The hardest part about the end of a relationship are the memories that come flooding back any time you pass an old hangout spot and your mind immediately transports itself to times when the flame was still burning bright. Sometimes, the only solace is knowing that someone has been there before, and with her newest single, “He Never Does,” Deidre Thornell paints that picture.
The beach-tinged single comes quipped with a chorus tailor made for windows-down driving as she expertly sets the scenes of memories with an old beau.
We chatted with Thornell all about “He Never Does,” the success of her last single, “Black Widow,” hitting the road and more!
Pro Country: Your last single, “Black Widow,” has quickly become your most-streamed song on Spotify. What has it been like for you to tangibly see the support the song has received since it was released, and what do you think it is about the song that has struck a chord with listeners?
Deidre Thornell: Seeing the life of this song sprout wings and soar has been an amazing experience. “Black Widow” has always resonated with people, especially live, because of the energetic, driving, upbeat, confident lyric. When I perform it live, especially with a band, it’s always a showstopper and one of the more attention-grabbing songs of my set. People have always loved the story behind the song!
PC: Why did you feel that your new single, “He Never Does,” was the right follow up to “Black Widow”?
DT: “He Never Does” was chosen between Sal Oliveri and I when talking about recording another song. I’ve always loved this song, and it was one we both had on our list mutually. He really brought it to life, and it was perfect to release for summer because of the beachy, ocean, wave-y vibes.
PC: “He Never Does” paints a picture of processing the end of a relationship. Can you take is in the room and talk about how the song came together?
DT: We all met at my tiny apartment in West Nashville. It was a beautiful day out, and I was lucky to be in the room with two amazing women when this song was born: Aly Jordan and Emma Lynn White. Emma brought the idea to the table, and I don’t think Aly or I flinched at moving on to another idea, so we rolled with Emma’s “He Never Does” thought, and here it is! Toward the end of the session, we didn’t have a bridge at that time, and we all agreed to get back together to finish it “down the road” since we were all on a time crunch that afternoon. Life gets busy, time goes by, more songs were written, and it was left unfinished for about a year until Aly had a gig in North Carolina and wanted to perform it out for the first time. She sent us a voice memo with the bridge fully written. We all gave it a thumbs up, with no changes, and just like that, the song was born!
PC: To coincide with the release of “He Never Does,” you’re releasing a music video for the song. How much did you enjoy filming the video and being able to present the story that way?
DT: IT IS INSANE how this video came about, but everyone involved had the best time. Steve Kinney produced this video, as well as “Black Widow.” He chose the location and had the vision. I met Grant Brown literally ONE DAY before the shoot as I was flipping through Instagram during CMA Fest trying to find “a hot guy” for the video (THANK YOU GRANT!). I’ve known Caroline Wilder since middle school. She just moved to Nashville about a year ago, and we reconnected. I knew she was perfect to play the part for the storyline. You can also spot her walking with Todd Lanter in my “Black Widow” video if you look closely (THANK YOU CAROLINE!). They played the pretend couple so believably well. The baby blue ’76 Bronco was driven out to the location by a friend. Very grateful he trusted me thought this process and was so relieved and ecstatic he let me use it. I promised him when I had my debut at The Opry, I would give him a ticket to the performance as a thank you for the Bronco move. I can’t let him down! The video brings such dimension to the lyrics and music. I’m in love with it.
PC: The last time we talked, you mentioned that 2023 was going to be a big year for you. With “He Never Does” released, what do you have planned for the rest of the year?
DT: I have another two songs to be released this year, with videos to follow. I’m also excited to announce I have shows booked in Texas, Alabama, Florida and Virginia! I’m working on Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky right now. I’m feeling pretty good about this year, but it doesn’t come without the rollercoaster ride, am I right? For more info on shows you can visit deidrethornell.com. I’m also looking at booking some shows along the East coast next year, even in New Jersey in 2024! Watch out, Justin, I’m coming to your neck of the woods!
Pro Country 
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