Cam.
When Cam accepted her Grammy award for her work on Cowboy Carter earlier this year, it wasn’t just a career milestone, it was a full-circle moment. Behind the scenes, as she contributed to Beyoncé’s genre-busting project, Cam was simultaneously crafting her own most personal body of work to date: All Things Light.
“I mean it was incredible,” Cam tells MusicRow of the Grammy win. “It just feels so gratifying on so many levels. It feels like art was made, that is a history lesson that is pushing boundaries and it still got recognized in a kind of commercial way.”
That same spirit of boundary-pushing fuels All Things Light. The album is at once genre-fluid, deeply vulnerable, and spiritually exploratory, far from anything resembling a calculated industry move. But according to Cam, that’s exactly the point.
Released as her first solo single in four years, “Alchemy” marked the beginning of this new era for Cam. “There’s really this whole album with me taking a fear of death and looking uncertainty in the eye with COVID and new motherhood and not letting those heavy feelings just lie,” she explains. “This is ‘Alchemy.’ I was trying to make it an uptempo happy song and I still inserted a Buddhist death meditation.”
The contrast between light and dark is central to Cam’s new work. From facing the mortality of loved ones to reckoning with what legacy means for a mother and an artist, All Things Light emerged from some of the most disorienting years of her life.
“Having my daughter and the postpartum or whatever that period is of darkness and COVID, it’s just like, my life has changed and I do not know what’s coming next,” she says.
In the middle of all this, a simple question from her daughter, “Mom, what happens when we die?,” served as a spark.
“What came out of me in that moment was that our bodies get really still and our light goes back up to the stars,” Cam recalls. That spontaneous, gut-level answer became a guiding philosophy for the album. “I really used my feelings and what felt right in my tummy and my body. This is what I need to help me deal with difficult moments.”
Musically, All Things Light refuses to be boxed in. It blends country, Americana, pop and more. “To me, the most natural stuff comes out of me in a way that’s just a mix of all those things because I listened to all those things,” she says. “I should be able to paint with all the colors that I want to tell the story how it needs to be told.”
Though she didn’t set out to break rules, the genre-blurring nature of the record became a quiet act of rebellion, especially in a shifting industry. “At the beginning of all this, I was like, I don’t know if there will be an industry to return to. I should be doing this for art’s sake,” Cam says. “There’s no way you can abandon how important art and music is for humanity.”
Songs like “Slow Down” and “Everblue” give listeners space to feel everything. “‘Everblue’ is just such a night drive or a calm sadness that is for some reason one of my favorite feelings. I recognize it,” she says. “Maybe just all of us sad girl Tumblr post by it. It feels so good.”
One of the album’s most spiritually charged and potentially controversial songs is “Turns Out That I Am God,” a track Cam says she approached with great care. “I worked really hard to make sure I said it in a way that felt humble,” she explains. “I wasn’t raised with religion, so the word God, some people feel belongs to them. That’s not where I’m coming from.”
Instead, she explores spirituality as a universal human experience, something deeply personal and yet inherently shared. With input from a rabbi and a pastor, Cam found confidence in her message. “It turned out that ‘I’m God’ was something that I needed to say.”
Sharing it was scary, she admits. But that fear, for her, is a sign she’s doing it right. “It’s not art if you aren’t a tiny bit nervous to say something.”
Cam recently performed at The Bluebird Cafe with longtime trusted collaborator Tyler Johnson, another moment that felt full circle.
“I remember watching from the outside of that circle going to shows early on being like, I want to be in the middle of that circle, having written those songs. And Now being in the middle of the circle and between Ty and I having we’re singing, he’s got Harry Styles cuts, and we both have a Miley Cyrus and Beyonce cuts. It makes me so proud of how he has worked so hard.”
Cam’s set for her “The Slow Down Tour” will bring these themes into full view. A giant white crane, built like a parade puppet, will be on stage as a spiritual symbol. Its origin? Her sister kept seeing cranes during a difficult period in her life. Then, one showed up unexpectedly in her parents’ driveway on a day of good news. Cam knew it had to become part of the tour.
“This bird is coming with me,” she says. “This is the whole point of art. You turn the darkness into something else, and you make it a symbol of how you can make it through or how you did make it through, or music to hold your hand while you make it through.”
The show design, she says, is just as intentional as every lyric. “I’m hoping to make people cry and then make them dance.”
