Lauren Watkins
June 24, 2024
by Mary Andrews
Lauren Watkins has been performing and writing music since she can remember. The native Nashvillian writes and breathes country music. She had a stint at Old Mississippi College, but as soon as she returned to Nashville, the writing was on the wall. Music was going to be her life-long mission. Watkins was signed to a publishing and recording deal shortly upon her return to music city. She has just released her first full length album, The Heartbreak Record. Unrated Magazine was able to have a conversation with Watkins about the record and what she has planned for the future. This is what we learned.
Unrated: You have a new album coming out. Can you tell me about it?
Lauren Watkins: Yes, it just came out on Friday June 23rd..
UR: Great! Tell me about the album. What makes this music different from what you have recorded previously?
LW: It’s called The Heartbroken Record. So, it is a collection of heartbreak songs. That’s self explanatory. I’ve always loved heartbreak songs because there is so much to say about heartbreak and there are so many different ways to have your heart broken. I thought, ‘Why not concept a whole album of heartbreak songs? The thing is, it’s not just a list of sad, crying, slow songs. It’s all different types of songs because that’s what comes from heartbreak. Sometimes, it’s feel good songs that you want to drive around in your car. Sometimes, it is a song you want to cry to in your bedroom. It’s all covered. There are so many different perspectives that come with that topic and, so, I thought, “Why not do a whole album of heartbreak songs?”
Unrated: Do you write all of the songs on the album?
LW: Yes, I am a co-writer on all of them. I write with a lot of different people. I must say my favorites or most of the people I wrote with on this album are my sister Caroline Watkins. We’ve been writing together since I first started writing. Some of my other friends like Lauren Hingay, The Warren Brothers, (Brad and Brett they are awesome and have been kind of mentors to me), my husband, Will Bundy, we’ve written a ton of songs on this album together. There’ a bunch more sprinkled in, but those are kind of my go tos.
UR: Have you ever worked with a lot of other artists on writing their music?
LW: Yes, I love to write. Before I was recording my music, I was writing a ton and some have been recorded. One was a Mackenzie Porter song. I wrote the song not knowing who it would be for. I just wrote it. She ended up loving it. I’ve also worked with Carter Faith a lot. We just write together really well. She’s another artist whom I love. I definetly have written with other artists a little bit.
UR: How long have you been musically inclined?
LW: I have been into music as long as I can remember. I grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. Born and raised actually. My sister and I, started playing music super young, probably as early as we could talk. She picked up a guitar pretty early. We would just sing and play together around the house. And then we started playing for family and family events, barbeques and to anyone who would listen. And then, when we got a little older, we graduated to bar gigs. I’ve been doing music my whole life. The only break I took from it was when I went to college. I was about 15 or 17, I decided I’m either going to stay here and do music seriously or I’m going to college. I kind of thought I was leaving it behind, but once I got to college, I had fun but I knew I had to come back to Nashville and do music.
UR: What dream have you had that you would like to come true?
LW: What dream would I like to come true that hasn’t happened? My biggest goal right now is to play the Opry. I have always idolized that. That’s the biggest thing for me right now. To play the Opry.
UR: You were in Arizona earlier this year performing at Country Thunder. How did you enjoy that?
LW: Yes, I was. Oh my gosh! I loved it. I had not been out West before. This is year is kind of the first time I’ve gotten to explore that. I was just blown away. Seriously, I grew up in the Southeast and that’s the only terrain I’ve been familiar with and I’ve gotten to see. I got to see the desert and I saw beautiful sunsets. It was awesome. I can’t wait to go back. I’m trying to figure out how I can go back.
UR: Did you get to the Grand Canyon while you were here?
LW: We didn’t. We only had a day to explore and so we couldn’t venture very far from the festival. Even the grounds around the festival was so pretty and the weather was so nice. It wasn’t too hot when we were there. It was still cool enough to be bearable. Kind of chilly at night.
UR: Changing the subject, if you had to live a year listening to only three albums, what would they be?
