Q: ‘Clay’ is beautifully written and filled with emotion. Can you tell us what inspired ‘Clay’ and what it’s about?
BECCA: Thank you so much for saying that! I wrote “Clay” after a particularly tumultuous relationship while sitting alone in my room at the piano. I realized just how deeply this person had affected me and my beliefs and my humor and my entire personality, really. I felt like an entirely different person that was shaped by him. It was a very painful realization that led me to writing this song after feeling molded and manipulated like clay.
Q: You grew up in Sundance, Utah, but always had your heart set on living in Nashville, which you are now (Congratulations!) Can you tell us why Nashville is so special to you?
BECCA: Thank you! I am so happy to be living in Nashville. It’s one of my favorite cities and I’m just lucky to call it home. Growing up in the rural mountains, I always dreamed of living in a big city and playing music and writing songs all the time. That sounded like just a picture perfect life. Nashville called out to me like a siren for many years and I finally answered that call in 2013 and moved here without knowing a soul. I’m thankful for the songwriter community here and my wonderful friends who have just made my life so fulfilling and entertaining. Nashville is truly such a special, sacred place.
Q: Who/What are some of your biggest inspirations?
BECCA: Well Taylor Swift, obviously. Everybody knows I’m like the biggest Swiftie ever. The first time I played live with my guitar was at my middle school talent show and I played “Should’ve Said No” and it was iconic. I also adore Kacey Musgraves. Her writing has had such an incredible impact on the way I approach lyric writing. She’s a massive inspiration to me. I also adore Sara Bareilles. You can probably hear that influence on “Clay” because her songs are so cinematic and her lyrics are perfect poems that are just so rich with imagery and metaphors. I’d say those three artists have probably shaped me the most.
Q: You graduated from Belmont University’s songwriting program in Nashville. Can you tell us what that experience was like for you?
BECCA: It was honestly such an amazing experience. So many of my close friends and collaborators are talented people I met in that program. I owe a huge debt to Belmont for bringing those people into my life. I also owe a lot of student debt but that’s neither here nor there.
Q: You performed as a cruise ship musician in 2019; how cool is that! Can you tell us one of your favorite memories from that journey?
BECCA: Being a musician on a cruise ship was quite literally, a wild ride. I have so many incredible stories from that time in my life. I was chased by a monkey through Mayan ruins, our ship literally crashed into the Panama Canal, I swam to a plane crash off the coast of Mexico, I met incredible country music fans, I met so many people that I hope to travel the world with again one day, and we even sailed through a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico. So everything was crazy and wonderful and overwhelming all the time, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Q: I’ve noticed you’re not only a wonderful singer, songwriter and musician, but you also write poems and have your own blog! Can you tell us what you have in store for the future?
BECCA: That’s so sweet! Thank you so much! I will always be writing new songs, blogs, poems, stories, and maybe even a book one day. But for the near future, I will be putting out one more single in 2021 and have a whole slew of songs set to release in 2022. I hope to keep performing around Nashville. I formed my band in 2021 which was a major accomplishment for me. It’s an all-female band and I love them to death. They’re so talented and I just hope to keep playing music, writing, and recording with the people I love.
Interviewed by Kaitlyn Westerman
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