Looking back, Cam sees this moment as the fulfillment of what her younger self always hoped for. “I think younger me would’ve wanted me to be exactly like this,” she reflects. “I know younger me is just like, yes, look at you having your body and your own experiences and living your life.”
Cam’s “The Slow Down Tour” will visit the Ryman Auditorium this Sunday (Oct. 26).
MusicRow Weekly (News, Charts, More…)
/by Madison HahnenIt was a momentous week in Music City as the country music community gathered to celebrate milestones, new appointments, and rising talent across the industry. Click here to see the full edition.
On Sunday night (Oct. 19), the Country Music Hall of Fame hosted another star-studded Medallion Ceremony as Tony Brown, June Carter Cash, and Kenny Chesney were formally inducted as the Hall’s 156th, 157th, and 158th members. Following opening remarks from the Hall’s CEO Kyle Young, CMA CEO Sarah Trahern, and the Hall’s Circle Guard’s Jody Williams, each honoree was celebrated with heartfelt tributes and inspired performances that paid homage to their remarkable contributions to country music.
The Country Music Association also announced a series of key promotions and one new hire across multiple departments. Michael Farris has been elevated to Vice President, Business Strategy and Insights, while Kate Watson steps into the role of Senior Director, Industry Relations. Jeff Leet has been promoted to Director, Brand Integrity, and additional internal advancements include Lindsey Morrison to Senior Manager, Community Engagement for the CMA Foundation; Richard Xiong to Insights Senior Analyst; and Kennedy Strickler to Communications Project Manager. Rounding out the updates, CMA welcomes Mary Spaulding as Content Production Manager.
The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) has kicked off its multi-part Board election, beginning with the elevation of Parker Welling to Industry Liaison on the executive committee, and the addition of Ben Williams to fill Welling’s former seat. Artist-writer Drew Baldridge joins the Board as a new Artist-Writer Representative, while Rhett Akins and Roger Brown have both been reappointed, Akins continuing as an Artist-Writer Representative and Brown as Legislative Chair.
Peachtree Entertainment has expanded its leadership team, naming Chris Johnson as Vice President of Production and Chris Thomas as Senior Vice President of Development. Michael Bryan has exited his role as Global Head of Country Music at Apple Music after five years with the company.
Carter Faith has been named Amazon Music’s latest Breakthrough Artist, while Flatland Cavalry has signed with the newly relaunched Lost Highway Records. Slater Nalley has inked a record deal with Warner Music Nashville/Warner Records in partnership with 19 Entertainment.
Warner Chappell Music Nashville has promoted Eric Reid to Jr. Manager, A&R. Songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Bobby Huff has signed a publishing and management deal with Ten Ten Music Group, and Luke Preston has joined the roster at Big Loud Publishing. Play It Again Music welcomed Amy O’Connor as Director of Digital and Streaming and Molly Reinold as Creative Director.
Penelope Road has signed a management deal with Make Wake Artists. Artist, songwriter, and producer Josef Kuhn, known professionally as Nickname Jos, has inked a global co-publishing deal with Concord Music Publishing. KP Entertainment has appointed Colt Murski as Senior Director of Publishing. Konrad Snyder, acclaimed songwriter, producer, and engineer, has joined Electric Feel Publishing’s Nashville roster.
This week’s edition also features a conversation with Combustion Music’s Chris Farren.
In addition, the latest MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart is included. Zach Top takes the No. 1 spot with “Good Times & Tan Lines.” Explore more chart data here.
The MusicRow Weekly is delivered every Friday, featuring Nashville’s top music industry news, exclusive interviews, song reviews, radio and songwriter charts and more. Sign up for free here.
Mickey Guyton ‘Feels Like Christmas’ On New Album
/by Madison HahnenMickey Guyton has released her new holiday album, Feels Like Christmas, today (Oct. 24) via MCA.
The eight track project features classic holiday covers such as “O Holy Night,” “Do You Want To Build A Snowman,” and more, along with original tracks like “Sugar Cookie” and “Save A Little Christmas.” Guyton also teams up with Michael Bolton on the record for “Christmas Isn’t Christmas.”
Guyton is slated to appear in Hallmark’s A Grand Ole Opry Christmas later this year. Guyton will also perform at Nashville’s City Winery on Nov. 11.
