Latest news with #Satisfied
San Francisco Chronicle
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Renée Elise Goldsberry talks new album, whether 'Hamilton' return is an option and EGOT aspirations
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Renée Elise Goldsberry is most inspired by artists bold enough to take a career leap, even when there's no guarantee of a safe landing. Over the years, Goldsberry spent her celebrated career surrounded by fearless risk-takers. Now, the Tony and Grammy winner, best known for her breakout role in the Broadway musical 'Hamilton,' is taking a bold move of her own. She's stepping into the spotlight as a solo artist: Her debut album, 'Who I Really Am,' was released Friday. 'I'm surrounded by friends that do really crazy, brave, 'I could fail miserably' things,' said Goldsberry, whose role as Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton won her a Tony in 2016 for best featured actress in a musical. In that same year, she earned a Grammy for best musical theater album. 'They jump off cliffs, they start to fly, we get to see it and it's so inspiring that you put out an album,' she said. Goldsberry has made her presence felt in other Broadway projects including 'Rent' and 'The Color Purple.' She's had standout work on 'Girls5Eva' and 'The Good Wife ' and was on the daytime soap 'One Life to Live.' With 'Who I Really Am,' Goldsberry is carving her own musical path. The album is a 13-track project filled with soul, funk, blues and gospel vibes featuring a reimagined version of her iconic 'Hamilton' song 'Satisfied,' which was originally penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda. In a recent interview, Goldsberry talks to The Associated Press about finding her identity through the album, whether returning to 'Hamilton' is an option and aspirations for an EGOT, a term for the rare person who's won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award during their career. ___ AP: You wrote 11 songs on the album. While creating this project, what did you discover more about yourself? GOLDSBERRY: I need to give myself license to be more than one thing. I think that's always been the case with recorded music for me. I've been writing since I was a kid. The challenge for me has always been feeling like you have to be extremely specific about a box when you're a recording artist. It has to all sound like one mood, one vibe. I had to give myself permission to not try to fit into a box that exists, or even a box that's specific. I gave myself license to express myself in all the ways it naturally comes out. AP: You started the album process in 2020. What was your initial thoughts on re-recording 'Satisfied'? GOLDSBERRY: Somebody said to me 'You could probably get a record deal and do an album if you re-record 'Satisfied.'' I said 'Absolutely no.' I'm absolutely not doing that. It already exists. It's perfect. The show is perfect. AP: What shifted your thinking? GOLDSBERRY: In the process of recording all the music, we rented a studio in Nashville. It's where Dolly Parton recorded 'Jolene.' It felt like all this history was there. We had all these great musicians there. We booked the studio for a week or two and we finished early, and they were going to let everybody go home. And I was like 'We might as well record this version of 'Satisfied' that I do in my concert, because we're sitting here.' And these cats are amazing. We started playing. They started playing, and our minds exploded. The control booth. Our brains exploded. It was so good. Then I started singing it. I said to us 'This belongs.' AP: Your 'Girls5Eva' co-star Sara Bareilles wrote the song 'Smiling.' How was it reuniting with her? GOLDSBERRY: I think she is one of the greatest singer-songwriters that has ever existed and might ever exist. I had the privilege of being in a concert with her. I opened for her at the Hollywood Bowl a couple of months ago. She was doing something new. I love artists and I'm one of them in this moment. But I love artists that do new things that might not work, bravely. She had orchestrated all of her music. She had a huge symphony orchestrated show. All the music that she had written. AP: What happened next? GOLDSBERRY: We got to see her jump off a cliff for the first time. It was one of the greatest things I ever saw in my life. I could start crying right now. It was so great. It's so brave. I'm surrounded by people like that, and it's so inspiring. They're all doing crazy things. All of them. Leslie Odom Jr. decided to go back to 'Hamilton.' Like that's insane. GOLDSBERRY: That's what Leslie taught us: Never say never. AP: You're halfway to EGOT status. Is that something you feel like it's achievable? GOLDSBERRY: I'm not going to lie, I've thought of different ways I could slip in the back door, you know what I mean? Like I have a documentary called 'Satisfied' (which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year) about the journey in my life when I was part of the original company of 'Hamilton' and also trying to raise my young family. We were like, 'What original song can we put in this movie to contend for slipping in the Oscar category. ... It's possible. But I'm less interested in the results of a journey than the journey itself.
