British singer-songwriter Twinnie made waves among pop-country fans when she released her 2016 self-titled EP, an independent project that would see viral success and eventually lead to a record deal with BMG. On March 1st, Twinnie, who also has credits as a film and stage actress, released a new EP, Better When Im Drunk. The three-song collection features co-writes from Nashville luminaries like Lucie Silvas and Jeremy Spillman, and showcases the intersection of Twinnies pop and country sensibilities, particularly on its woozy title track.
We caught up with Twinnie during this years C2C: Country to Country festival to chat about her new EP, her forthcoming (as yet unannounced) debut album, and her single Better When Im Drunk, whose live performance video is premiering on Rolling Stone Country.
Can you share a little about what inspired Better When Im Drunk and what that song means to you?
I basically just wanted to show some humor. I tend to be a quite truthful writer. I write songs that are authentic to me, and are relatable. I want to say things that people think but dont necessarily say. So for me, Better When Im Drunk shows the difference between what people think on a night out as opposed to the morning after. The song was all about showing the humor and the truth in that. And its not just about regretting a bad decision youve made. I think its also about how I felt about myself; you know, after one glass of wine, you feel a lot more confident I felt quite empowered as a woman, singing about that kind of subject.
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You just released your self-titled EP last week. How has it been for you to see new listeners connecting with those songs?
Its been quite overwhelming. I didnt expect anything, really. I thought the few people who followed me would enjoy it and was just happy to take what came. But the response has been unbelievable. Ive been going to Nashville now for eight years and the song community has embraced my song, and it went to number one on the iTunes Country chart. For me, they were the songs I wanted to put out first, because I thought it was a good introduction to my debut album As a songwriter and an artist, if one person likes it, Im like, Oh, Ive done a good job. But this journey to get music out has been such a long one, and Ive just been blown away.
Youve gotten to play and write with some fantastic writers and musicians here in Nashville. How have those experiences shaped you as an artist?
Co-writing was very new to me nine years ago. Id only written by myself and it was quite intimidating. I never research people not out of ignorance, but because its quite intimidating and I always try to meet people on first impressions. I can remember meeting Barry Dean for the first time, whos had endless hits, and he was just so lovely. I try not to scare myself with peoples bios because then I feel pressure to perform. What I love about Nashville is that everybody is so supportive and they want you to win. That attitude is crossing over to the U.K., and now Germany, too. I have some friends in Nashville, too, people like Lucie Silvas, and Jon Green and Jeremy Spillman. Theyre really respected so I had a bit of a helping hand getting in with some really amazing people when I first came. Theyve become like my family over there.
What can we expect from your full-length debut album?
Theres a song Im really excited about called Daddy Issues. That one kind of is what it is; it says what it means. Ive been playing that one in my live shows. I have a song called Bad Bitch and another called Cupid. The people I look up to, especially women, theyre all very strong and independent. For me, I really try to write my own truth, because I feel that if I do that and I can relate to it then hopefully other people can. In Berlin, when I played Daddy Issues, so many women and men came up to me and said, That Daddy Issues song was my life before I got married. Music is a universal language that we all speak.