Feels Like Christmas Track List:
1. “Save A Little Christmas” (Emma-Lee, Karen Kosowski, Victoria Banks)
2. “Sugar Cookie” (Emma-Lee, Karen Kosowski, Kirstin Maldonado)
3. “Mistletoe Kisses” (Emma-Lee, Karen Kosowski, Victoria Banks)
4. “Feels Like Christmas” (Autumn McEntire, Karen Kosowski)
5. “It Won’t Be Christmas” (Emma-Lee, Julie Crochetiere, Karen Kosowski)
6. “Christmas Isn’t Christmas” (Ameerah Roelants, Michael Bolton, Morgan Taylor Reid, Zac Poor)
7. “O Holy Night”
8. “Do You Want To Build A Snowman” (Agatha Lee Monn, Katie Lopez, Kristen Bell)
Lucy Bartozzi Exits Big Loud
/by Madison HahnenLucy Bartozzi. Photo: Imani Givertz
Lucy Bartozzi has exited her role as VP, Marketing at Big Loud Records.
Bartozzi joined the team in 2023. During her time at the company, she worked with acts such as Dylan Gossett, Lily Rose, Owen Riegling and more. Her previous career stops include Round Hill Records, mtheory, and Red Bull Records.
At Round Hill Records, she served as Senior Director Marketing for the label, where she worked with Blues Traveler, Lit, Tash Neal, Jared James Nichols, Black Pistol Fire and Lettuce.
Alexandra Kay On Growth, Grit & Finding Her ‘Second Wind’ [Interview]
/by Lauryn SinkAlexandra Kay.
Alexandra Kay is ready to move forward with her sophomore record.
After losing record deals, a viral TikTok breakout, an independent album and over 350 million streams, the Illinois native is finally taking a deep breath on her major-label debut.
For Kay, Second Wind represents a shift in both sound and spirit. Her 2023 debut, All I’ve Ever Known, was an intimate, self-written document of heartbreak.
“The first project was a healing journey through my divorce. I didn’t know who was going to hear it. I wrote it for myself, my heart and my healing. I wasn’t even going to put it out until some friends heard it, and it ended up being really good. I’m always going to sing [those songs], but I’m ready to go into a new chapter, and Second Wind is that,” Kay shares with MusicRow.
Across the album’s tracks, Kay collaborated with a mix of longtime friends and new creative partners, including Ava Suppelsa, Maggie Champman, Lauren McLamb, Allison Veltz-Cruz and Jon Nite, among others.
“With Allison, it was very, very easy. I just started opening up to her, and I just knew that she kind of got me. She just kind of gives me that Taylor Swift writing style, which I am in love with and always have been. Jon Nite is the other end of the spectrum. Everything I’ve written with him is fun, but not in a cliche way. He is always making melodies feel fresh and pushing for tempo.”
Of the 14 tracks, Kay chose to cut two outside songs that she felt fit seamlessly into her world. “When I heard ‘Straight for the Heart,’ I was like, ‘That’s a banger,’” she laughs.
The second outside cut felt like a full circle moment “I heard ‘Old Me,’ and it just feels like something I would’ve written. Then I found out Shane McAnally wrote it and I thought ‘of course!’ That was my first write ever in town, so it was full circle for me to cut one of his songs.”
Choosing a favorite changes daily, but two tracks stand out as reflections of her current life. “The whole album is personal, but ‘Second Wind’ and ‘What He Does, ‘” she says. “My partner is so open and so loving and so generous. I’m reminded of that every day. And, ‘Second Wind’ makes me think about what my life could have been if I’d stayed somewhere I wasn’t growing. Those two songs mean a lot.”
“Second Wind” was born from a writing session with Kay’s partner, Rocco [Beall], Cheyenna [Rose Arnspiger], and Kevin Thrasher [Gruft]. “That day I knew we were going to get a love song,” Kay recalls. “We started going in a different direction, and then Cheyenna said ‘second wind.’ The title itself hit me like a ton of bricks. I was like, second album—that could be the title. It describes our love story. [Rocco] completely brought my spark back. I didn’t think I’d ever be the same, much less a better version of myself than I’ve ever been.”
After spending the summer opening for Brad Paisley, she’s currently amidst her own headline run, which kicked off just ahead of the album’s release.
