We are absolutely SWOONING over this new article written by
The Christian Beat! They were able to snag some incredible behind the scenes details from their interview with Britt! Check it out below! :)
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Identified as the “pop artist with a message,” Britt Nicole first debuted in 2007 with her inaugural studio album Say It,
which quickly gained her fans in the faith-based space for her upbeat,
positive music. The title track off her sophomore album The Lost Get Found spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Christian Hot AC chart, soon followed in 2012 by her third studio album, Gold,
which quickly crossed over into the Top 40 pop radio chart and scored
Britt her first Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Christian Album.
The album’s appeal made Britt the most-played female artist on
Christian radio in 2012. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter released
her self-titled album this past fall to widespread critical acclaim.
Now, she is touring the country as a featured performer on the Winter
Jam 2017 Tour Spectacular. We had the opportunity to talk with Britt
backstage at PPG Paints Arena recently, where she offered up some
insight into this newest release.
Congratulations on the release of your self-titled album! It
has garnered great reviews from fans and critics alike. How long was the
record in progress and what does it feel like to finally have the
finished product available for download?
Britt: Right after I put out 'Gold,' I toured that and then got
married and had two kids. So, there was a lot going on. But, through
that whole process I was writing and really never took a break from
work. Most people think I took four years off, but in that time I put
out 'The Remixes' record and did some tours with TobyMac. So throughout
all of that, I was writing, and I wrote a lot of the record in Los
Angeles with some writers and producers there. And then I live in
Nashville, so I did a lot of the record there. My husband actually
produced half the record. So, it feels good to have it out. It was a
long process; all my other records took time, but that one felt like it
was never going to be done. But I love it! I feel like my heart is in
every song and now to be out here performing it and seeing people
respond is really good!
Which track on the album was the first one that you really identified with and made you say, “This has to go on the record”?
Britt:
“Be The Change” was one of those moments when I heard the track and
connected with it. My husband had this track, and we were at a studio in
LA. And so me, and him, and one other girl were writing and listening
through some tracks and seeing what inspired us. We were going through
tracks pretty fast and thinking they were cool, but moving on to the
next one. And then we got to that one. And it has the beginning, which
has an almost tribal sound, and I really thought that one was cool. And
my husband told me that track was actually for another artist. And in
that moment I was like, “No, I love that one!” And so I asked him to go
back and replay it and I immediately got what I call a God moment – the
lyrics and melody just came. Sometimes, it can take a couple hours to
write, and sometimes they can take weeks to finish. And right away I
just sang the whole chorus. “Don’t you know it starts today? It’s not
too late. It begins with you and I; together we can be the change.” It
was just a download from Heaven. So at that moment my husband realized
the connection and said he would tell the other artist that I wanted it.
Were there any songs that were particularly challenging to write or record?
Britt: Well there is a song called “All Day.” It’s about the
struggle of being a mom and working, which was such a battle for me when
I was getting back into touring and doing music. I just never want to
be away from them; I just love being a mom and with them! So that song
was definitely the most challenging. I told everyone to leave the studio
and just let me work on it by myself because I just felt like it was
something that I was walking through. And I really wanted to communicate
my heart and what I felt as I sang those words. And normally you go
back and tweak stuff that doesn’t feel right. But that song, even in the
areas that didn’t feel right, it was from my heart and I just put it
out there. The guy that works on my label tried to change a few things
with me, but we decided it just needed to be exactly what I wrote. So
it’s very real and very raw. So that one was hard to write because I was
really struggling with it, but I’m in a better place now.
Your recently released an awesome music video for “Pave.” Did you have a vision for that video going in?
Britt:
Usually a director comes in with something prepared for the video, and
the artist normally loves the idea, has a few changes, but overall loves
the director’s idea. But that’s normally not my process. Normally I
write it and give it to the director for them to make sure it’s good,
and then we go with it. I’m very, very, hands-on. But “Pave” was
different. I was super busy, so I had a friend who works on videos,
named Chance, and Jeff, who actually dances for me and told them to send
me something that they were excited about. And so they sent me
something and I thought it was cool and decided to do it. And I think I
was able to do that because “Pave” is such a fun song, and not
necessarily a heart song. It’s about adventure, and it has meaning to
me, but it’s not a really deep thing that I’m trying to communicate.
With “The Lost Get Found” and “Gold,” I wanted to say something, and I
wanted to make sure the video was telling that story. But with “Pave” I
felt like this one could just be fun and let them lead on that. So that
was the first one that I really took my hands off and let someone else
lead. But we are actually in the process of working on another music
video that I’m in the process of writing right now. So it will be my
heart and my story. I just feel like music videos are that next step to
communicate what you are really trying to say in the song. You put out
the song and people can think it means different things, and everyone
can feel something different. But then when you watch the video, it
takes it to the next level.
And finally, do you have a favorite song to perform live on Winter Jam tour?
Britt: I would say “Work Of Art” is my favorite. It’s just a
moment in the show where I get to really connect with the fans. I go out
on the catwalk, and I just get to grab the girls’ hands and I feel like
I’m just speaking into their lives, and who they are. I feel like
that’s what I’m called to do, to just remind people of who they are in
Christ.
