine as one of “Next-Gen Nashville: 16 People, Places and Things Shaking Up Music City”.  Featured in ELLE, USA Today, Washington Post, Grammy.com, Boston Globe and on PBS NewsHour and NPR, Song Suffragettes continues to fight for female talent to be heard throughout the country and beyond.
 
About The LSSW Group
Guided by four women with over 100 years of collective experience in financial services, The LSSW Group serves the wealth management needs of business owners, real estate investors, C-Suite executives and family offices, as well as the unique requirements of those in the entertainment industry. The Group has organized its practice to harness synergies and leverage the global resources of J.P. Morgan. Their strategic partnership, where investment advice and service are paramount, is based on a foundation of quality, integrity, transparency and collaboration. In addition, The LSSW Group is the first-ever presenting sponsor of Nashville’s esteemed all-female, singer-songwriter collective Song Suffragettes.

Concert/Live Show, Music, Photo Galleries

Photos: Runaway June Performs at 1st Annual KFROG Jingle Belles!

Leave a comment

We love us some Runaway June! KFROG radio treated listeners to quite the show at their first annual Jingle Belles show! Their current single “Head Over Heels” can be heard on radio now! It follows their latest single “I Can But My Own Drinks” which landed in the top 5!

Check out the photos from the evening below!!

Music

Why We Are “Head Over Heels” for Runaway June!

1 Comment

If you love a good girl group, Runaway June (Naomi Cooke, Hannah Mulholland, and Jennifer Wayne) should be added to the top of your list. Seriously though, women bring a lot of power and dynamics to a group. What makes Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Sugarland, Thompson Square, and up and comers Temecula Road stick out, is the fact they are able to blend male and female vocals.

It’s always been interesting to see how well males do on country radio when there doesn’t seem to be much logic behind it. They don’t release power ballads and generally sound the exact same on every song, set to a different melody. Women however, constantly have to mix it up and step up their game to even be considered for airplay. They need something that makes them stick out to get around the gender bias, which makes them even better performers.

Embed from Getty Images

Ask me what male artist is singing on country radio, I probably couldn’t tell you. They’ve all started to sound the same. On the contrary, ask me which of the five female artists they are playing and I can name them. Maybe it’s because country radio only allows a handful of women on radio at a time, or maybe it’s because they truly do have such unique voices that sets them a part.

Runaway June brings a fresh mix and much needed blend of harmonies and power vocals to a song. Their recent single “Buy My Own Drinks” landed them in the top 5 and there’s no slowing down in sight.

Their next single “Head Over Heels” is the perfect choice as the follow up to their last single that found a woman stating she did not need a man to buy her a drink, carry her to bed, or pay for a cab… she’s very capable of doing all those things herself.

LISTEN TO “HEAD OVER HEELS”

“Head Over Heels” also has empowering lyrics of getting over someone who maybe treats you a little bit less than what’s deserved. To have the courage to not just act on the idea of being so in love you’re “head over heels in love” and think rationally.

We got good at the drunk dial game
Let it go a little longer than it should
You call me up, say “Head my way”
Yeah, and I always would
Wake up in your arms from the night before
Pick my stilettos up off the floor
A walk of shame out your front door
But not no more

‘Cause these ain’t my late-night lace-up black leather shoes
These ain’t my downtown dance-around waitin’ on you
These ain’t my lonely cab ride one-night thrills
These ain’t my you-get-drunk call-me-up and head over heels

Apart from catchy songs and empowering lyrics, Runaway June churns out energetic performances that will have them being ones to talk about for years to come.

Here’s hoping country radio continues to play their music. After all, pop radio doesn’t seem to have any issue playing females. Pop female groups have also been huge over the years, Spice Girls, 5th Harmony, Destiny’s Child, Little Mix, TLC…

Country radio has not seen a girl group in some time. Duos are more common but a female trio has not been seen since the Dixie Chicks and SHEDaisy. It’s been an area that has seriously been lacking.

Runaway June was recently seen performing at the 53rd annual CMA Awards during a Little Big Town song, “Girl Crush.”

Embed from Getty Images

They were most recently on tour with Carrie Underwood as part of her Cry Pretty tour. They are ones to keep on your radar and support! A part from being amazing vocalists, they are also some of the nicest people!