This run marks the first time she’s toured an album that wasn’t released at the time. “We’re not going to slam the audience with a bunch of songs they’ve never heard,” she explains. “We’ll play a lot from All I’ve Ever Known and then the songs that are out from Second Wind. The set is absolutely beautiful. It’s all floral. I’m on this big five-foot cylinder. I tried to get them to let me rise up. They said no,” she laughs.
The album also marks her first label release since signing with BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville. “I definitely haven’t taken my foot off the gas by any means,” she quipped. “They’ve been great to us. They look at what we’ve done independently and ask, ‘How can we add fuel to the fire?’”
Kay’s schedule stays full between touring, social media, and running her coffee shop in her hometown of Waterloo, Illinois. “I’ve gotten to the point where I’m not afraid of saying no to things,” she says. “I take the time when I need to take the time.”
Alexandra Kay at The Coffee Girl
The café, The Coffee Girl, grew naturally from her viral “coffee covers.” “Ever since I did that and it became such a huge part of my brand, I wanted my own shop,” she explains. “The opportunity came up in my hometown and I said, ‘I’m your girl.’ I got to retire my dad, and now he’s the GM of the shop. Eventually, I want to bring a Coffee Girl location to Nashville.”
If there’s one thing she wants listeners to take from Second Wind, it’s growth. “I hope they just feel hope for themselves,” she says. “I always think of the fan that listened through All I’ve Ever Known and that got them through their divorce. I want this to be their second wind. I want them to realize they’re strong enough to have it. You just have to reach out and catch it.”
Kay will continue on her “Second Wind Tour” through November.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Releases New EP ‘Night After Night’
/by Lorie HollabaughNitty Gritty Dirt Band have released their new EP, Night After Night today (Oct. 24) via NGDB Records.
Night After Night was produced by Jerry Douglas and features longtime band members Jeff Hanna, Jimmie Fadden, and Bob Carpenter joined by Jaime Hanna, Ross Holmes, and Jim Photoglo, melding together six decades of influences, road miles, and family collaborations. The EP is the band’s first release of all-new music since 2009’s Speed of Life and a followup to their 2022 project, Dirt Does Dylan.
The focus track from the album, “Nashville Skyline” (feat. Matraca Berg) was co-written by Jeff, his son Jaime, and Jeff’s wife Berg. The tune features Jeff and Jaime strumming alongside each other on the record. “’Nashville Skyline is a lament about change,” says Jeff. “A yearning love letter to what was.”
Additional writers across the project include Daniel Tashian, Mac McAnally, and more.
Vinyl copies of Night After Night featuring music on one side and an etched graphic on the other as well as CDs will be released on Dec. 5 and are available to pre-order at the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band online store.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band also just announced the next leg of dates in commemoration of the band’s 60th Anniversary, “All The Good Times: The Farewell Tour – 60 Years of Dirt.” The new tour dates kick off with the Outlaw Country Cruise in March and will include a show at the Grand Ole Opry House on May 13 —the 60th Anniversary, to the day, of the band’s formation. Pre-sale for the new dates begins on Oct. 29 with general on-sale October 31.
Night After Night Track List:
1. “Night After Night” (Daniel Tashian, Paul Kennerley)
2. “Nashville Skyline (feat. Matraca Berg)” (Jaime Hanna, Jeff Hanna, Matraca Berg)
3. “If You Hang Around Long Enough” (Jeff Hanna, Mac McAnally)
4. “Peace and Quiet” (Drew Kennedy, Jeff Hanna, Matraca Berg)
5. “For All The Good It Did” (Alan Miller, Jaime Hanna)
Industry Ink: ASCAP, Riley Green & Dasha, Brett Young, Bellamy Brothers, More
/by Lauryn SinkASCAP Hosts Annual Songwriting Workshops
Pictured (back row, L-R): ASCAP’s Duane Hobson, Mara Connor, Kelly Seidel, Leslie Bowe, Mark Taylor, Dan Harrison; (Front Row, L-R) Danny Jacobson, hit songwriter Jamie Moore, Haley Ganis, Elizabeth Makris, Andrew Rizzuto
ASCAP recently hosted its annual country and Christian songwriting workshops. Nine emerging songwriters participated in the country workshop, led by Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer Jamie Moore.
Riley Green & Dasha Perform Exclusive Show For Wells Fargo Credit Cardholders
Riley Green & Dasha. Photo: Terence Rushin
Riley Green and Dasha recently performed at an event in Atlanta for Wells Fargo cardholders as part of the Autograph Card Exclusives series.
