Peyton Gilliland

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PEYTON GILLILAND- 17 years old alternative pop singer

Interview conducted on May 11, 2020

Peyton Gilliland is a new R&B Artist that even when she was 14 (now 17) can sing the likes of Amy Winehouse, Etta James, and Adele. Like and Share!

What was your first song you wrote?

The first song I wrote was called “Therapy” and was written with Kristin K. Smith and Skot Bradley. It was my intro to songwriting when I was 14.

Once you got to Nash, you started to work with Hannah Arn. What are some of the things she taught you about writing?

Well the first one we wrote together, (and my second song ever, also written at 14) was called “Hopelessly” and that song actually became a top 3 finalist in the John Lennon International Songwriters Competition. I’d say we had a pretty great start. Hannah has taught me almost everything I know about songwriting and ultimately is responsible for connecting me with my entire team.

How did Lincoln Parish of Cage the Elephant find you?

John Salaway, (who I met through Hannah) introduced me to Lincoln Parish. Everyone knows Lincoln is an amazing guitarist but he is also a fantastic producer and we immediately clicked stylistically. He is very easy to work with and he nails what I am going for every single time.

Tell Me about the making of your video Drag Me Under? Why does the girl have a white dress in the water? Tell me about your songs Placeholder and Frantic.

So, while Craig Wilson of Sony Skyfall, John Salaway and I were writing Drag Me Under, I kept envisioning a girl in a white dress in the river. I have never really been asked to verbalize what it symbolized but for me the white dress kind of symbolizes the innocence of love and maybe even the naive side of the relationship – when all you want is sunshine and rainbows. The girl (Stef Colvin in the music video) is verbally or emotionally dragged under all the time and she tries to bring it to his attention but it falls on deaf ears. When she finally decides that she has had enough and deserves more. The process of washing it away is painful and sometimes dirty -the white dress didn’t look clean after being in the lake, but it is necessary. If you notice at the end of the video, she didn’t drown but reemerges. If it doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger, right?

“Placeholder” is one of my favorites and I’m really looking forward to seeing how it’s received. It’s a Folk Pop tune and is about being in a stale relationship and figuring out that you’re just there because you’re familiar and deciding you are not going to fill that void for someone until something better comes along for them. “If I’m the first step to the next best thing, keep on walking. I’m done filling in the blanks. Drowning in the empty space, you can say it’s forever, but I know I’m your place holder.”

Frantic is a ballad and is about you knowing the person you’re in a relationship with is slipping away and you can’t do a thing about it.

Who would you like to tour with?

So many people. Arctic Monkeys, Cage the Elephant, Alabama Shakes and list goes on.

How do you feel the Covid-19 virus is going to affect the music business in the future?

That is the million-dollar question, isn’t it? It has definitely completely stopped live shows but hopefully that part is just temporary. If there is a vaccine available maybe we can get all the way back to normal but there are some parts of this new normal that feels like it will be sticking around a while.

You are 17 years old and still going school. How has the C-19 virus affected your schooling?

My school has had to transition to all online courses; however, I have been homeschooled before so it doesn’t affect me that much but my cousin and boyfriend are both 2020 graduates. My heart really goes out to them because several life milestones like senior prom and walking for graduation have been either skipped or delayed.

What have you been doing with your self-quarantining?

Fortunately, we live on a farm so I have been riding horses nearly every day.

How many horses do you have?

We have four and two of them are going to have foals in a couple of weeks 🙂

How do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

I see myself in the same home with more horses, dogs and money! My parents are retiring in a different state so eventually I will get the farm and there is no place I would rather be!