Savanna Chestnut Gets Personal on New Album “Prairie Fire”

In the last two and a half years, Savanna Chestnut had released two albums that established her as a prominent storyteller and an equally talented vocalist.

However, it is on her third album, Prairie Fire, released at the end of October, where Chestnut wears her heart on her sleeve and offers the most in-depth, personal look into her life yet. Delving into topics like real-life heartbreak, homesickness, and songs written for herself, her newest album is an 11-song journey for anyone wanting to get a deeper look into Chestnut and her artistry.

With well over 100 shows under her belt in 2019, Chestnut is rolling in to 2020 on a high note. Read along as Chestnut gives all the details about Prairie Fire and what makes it so personal to her!

Pro Country: “Prairie Fire” is one of the standout tracks on its album. Why did you decide to name the album after that song?

Savanna Chestnut: All of my albums have themes. The Prairie Fire album as a whole is all about passion and “fire,” both literally and figuratively! It’s much more raw and personal than my previous releases. I knew Prairie Fire was the perfect title track to represent and set the stage for all the other songs on the album.

PC: “Sirens and Streetlights” delves in to the struggles that come with settling in to a new place and being away from home. Can you talk about the inspiration behind that song?

SC: When I was 18, I moved to Nashville to chase my dreams. I knew no one there, nothing about the business, and had never lived on my own before, let alone in a city that was so much bigger than my hometown of about 800 people. As you can imagine, it was rough for a while. I wrote “Sirens and Streetlights” sometime during those first two years when I was feeling pretty homesick.

PC: On your past releases, you have released a good handful of tongue-in-cheek breakup songs, but “Marlboro Man” talks about heartbreak and “Hoping she makes him happy like I wasn’t able to.” Can you talk about that narrative change that is featured on that song?

SC: “Marlboro Man” is by far the most personal relationship song I have ever written. Often when I write songs about breakups, I attempt to make them funny. Usually they are a twist from reality or completely made up. Every line in “Marlboro Man” is 100% true. That’s the whole story, and it reflects my true feelings on the situation.

PC: “Wild Horses and Me” is my favorite song on Prairie Fire. Would you consider that song one of the most, if not the most autobiographical song you have released so far?

SC: “Wild Horses and Me” is definitely one of those songs that I sing more for myself than the crowd. I’m very happy with the sort of old school western prairie sound we were able to give it in the studio. I wouldn’t say it’s more autobiographical than my song “My Hands” from my first album, but it’s right there with it.

PC: What do you hope listeners take away from the Prairie Fire album after listening all the way through?

SC: I hope listeners notice and appreciate how much more I’ve opened up to them on this album. This one is much more personal than the others!

PC: You’ve already been receiving great reviews for Prairie Fire less than a week since its release. What has it meant to you to hear from people who are already enjoying the album?

SC: This album has been in the making for a long time, and to see it finally come together and have people truly appreciate it is amazing because that’s all I’ve ever wanted; to share and speak to people with the songs I’ve written.

PC: Along with promoting Prairie Fire, what are your plans for the rest of 2019 and going in to 2020?

SC: Now that the album is out, we’re back to working on the music video for “Thank God For Good Ol’ Boys,” one of the songs on the album, so stay tuned for that, and be sure to check out my Facebook band page or website: savannachestnutcountry.com for upcoming shows! By the end of this year, I will have played over 115 shows in 2019 alone. I’m just gonna keep trucking along and see where my music takes me!