Brandi Behlen Recalls the Start of Her Music Career on New Single, “Gypsy”

After releasing our favorite EP of the year in 2020, Brandi Behlen didn’t take time to sit back and admire her work, instead, she decided to stay busy and stay creative, which has culminated in the release of her new single, “Gypsy.”

Behlen’s new single follows her debut EP in March of last year, which produced three singles and a combined 70,000 Spotify streams across the six tracks. Because of the time it took to get the EP released and the pandemic that hit almost immediately afterwards, Behlen says she is thankful for the support that she received with the EP.

“Releasing my EP was a long time coming, so to finally get it out there and for it have the success it did meant so much to me,” says Behlen. “I released it literally RIGHT before the pandemic, so I was super nervous to say the least, but it ended up working out well! It’s always nice to see all your hard work pay off.”

“Gypsy” comes after the third and final single from her EP, “Wine in a Coffee Cup.” Striving to release something new for her fans, Behlen says she thought “Gypsy” would be a perfect follow up.

“I really just wanted to start off the new year with a fun, upbeat song that no one has heard yet!” says Behlen. “I could have released something off the EP again, but I really wanted to give listeners something new.”

That fun, upbeat mood is already paying its dividends for Behlen, as she saw “Gypsy” debut at number 60 on the Texas Country Music Chart; her highest debut to date, and has continued to see the song climb the chart.

“I was ECSTATIC,” says Behlen. “It usually takes some time to break into the charts, so to debut at 60 was unreal. Now I just have to keep that momentum to continue moving up on the charts!”

Behlen says “Gypsy,” her first solo-written offering, stems from the moment she told her family she planned to put her education on pause to focus on her music career.

“‘Gypsy’ is actually the first song I’ve ever released that I’ve written solely on my own. I had just finished a semester of college and broke the news to my family that I wanted to take a break from school and really focus on my music. While my family has always been supportive of my music, they weren’t exactly happy that I wanted to take a break from getting an education,” says Behlen. “I ended up writing this song shortly after telling my family, and it’s the fastest song I’ve ever written. I guess I was feeling pretty inspired, because ‘Gypsy’ only took me 30 minutes to write.”

With live performances largely put on hold last year, Behlen says she took the adjustment period in stride and made the best of a bad situation, all the while, looking forward to returning to the stage on a more regular basis.

“The adjustment was very… different. It’s something I’ve never had to go through before! Musicians were thrown a curveball, but we made lemonade out of lemons. Thanks to social media, we are still able to provide live shows. I spent a lot of time doing that,” says Behlen. “Here in Texas, some things have opened back up, so I’m still getting to play here and there, but it has definitely been and adjustment. I can’t wait to get back on the road and promote the album since I didn’t really get a chance to do so last year!”

In 2021, Behlen says she plans to continue taking things in stride.

“Hopefully things get back to normal sooner than later so I can get on the road,” says Behlen. “Until then, I’ll just be promoting all my music the best way I can with the cards I’ve been dealt! Play shows when/where I can, schedule some Facebook Live shows and just keep on keepin’ on!”