Hamilton Spectator
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Renée Elise Goldsberry talks new album, whether ‘Hamilton' return is an option and EGOT aspirations
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Renée Elise Goldsberry is most inspired by artists bold enough to take a career leap, even when there's no guarantee of a safe landing. Over the years, Goldsberry spent her celebrated career surrounded by fearless risk-takers. Now, the Tony and Grammy winner, best known for her breakout role in the Broadway musical 'Hamilton,' is taking a bold move of her own. She's stepping into the spotlight as a solo artist: Her debut album, 'Who I Really Am,' was released Friday. 'I'm surrounded by friends that do really crazy, brave, 'I could fail miserably' things,' said Goldsberry, whose role as Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton won her a Tony in 2016 for best featured actress in a musical. In that same year, she earned a Grammy for best musical theater album. 'They jump off cliffs, they start to fly, we get to see it and it's so inspiring that you put out an album,' she said. Goldsberry has made her presence felt in other Broadway projects including 'Rent' and 'The Color Purple.' She's had standout work on 'Girls5Eva' and 'The Good Wife ' and was on the daytime soap 'One Life to Live.' With 'Who I Really Am,' Goldsberry is carving her own musical path. The album is a 13-track project filled with soul, funk, blues and gospel vibes featuring a reimagined version of her iconic 'Hamilton' song 'Satisfied,' which was originally penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda . In a recent interview, Goldsberry talks to The Associated Press about finding her identity through the album, whether returning to 'Hamilton' is an option and aspirations for an EGOT, a term for the rare person who's won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award during their career. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. ___ AP: You wrote 11 songs on the album. While creating this project, what did you discover more about yourself? GOLDSBERRY: I need to give myself license to be more than one thing. I think that's always been the case with recorded music for me. I've been writing since I was a kid. The challenge for me has always been feeling like you have to be extremely specific about a box when you're a recording artist. It has to all sound like one mood, one vibe. I had to give myself permission to not try to fit into a box that exists, or even a box that's specific. I gave myself license to express myself in all the ways it naturally comes out. AP: You started the album process in 2020. What was your initial thoughts on re-recording 'Satisfied'? GOLDSBERRY: Somebody said to me 'You could probably get a record deal and do an album if you re-record 'Satisfied.'' I said 'Absolutely no.' I'm absolutely not doing that. It already exists. It's perfect. The show is perfect. AP: What shifted your thinking? GOLDSBERRY: In the process of recording all the music, we rented a studio in Nashville. It's where Dolly Parton recorded 'Jolene.' It felt like all this history was there. We had all these great musicians there. We booked the studio for a week or two and we finished early, and they were going to let everybody go home. And I was like 'We might as well record this version of 'Satisfied' that I do in my concert, because we're sitting here.' And these cats are amazing. We started playing. They started playing, and our minds exploded. The control booth. Our brains exploded. It was so good. Then I started singing it. I said to us 'This belongs.' AP: Your 'Girls5Eva' co-star Sara Bareilles wrote the song 'Smiling.' How was it reuniting with her? GOLDSBERRY: I think she is one of the greatest singer-songwriters that has ever existed and might ever exist. I had the privilege of being in a concert with her. I opened for her at the Hollywood Bowl a couple of months ago. She was doing something new. I love artists and I'm one of them in this moment. But I love artists that do new things that might not work, bravely. She had orchestrated all of her music. She had a huge symphony orchestrated show. All the music that she had written. AP: What happened next? GOLDSBERRY: We got to see her jump off a cliff for the first time. It was one of the greatest things I ever saw in my life. I could start crying right now. It was so great. It's so brave. I'm surrounded by people like that, and it's so inspiring. They're all doing crazy things. All of them. Leslie Odom Jr. decided to go back to 'Hamilton.' Like that's insane. AP: Would you ever return to 'Hamilton'? GOLDSBERRY: That's what Leslie taught us: Never say never. AP: You're halfway to EGOT status. Is that something you feel like it's achievable? GOLDSBERRY: I'm not going to lie, I've thought of different ways I could slip in the back door, you know what I mean? Like I have a documentary called 'Satisfied' (which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year) about the journey in my life when I was part of the original company of 'Hamilton' and also trying to raise my young family. We were like, 'What original song can we put in this movie to contend for slipping in the Oscar category. ... It's possible. But I'm less interested in the results of a journey than the journey itself.