Green performed crowd-favorite “Different ‘Round Here,” “Don’t Mind If I Do,” “you look like you love me,” “Change My Mind” and “Worst Way,” before closing out the night with a full-venue singalong of “Dixieland Delight.”
Dasha graced the stage with “Not at This Party,” “Work On Me,” a preview of the unreleased “Memo” and her breakout hit “Austin (Boots Stop Workin’).”
Brett Young Performs On ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’
Brett Young recently performed his chart-climbing track “Drink With You” on The Kelly Clarkson Show.
Penned by Young, Jesse Frasure, Tony Lucca and Emily Weisband, the track is available on his fourth studio album, 2.0.
Bellamy Brothers Earn Gold Certification
Pictured (L-R): Jackie Jones (RIAA), Judy Seale (Agent), Howard Bellamy, David Bellamy, Scott Adkins (Publicist), Rob Battle (Agent)
The Bellamy Brothers have earned a RIAA Gold certification for “Let Your Love Flow.”
During a performance at the Grand Ole Opry on Oct. 23, RIAA SVP of Artist & Industry Relations Jackie Jones and their team celebrated the duo with a presentation and RIAA Gold plaque to commemorate their achievement.
“It was an absolute thrill to discover that “Let Your Love Flow” went gold on the eve of its 50th anniversary. Having the opportunity to celebrate it during the Opry’s 100th anniversary with friends made it even more special,” shares David Bellamy.
Priscilla Block Celebrates Album Release
Priscilla Block is celebrating the release of her recently released sophomore album, Things You Didn’t See.
Block has shared the album with appearances on The TODAY Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Fox & Friends, ABC News Live Prime and more. The project has been recognized by The New York Times, NPR, Billboard, GRAMMY.com, Consequence, MusicRow, UPROXX and more.
Ryan Aviation Group Hosts 2nd Annual Hangar Party
Tucker Wetmore. Photo: William King
Ryan Aviation Group recently hosted its second annual Hangar Party showcasing its newly launched Pullman Coaches.
The evening concluded with a performance from Tucker Wetmore, who drew in the crowd with a jam-packed set of hits including his No. 1 “Wind Up Missin’ You,” current single “3, 2, 1” and viral smash “Brunette.”
Music City Walk Of Fame To Induct Old Dominion, Charley Pride & Liz Rose
/by Madison HahnenCharley Pride, Liz Rose & Old Dominion
The Music City Walk of Fame has unveiled its newest inductees. Old Dominion, Charley Pride (posthumously) and Liz Rose will be inducted on Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. The ceremony will be open to the public. Old Dominion, Pride and Rose will be the 110th, 111th and 112th stars on the Walk of Fame, recognized for their work of preserving the musical heritage of Nashville.
“These inductees represent the heart of Nashville’s music story,” says Ellen Pryor, Chair of Music City Inc., the foundation of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp, and Director of Communications at Frist Art Museum. “From Old Dominion’s rise from songwriters to stars, to Charley Pride’s trailblazing legacy, to Liz Rose’s timeless storytelling that defined an era — each has left an unforgettable mark on music and on Nashville.”
Since forming, Old Dominion have had nine No. 1 hits, collected eight ACM awards and seven CMA awards for Group of the Year. Their sixth album Barbara dropped on Aug. 22, and they are currently on their “How Good Is That – World Tour” performing in arenas through 2026.
Before his passing in 2o20, Pride was a Grand Ole Opry member, a three time GRAMMY winner, and was a recipient of the Recording Academy’s “Lifetime Achievement Award.” He had 39 chart-toppers, including “Kiss An Angel Good Morning.” Pride was also named CMA’s Entertainer of the Year in 1971, and was Top Male Vocalist in 1971 and 1972.
Songwriter Rose has most notably co-penned 16 tracks with Taylor Swift, including the GRAMMY winning “White Horse” and GRAMMY nominated “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version).” She also co-wrote the 2015 GRAMMY and CMA winning song “Girl Crush,” recorded by Little Big Town.
Meghan Patrick To Release ‘Golden Child (The Final Chapter)’ In January
/by Lorie HollabaughMeghan Patrick will release a new deluxe version of her latest album, Golden Child (The Final Chapter), on Jan. 9 via Riser House Artists.
