We had the pleasure of interviewing Rachel Cousins, and here’s what she had to say:
Q: What is your favorite aspect of being a musician?
RACHEL COUSINS: I love the human connection music brings. Music is an international language, so to be constantly communicating through music, I find a lot of people connecting & it’s what I find most rewarding. To have people reach out & let me know that a song resonated with them, or they left one of my live shows with something to think about, is definitely my favorite part of what I do.
Q: Could you walk us through your songwriting process for “Hell & High Water”?
RACHEL COUSINS: This song was written over Zoom with 2 incredible songwriters. It was written about a year ago, but I always loved the song. My publisher has also always loved this song, so I eventually brought it to my producer, and then it was time to nail down the vibe of the song. It’s a little different than previous releases, but I love releasing new music that sounds different than the last.
Q: In what way (s) would you say your sound has evolved along the way?
RACHEL COUSINS: My sound is constantly changing. I mean between every release, every writing session, etc. I think a lot of it has come from experimenting as I go & allowing myself to write whatever I want & never suppressing a song just because of how it sounds if that makes sense. I started in a folk rock genre and quickly transitioned to pop. I still continue to play acoustic shows & write folky music, I think the less musicians worry about conforming, the more exciting music can be.
Q: Yeah, that’s true! How did you get the idea for this song? What inspired it?
RACHEL COUSINS: This song is written almost like a letter to past lovers. It’s like a plea to leave the history in the past as you’ve moved on to better. Someone putting you & your current love through the worst just because they want what they can’t have anymore.
Q: How has your 2023 been so far and what’s something you’re really looking forward to doing in the second half of the year?
RACHEL COUSINS: I’m really looking forward to getting really into my second full-length album, which will be a this year thing. I can’t wait to start writing new music & releasing new visuals this summer, and thinking about later this year makes me so excited, as I know I’ll be starting a full album & traveling to do so. I can’t wait.
Q: What is one aspect you would personally say is the most stressful about releasing new music?
RACHEL COUSINS: I would just say the nerves about audience perception. Hoping a new song lands with people & that they like what you’re doing. You of course want to stay true to yourself, but you also want to have people love what you’re putting out, so I find that really creates nerves in me before a release.
Interviewed by Zoey King
FOLLOW RACHEL COUSINS:
