There’s some songs that you can just tell are going to be great by their opening line. Caitlin Quisenberry’s “The Drill” is one of them. Setting the scene with “From the second you said you had something to say, I knew it wasn’t gonna be ‘you look pretty today.'” As lovers of sad songs, we were hooked, and Quisenberry kept us hooked for all three and a half minutes.
“The Drill” takes listeners through a relationship that’s about to end and knowing what follows distance and lack of communication, and the aftermath that follows the breakup. It’s an all-too-familiar story for anyone who’s experienced a heartbreak, and Quisenberry delivers the song with a big emotional punch.
We caught up with Quisenberry to talk all about “The Drill,” as well as new music, additional creative ventures and more!
Pro Country: Your newest single, “The Drill,” follows your cover of “I Always Wanted To.” Why did you choose to have “The Drill” follow and serve as your first original release of 2022?
Caitlin Quisenberry: When I began releasing my second round of singles, I arranged all of them to when I thought each would have the best shot at garnering attention. I strategically placed “The Drill” to come out now because I hoped that my other singles would build momentum, meaning raise my monthly listeners, get Spotify playlisting attention, and good PR, because I believed “The Drill” was one of my strongest.
PC: “The Drill” was written by Caroline Watkins and Kat Higgins. Can you talk about how you heard the song and what drew you to cut it?
CQ: My producer, Sal Oliveri, pitched the song to me. I immediately connected with the relatability and loved the lyrics. The melody really pulled me in; like I felt it in my heart. I knew the song also had the ability to really showcase my voice, which is always a plus. Before recording a song, I go through a mental checklist, and this one exceeded my list of what I was looking for. After Sal laid out how he envisioned doing the production and showcasing my vocals, I was sold!
PC: “The Drill” has already landed on Spotify’s “New Music Nashville” and “Next From Nashville” curated playlists. How encouraging is it for you to have the song added to such major playlists in its release week?
CQ: It’s very encouraging! It’s one of the biggest gauges for my music and the best way to grab the attention of a large number of listeners. I was also recently added onto Spotify’s Young Nashville playlist, which is my first time on that one! I pray there is more to come!
PC: You recently shared several of the positive responses you’ve already gotten from “The Drill” on social media. What has getting such a positive response out of the gate meant to you?
CQ: It means the world to me! I’m humbled and honored that people listen to my song, then take the extra step and their time to message me to tell me how much they liked it, what they enjoyed about it, how it touched them, and how they related to it. I have a little bit of anxiety before releasing a song, so hearing kind words once it’s out is so uplifting.
PC: As you have with your past releases, you’ve released themed merchandise for “The Drill” on your website. How much do you enjoy creating unique merch for each single release and the response you receive from it from fans?
CQ: I have a fan who made it his goal to buy 50 merch items from me before the end of this year, and with “The Drill,” he already has 40! So that’s a response I love to see!
Creating new merch for each song is one of my favorite parts of dropping new music. I had a little stint after graduating college when I thought I wanted to be a clothing designer. I bought an industrial sewing machine, took sewing and draping lessons and started putting together my portfolio to apply to RISDI, one of the top design schools. I even flew back east for a tour of the school, so I was pretty serious about it.
Being a country artist has allowed me to take my passions of clothing design and painting and use them to make my artistly more unique and authentic to who I am.
PC: What do you have planned for the rest of 2022?
CQ: I will be releasing a lot of new music and I’ll continue writing with incredible writers several times a week. I’m really building a great treasure chest of songs! I’m back recording in the studio in May, and I have a new venture I’m starting that I’m excited to share. A couple months ago, I was contacted by Daisie, an online educational site where creatives go to learn. They liked my socials and had been following what I’ve been doing, and asked if I would be one of their instructors. My first class is May 26th, and I’m teaching it on “The Multidimensional You” Have your cake and eat it too! I will be discussing how to broaden your audience through uncovering the multidimensional you. Each participant will create their own “wheel of life” and receive tips on how to incorporate more of these facets into their social media. By doing this, they will minimize the feeling of competition in their industry.
I’m really excited about this opportunity to share my knowledge in the creative fields I’m passionate about and pursuing.
PC: Is there anything you’d like to add?
CQ: I want to thank you, Justin, and Pro Country Music for always believing in me, supporting me, interviewing me, and being interested in me and my music. You have truly helped my career by getting my name and music out to a wider audience. I am grateful for you, and your work is truly impactful!
*”The Drill” is featured on The Best of Pro Country playlist!*
Pro Country 
Leave a Reply