The new expanded version will feature six brand new songs, and she’s releasing the brand new track “Both Can Be True” today (Oct. 24) across all streaming platforms. The track balances vulnerability with resilience and captures the complicated duality of everyday life.
“This song is about realizing how hard it can be in life to truly ‘have it all’ at one time, but understanding there’s always beauty and happiness to be found if you’re looking for it,” Patrick shares. ”It’s ok to be grateful for what you have and still want more, or love someone while knowing they aren’t “the one”. Life can be heartbreaking lows and exhilarating highs, and the beauty of living is accepting that both can be true, and sometimes at the same time.”
Patrick co-penned all six additional tracks, with writing collaborations from Trannie Anderson, Paul Sikes, Natalie Hemby and more.
Patrick’s 3rd Annual Benefit Show in support of YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee’s Domestic Violence Services Program will take place on Monday, (Oct. 27) at The Nashville Palace. This year’s lineup features Kasey Tyndall, Meg McRee, Alana Springsteen, Madeline Edwards, Thelma and James, Brad Clawson, Caylee Hammack, and Andy Albert.
Dylan Gossett Drops Deluxe Version Of Debut Album ‘Westward’
/by Lorie HollabaughDylan Gossett is expanding his album Westward with a new deluxe version of the project, out today (Oct. 24) via Big Loud Texas/Mercury Records.
Westward (Deluxe) includes three new tracks: the solo-penned “Windy City” and collaborations Noeline Hofmann on “American Trail” and Ole 60 on “Back 40.”
“‘Windy City’ is about being from the South and how crazy it is to have music that is being listened to up North and far away from where I’m from,” says Gossett. “It was inspired by Windy City in Chicago because it was a big moment to be in Chicago and hear people singing my music for the first time, but it’s really about everywhere and just how special it is to have something I never even dreamed possible.”
This fall Gossett will continue “The Westward Tour” through the end of the year, with upcoming shows in Toronto, Denver, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and more. He’ll perform at the 2025 National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas on December 6, as well as ring in the New Year at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth on December 31.
Gossett has racked up over a billion streams across his catalogue to date, and his breakout single “Coal” recently went double Platinum, in addition to going Silver in the U.K., Platinum in Australia, double Platinum in Canada, and double Platinum in Ireland. The song marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, and broke into the Top 25 of the Billboard Country Digital Songs Chart and Top 5 of the Spotify Viral 50 U.S. and Global Charts. In addition, his single “Beneath Oak Trees” recently went Gold.
Westward (Deluxe) Track List:
1. “Lord Will You Carry Me” (Dylan Gossett)
2. “Hangin’ On” (Dylan Gossett)
3. “Cicada Choir” (Dylan Gossett)
4. “American Trail” (Colton Forrest Hardy, Dylan Gossett)
5. “Snake Eyes” (Dylan Gossett)
6. “Livin’ the Dream” (Dylan Gossett)
7. “Sweet Lady” (Dylan Gossett)
8. “Adeline (You’re Outta Line)” (Colton Forrest Hardy, Dylan Gossett)
9. “Roll of 35” (Dylan Gossett)
10. “Like I Do” (Colton Forrest Hardy, Dylan Gossett)
11. “Tired of Running” (Dylan Gossett)
12. “Smell of Rain” (Dylan Gossett)
13. “Back 40” (Dylan Gossett)
14. “Tree Birds” (Dylan Gossett)
15. “Song About You” (Colton Forrest Hardy, Dylan Gossett)
16. “Coal” (Dylan Gossett)
17. “Baptized by Rain” (Dylan Gossett)
18. “American Trail” (feat. Noeline Hofmann) (Colton Forrest Hardy, Dylan Gossett)
19. “Back 40” (feat. Ole 60) (Dylan Gossett)
20. “Windy City” (Dylan Gossett)
Cam Finds Artistic Freedom In New Era [Interview]
/by Madison HahnenCam.
When Cam accepted her Grammy award for her work on Cowboy Carter earlier this year, it wasn’t just a career milestone, it was a full-circle moment. Behind the scenes, as she contributed to Beyoncé’s genre-busting project, Cam was simultaneously crafting her own most personal body of work to date: All Things Light.