LW: Oh, that’s a great question. I would say definitely Kacey Musgraves’ Pageant Material, Charlie Worsham’s Rubber Band, He’s kind of like a singer/songwriter type of artist). That album of his is one of my all time favorites. The third would be Miranda Lambert’s Revolution.
UR: Who would you like to see perform that you haven’t seen yet?
LW: I’m a huge Sheryl Crow fan and I don’t think I have ever seen her live or her own concert. I’ve seen her do a small set at a festival, but I don’t think I’ve seen her do her own show. I would love to see that.
UR: If you weren’t a musician what would you do for a living?
LW: If I weren’t a musician, I probably would be wishing I was a musician. I’d probably be living at the beach and wishing I was doing music.
UR: Dead or alive, who would you like to meet?
LW: Let me think about that. Honestly, I would like to meet Dolly Parton. I’ve heard the best things from people who have met her and getting to sit down and have sweet conversations with her. I would love that.
UR: Who is your biggest influence?
LW: My biggest influence is probably Kacey Musgraves. I’ve learned so much about songwriting from her. She’s kind of evolved into more of a different genre now. I still love her music. Her old stuff I really grabbed on to when I was younger. There are a lot of albums that come out that you listen to for a phase and you kind of forget about them. I have never stopped listening to her music and albums. I love her music and I don’t think anyone has ever done what she did. I don’t think anyone has ever made music like that. I think that is really cool.
UR: What is the best advice you have ever gotten and from whom?
LW: This is going to sound really simple, but ‘don’t overthink things.’ The best advice I’ve gotten is ‘don’t try so hard.’ Don’t overthink it. I think that it’s really good for an artist to hear because we are designed to overthink and try too hard. If you just be yourself and make music that you love, that will serve you well. That has always been the best for me. Do what I enjoy and good things will come from that. Nicolle Galyon, who runs Songs & Daughters publishing and Big Loud Records, is the first person that believed in me, took me under her wings, and signed me to a record and publishing deal. She has given me a lot of advice and that is one of the best things she has said to me. She said “Give less shit, get more hits.” I just love that because she is very seasoned. She’s been through a lot. She’s been in the music business for a long time. She’s seen a lot of things. That meant a lot coming from her.
UR: Are you going on tour to support the new album?
LW: I’ve been on the road all year. I’ve been getting ready for the songs to come out. I’ve been on tour opening for Morgan Wallen these past few months. We’re just getting into festival season. We’re going to stay on the road and keep playing them. We’ll play a bunch of festivals over the summer and travel all around. After that, we’re going back on the road with Morgan Wallen in Europe. After that I’m hoping to do some headlining shows. We’ll be all over the place.
UR: We have a couple of nice venues in Tucson and I hope to see you here.
LW: That would be awesome. I would love to go back out West.
UR: What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
LW: Well, I’ve been pretty lucky. I’ve liked most jobs I’ve had. Probably the worst job I’ve done is babysitting. I tried babysitting when I was a kid and I was never very good at it. I also didn’t like being a waitress much. I was a waitress for a little while. I didn’t love that but it did make good money.
UR: What is the first thing you or think of when you wake up in the morning?
LW: The first thing I think of is coffee and the first thing I do is drink coffee. I’m a total addict. I know I’m not alone.
UR: What superpower would you like to have?
LW: Invisibility. I would love to be invisible so I could spy on people. I like to know what they are saying when I’m not in the room. I think it would be cool. I might find out some things I don’t want to know.
UR: What music are you listening to in your car right now?
LW: My favorite album this past year is the Chris Stapleton record, Higher. It’s so good. It’s one of those albums you keep listening to. You don’t forget about it.
UR: If you were interviewing yourself, what would you ask?
LW: Laughing, I would probably ask why I write so many heartbreak songs? The answer is that there is a lot to say.
UR: Before we sign off, is there anything else you would like to say about the new album?
LW: I’m just really excited about it. I’m excited because I’ve shown bits and pieces of my music with EPs in the past. I’m so excited to have a full body of work released. It was the next step that made sense to do. It makes me happy for people to be able to hear a ton of more songs from me that shows the many sides of myself that I haven’t shown yet. It’s a really good picture of what sound I love and what I want my music to sound like. I’m just really excited about it.
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