2022 was a launching pad year for Caitlin Quisenberry. Eight single releases and an acoustic EP kept her name and music constantly on the eyes and in the ears over her ever-growing fanbase.
To kick off her summer, Quisenberry is back with a brand new single, “Wild West With You,” a song that idealizes a perfect love and finding “home” in a person. Set for release on June 9th, “Wild West With You” serves as the first offering in a “treasure chest” of songs Quisenberry says she’s written.
We chatted with Quisenberry all about “Wild West With You,” as well as her successful 2022, plans for new music and more!
Pro Country: Last year, you stayed very busy with releases to the tune of an acoustic EP and eight single releases, all of which earned hundreds of thousands of streams and many had placements on Spotify curated playlists. How do you look back on 2022 and how busy you were able to stay and the success you had?
Caitlin Quisenberry: The saying “do something today that your future self will thank you for” was my 2022 mantra. It was the springboard I needed to move me into other aspects of the music business. I’m now reaping the rewards from all that work. Just last week, I landed my first sync placement for a song, and yesterday, I just got another one! “Kringle’s Coming To Town,” a song I wrote, recorded and released in December 2022, is going to be in two different movies this coming Christmas! I can’t share the details yet, but I will as soon as I can. My songwriting really started amping up in 2022, and has now become a huge focus and passion for me. I’m also in the process of creating online classes for artists and those in creative fields. These will be part of my new website I’m designing now. It’s a way for me to impart my knowledge and advice, help others with branding and building websites, which all funnels into how to generate income. Releasing so much music last year gave me a minute this year to take a breath and focus on not only being a singer/songwriter, but also on other important aspects of the music business. To stay viable as an artist, it’s imperative to put effort into better understanding this ever-changing business and building a solid foundation.
PC: You were also nominated for New Artist of the Year last year at the Rocky Mountain Country Music Awards. What do nominations like that from within the industry mean to you as an artist?
CQ: Industry nominations mean a lot! They’re not only great accolades to share, but also a good gage that shows me my work is being recognized by those in my field. I was also the only female nominated, which made it even more special. Acknowledgements like these really help solidify my path as an artist.
PC: Your new single, “Wild West With You,” is your first release of 2023, and the longest you have gone without a release in quite some time. As release day approaches, how much are you looking forward to getting music released again, and why was “Wild West With You” the song that you felt best about opening 2023 with?
CQ: In January, I spent a considerable amount of time reflecting on my music, writing, and expanding the direction for myself in the music business. It allowed me to prioritize, organize and launch a strong plan for 2023. “Wild West With You” was always chosen to be released in June, at the beginning of summer, because it’s a song about a summer love that’s wild and free. It takes place on a road trip, specifically on an open road full of adventure and possibilities. I wrote about a love that I’m longing for. One of the directions I’m taking my music in is to mix in my sacred acapella background, giving my tracts a very ethereal sound, and this one has that element. I am counting down the days to my release on June 9th! I wrote this song over a year ago, and I’m so excited to finally be able to share it with all of you.
PC: You wrote “Wild West With You.” Can you take us in your head and in the room and talk about how the song came together?
CQ: This song came out of the Rocky Mountain Music Awards in Colorado. Taylor Macres, the producer for this song, lived in Denver at the time (now lives in Nashville) and was my guitarist for my performance. Aaron Rothe, who is also a writer and producer in Denver, wanted to set up a write with me. So, Taylor orchestrated it. They wanted to write it the day after the awards show, but I had to get back to Nashville. Taylor came to Nashville, so I was in the room with him and we had Aaron on Zoom from Denver. I don’t love Zoom writes (especially for a first write with people), as I think it’s best when you have the energy of everyone in the same room, but with this one, it wasn’t a hinderance; we really gelled! After our write, I sat with it for a few months, tweaking it here and there. I felt like the song was almost there, but it still needed some work. I decided to bring a fourth writer in on the song named Connor Myers to help finish it up. The idea behind the song came from me being a free spirit and yearning for this kind of love. I’m basically describing a fantasy of mine: loving someone so deeply that home is wherever they are. From the lyrics to the melody, I wanted my listeners to go on this journey with me, to not only hear it, but also see it and feel it.
PC: “Wild West With You” was recorded with a live band in Franklin, Tennessee. Why did you and your producer, Taylor Macres, feel that recording the band live was right for this song?
CQ: I was asked by Mark Brandon to be his artist for a project he was doing at Dark Horse Recording Studio. He assembled top studio musicians, all who I’ve worked with on other songs of mine. I recorded six songs in the studio in front of a class full of students learning how to become producers. It was a much slower process than what I’m used to, because a lot of learning was taking place as we were recording, but it was also very eye-opening, and I learned a lot too. Typically, studio time is expensive, so producers are used to moving quickly, but in this environment, time wasn’t a variable, so that bonus gave us full freedom take our time and really create exactly what we wanted. I was able to direct the musicians on the vibe I was wanting, and was more in the driver’s seat than I’ve ever been in before. Singing with live musicians all playing together at the same time is an energy like nothing else. We were all feeding off each other, like you’d do in a live performance, which it kind of was, since we had the audience of the students there. After the sessions, Taylor and I added in some cool pop layers to give it that intimate, yet echoey feel of being out in the wide-open spaces of the wild west.
PC: What do you have planned for the rest of 2023?
CQ: I have some exciting things in the works that I can’t share yet, but look forward to letting you in on soon. In the meantime, I have a treasure chest full of songs I’ve written. I never thought I’d say this, but I enjoy writing as much as singing! The hardest part of having so many songs is choosing which one to record and release next. One of my producers, Ben Simonetti, once gave me advice saying, “Don’t look at these songs like they are your babies, release them out into the world and move on. Don’t hold onto them and worry about them.” I have not taken his advice yet, but I’m working on it!
PC: Is there anything you’d like to add?
CQ: Yes, I’d like to end our interview by telling everyone reading this to go follow you: Pro Country, HERE! Founder, Justin Loretangeli, has been very instrumental in giving me a platform to promote my music on. He has been alongside me since my very first release and continues covering all of my music. Pro Country is where I go to read about other artists, and he makes the funniest country music memes! Believe me, you will enjoy following him! Thank you so much, Justin, for this interview and your continued time and support of me and my music.
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