“I mean it was incredible,” Cam tells MusicRow of the Grammy win. “It just feels so gratifying on so many levels. It feels like art was made, that is a history lesson that is pushing boundaries and it still got recognized in a kind of commercial way.”
That same spirit of boundary-pushing fuels All Things Light. The album is at once genre-fluid, deeply vulnerable, and spiritually exploratory, far from anything resembling a calculated industry move. But according to Cam, that’s exactly the point.
Released as her first solo single in four years, “Alchemy” marked the beginning of this new era for Cam. “There’s really this whole album with me taking a fear of death and looking uncertainty in the eye with COVID and new motherhood and not letting those heavy feelings just lie,” she explains. “This is ‘Alchemy.’ I was trying to make it an uptempo happy song and I still inserted a Buddhist death meditation.”
The contrast between light and dark is central to Cam’s new work. From facing the mortality of loved ones to reckoning with what legacy means for a mother and an artist, All Things Light emerged from some of the most disorienting years of her life.
“Having my daughter and the postpartum or whatever that period is of darkness and COVID, it’s just like, my life has changed and I do not know what’s coming next,” she says.
In the middle of all this, a simple question from her daughter, “Mom, what happens when we die?,” served as a spark.
“What came out of me in that moment was that our bodies get really still and our light goes back up to the stars,” Cam recalls. That spontaneous, gut-level answer became a guiding philosophy for the album. “I really used my feelings and what felt right in my tummy and my body. This is what I need to help me deal with difficult moments.”
Musically, All Things Light refuses to be boxed in. It blends country, Americana, pop and more. “To me, the most natural stuff comes out of me in a way that’s just a mix of all those things because I listened to all those things,” she says. “I should be able to paint with all the colors that I want to tell the story how it needs to be told.”
Though she didn’t set out to break rules, the genre-blurring nature of the record became a quiet act of rebellion, especially in a shifting industry. “At the beginning of all this, I was like, I don’t know if there will be an industry to return to. I should be doing this for art’s sake,” Cam says. “There’s no way you can abandon how important art and music is for humanity.”
Songs like “Slow Down” and “Everblue” give listeners space to feel everything. “‘Everblue’ is just such a night drive or a calm sadness that is for some reason one of my favorite feelings. I recognize it,” she says. “Maybe just all of us sad girl Tumblr post by it. It feels so good.”
One of the album’s most spiritually charged and potentially controversial songs is “Turns Out That I Am God,” a track Cam says she approached with great care. “I worked really hard to make sure I said it in a way that felt humble,” she explains. “I wasn’t raised with religion, so the word God, some people feel belongs to them. That’s not where I’m coming from.”
Instead, she explores spirituality as a universal human experience, something deeply personal and yet inherently shared. With input from a rabbi and a pastor, Cam found confidence in her message. “It turned out that ‘I’m God’ was something that I needed to say.”
Sharing it was scary, she admits. But that fear, for her, is a sign she’s doing it right. “It’s not art if you aren’t a tiny bit nervous to say something.”
Cam recently performed at The Bluebird Cafe with longtime trusted collaborator Tyler Johnson, another moment that felt full circle.
“I remember watching from the outside of that circle going to shows early on being like, I want to be in the middle of that circle, having written those songs. And Now being in the middle of the circle and between Ty and I having we’re singing, he’s got Harry Styles cuts, and we both have a Miley Cyrus and Beyonce cuts. It makes me so proud of how he has worked so hard.”
Cam’s set for her “The Slow Down Tour” will bring these themes into full view. A giant white crane, built like a parade puppet, will be on stage as a spiritual symbol. Its origin? Her sister kept seeing cranes during a difficult period in her life. Then, one showed up unexpectedly in her parents’ driveway on a day of good news. Cam knew it had to become part of the tour.
“This bird is coming with me,” she says. “This is the whole point of art. You turn the darkness into something else, and you make it a symbol of how you can make it through or how you did make it through, or music to hold your hand while you make it through.”
The show design, she says, is just as intentional as every lyric. “I’m hoping to make people cry and then make them dance.”
Looking back, Cam sees this moment as the fulfillment of what her younger self always hoped for. “I think younger me would’ve wanted me to be exactly like this,” she reflects. “I know younger me is just like, yes, look at you having your body and your own experiences and living your life.”
Cam’s “The Slow Down Tour” will visit the Ryman Auditorium this Sunday (Oct. 26).