Kylie Trout – You & I

By starrymag | April 8, 2020

By: Ellie Dolan-Yates

 

 

Q) Your new single “You & I” has a sound that appeals to a young generation of listeners whilst keeping a traditional country “twang.” What was the inspiration behind the song? 

 

A) Whenever I write a song, my goal is always to make sure others can relate to it somehow since that’s what drew me to love music. So, my main inspiration behind “You & I” was to create something that makes people feel good when they listen to it. During the writing process I thought about the things I would personally want to do and “You & I” just rolled out! I feel like the younger generation can connect with it because it does describe that young fun love and it also could make others reminisce about a time in their lives that was more carefree. I feel like it just has the power to bring people back to that sweet spot.

 

 

Q) What is your songwriting process like? 

 

A) My songwriting process is always different. I usually write from personal experiences in my life because I feel like that is the best way to make the song more real and relatable with people. Sometimes songs flow out easy and everything just fits and sometimes I get stuck for a while then I’ll be doing something random or it’ll be 2am and I’ll wake up suddenly and figure it out. It can be a journey! [laughs] The process for “You & I” was at first pretty short and easy! My good friend Jason Hamor and I came up with the song and we knew there was something about it that we just loved. So, I took it into the studio in Nashville with Bill McDermott and we were playing it and trying different things, but realized something about the song just seemed too rushed. We ended up cutting the verses basically in half and dragging out the words longer, and the first time I sang it that way we all looked at each other and knew we just did something! Then the next day we recorded it with an amazing band and everything came to life.

 

 

Q) Do you know what you’re going to write about and then put the music to it or does the music come first? 

 

A) Honestly, the process is always different! Sometimes I’ll hear a cool melody in my head and write it down, make a quick voice memo then figure something out on guitar later. I’ve actually written entire songs like that then figured out the music part way after. That’s actually how it was with “You & I!” Other times I’ll pay something on guitar and I’m like dang that would be a cool progression for a song, then I come up with lyrics later. So, yeah, it’s always different!

 

 

Q) “You & I” was recently played on Radio Disney Country. How important is it to bring in a new generation of listeners to Country Music? 

 

A) To me, it’s so important to bring in a new generation of country music listeners. I grew up listening to all the legends and now it’s my generations time to try to fill their shoes and keep their legacies going. I think it’s so important to spread the love of country music because it tells stories and holds a sense of community more than anything else in my opinion. Country is in my blood and my generation is the future of it, and that’s a really cool thing to think about.

 

 

Q) Your new single has had over 100,000 streams on Spotify. What is it like knowing that your music reaches that many people?

 

A) Seeing how many people my music reaches and how many lives it has touched is a feeling I’ll never be able to describe. It’s just insane to me and keeps me so grateful. I make music because I love it and the fact that so many others love it too is the best feeling in the world.

 

 

Q) Who were some of your musical influences when you were growing up?

 

A) Some of my musical influences growing up were definitely Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler. Carrie is just the queen and I’ve looked up to everything about her forever. My grandma always tells me stories about how when I was little that I would belt “Jesus Take the Wheel” at the top of my lungs. I really wanted to be just like her! She was the biggest influence for me wanting to sing. Kellie Pickler was also somebody I really looked up to growing up. She has a song called “I Wonder” about her mom and that song used to make me cry because I relate with it so much since my biological mother hasn’t been in my life since I was four years old. This is what drew me to songwriting at a young age. I was that four-year old with an old soul that connected with every song and wanted to make a difference with my own experiences and it’s humbling now that I actually get to do that and share it with the world.

 

 

Q) You will be opening for Marshall Tucker Band on 25th July at The Canyon. What can fans expect from a live Kylie Trout performance?

 

A) Yes, I’m so excited for this show! Fans can expect lots of energy, laughs and passion from a live show. I always give it my all and try to make connections with the crowd.

 

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform?

 

A) Honestly, I don’t really have a favorite place I love to perform because for me it’s all about the crowd. If there’s people there that love country music as much as I do, then that’s my favorite place for the night.

 

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) This is such a hard question! There are so many insanely talented artists out there I’d love to collaborate with, but I usually always go with either Florida Georgia Line, Morgan Wallen or Devin Dawson. I love them all and I feel like they’d be so much fun to work with while bringing something unique to the table.

 

 

Q) Will there be an EP or full album coming in the near future?

 

A) As of right now I have been dropping singles every few months so that every song gets its own time to shine, but sooner or later I would love to put out an EP and in time for sure a whole album!

 

 

Q) What advice would you give to aspiring country musicians? 

 

A) The best advice I can give to aspiring musicians is honestly persistence. Being successful takes so much more hard work and dedication than a lot of people realize. Also, in the midst of that, it’s finding a balance of doing so in order to make sure you are still happy and doing what you love. Sure, music is a job, but it’s also a passion. You have to make sure you never lose that passion or else you’re doing it for the wrong reasons.

 

 

Q) What would you like to say to your fans and those who have supported you with your music so far? 

 

A) To all the fans and supporters, you make my dream a reality. I’ll never stop striving to make y’all proud. Thank you so much for everything, I’m forever grateful!