Winnipeg Free Press
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Renée Elise Goldsberry talks new album, whether ‘Hamilton' return is an option and EGOT aspirations
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Renée Elise Goldsberry is most inspired by artists bold enough to take a career leap, even when there's no guarantee of a safe landing. Over the years, Goldsberry spent her celebrated career surrounded by fearless risk-takers. Now, the Tony and Grammy winner, best known for her breakout role in the Broadway musical 'Hamilton,' is taking a bold move of her own. She's stepping into the spotlight as a solo artist: Her debut album, 'Who I Really Am,' was released Friday. 'I'm surrounded by friends that do really crazy, brave, 'I could fail miserably' things,' said Goldsberry, whose role as Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton won her a Tony in 2016 for best featured actress in a musical. In that same year, she earned a Grammy for best musical theater album. 'They jump off cliffs, they start to fly, we get to see it and it's so inspiring that you put out an album,' she said. Goldsberry has made her presence felt in other Broadway projects including 'Rent' and 'The Color Purple.' She's had standout work on 'Girls5Eva' and 'The Good Wife ' and was on the daytime soap 'One Life to Live.' With 'Who I Really Am,' Goldsberry is carving her own musical path. The album is a 13-track project filled with soul, funk, blues and gospel vibes featuring a reimagined version of her iconic 'Hamilton' song 'Satisfied,' which was originally penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda. In a recent interview, Goldsberry talks to The Associated Press about finding her identity through the album, whether returning to 'Hamilton' is an option and aspirations for an EGOT, a term for the rare person who's won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award during their career. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. ___ AP: You wrote 11 songs on the album. While creating this project, what did you discover more about yourself? GOLDSBERRY: I need to give myself license to be more than one thing. I think that's always been the case with recorded music for me. I've been writing since I was a kid. The challenge for me has always been feeling like you have to be extremely specific about a box when you're a recording artist. It has to all sound like one mood, one vibe. I had to give myself permission to not try to fit into a box that exists, or even a box that's specific. I gave myself license to express myself in all the ways it naturally comes out. AP: You started the album process in 2020. What was your initial thoughts on re-recording 'Satisfied'? GOLDSBERRY: Somebody said to me 'You could probably get a record deal and do an album if you re-record 'Satisfied.'' I said 'Absolutely no.' I'm absolutely not doing that. It already exists. It's perfect. The show is perfect. AP: What shifted your thinking? GOLDSBERRY: In the process of recording all the music, we rented a studio in Nashville. It's where Dolly Parton recorded 'Jolene.' It felt like all this history was there. We had all these great musicians there. We booked the studio for a week or two and we finished early, and they were going to let everybody go home. And I was like 'We might as well record this version of 'Satisfied' that I do in my concert, because we're sitting here.' And these cats are amazing. We started playing. They started playing, and our minds exploded. The control booth. Our brains exploded. It was so good. Then I started singing it. I said to us 'This belongs.' AP: Your 'Girls5Eva' co-star Sara Bareilles wrote the song 'Smiling.' How was it reuniting with her? GOLDSBERRY: I think she is one of the greatest singer-songwriters that has ever existed and might ever exist. I had the privilege of being in a concert with her. I opened for her at the Hollywood Bowl a couple of months ago. She was doing something new. I love artists and I'm one of them in this moment. But I love artists that do new things that might not work, bravely. She had orchestrated all of her music. She had a huge symphony orchestrated show. All the music that she had written. AP: What happened next? Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. GOLDSBERRY: We got to see her jump off a cliff for the first time. It was one of the greatest things I ever saw in my life. I could start crying right now. It was so great. It's so brave. I'm surrounded by people like that, and it's so inspiring. They're all doing crazy things. All of them. Leslie Odom Jr. decided to go back to 'Hamilton.' Like that's insane. AP: Would you ever return to 'Hamilton'? GOLDSBERRY: That's what Leslie taught us: Never say never. AP: You're halfway to EGOT status. Is that something you feel like it's achievable? GOLDSBERRY: I'm not going to lie, I've thought of different ways I could slip in the back door, you know what I mean? Like I have a documentary called 'Satisfied' (which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year) about the journey in my life when I was part of the original company of 'Hamilton' and also trying to raise my young family. We were like, 'What original song can we put in this movie to contend for slipping in the Oscar category. … It's possible. But I'm less interested in the results of a journey than the journey itself.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Renée Elise Goldsberry Is Ready to Share Her Debut Album — and Her Recurring ‘Hamilton' Nightmares
In 2013, Renée Elise Goldsberry had everything she wanted. She was finally a mother with two young children and a successful theater and television career. She was content. Then she got a call to audition for Lin-Manuel Miranda's new project. At first, she said no. The project, it turned out, was Hamilton. 'I'm not an idiot. I was a huge fan of Lin-Manuel Miranda from In the Heights. I knew the genius. I just didn't think that they would cast me for the show,' Goldsberry tells Rolling Stone. Eventually, after turning down the show several times, she capitulated and accepted the role of the fiery Angelica Schuyler. With her as one of its stars, Hamilton would go on to be the most sought-after theater ticket in town, launching the ultimate rap battle-history lesson straight into the cultural zeitgeist. More from Rolling Stone Original 'Hamilton' Cast Will Reunite for 10th Anniversary at 2025 Tony Awards Leslie Odom Jr. Returning to 'Hamilton' on Broadway for Show's 10-Year Anniversary Amy Winehouse, Elton John, and 'Hamilton' Added to Library of Congress' National Recording Registry '[Casting director] Bernie Telsey was really excited: 'Renée Goldsberry's coming in to audition!' It was this feeling of, 'We found her,' Miranda remembers. Goldsberry's co-star Leslie Odom Jr., who played Aaron Burr and will be returning to Hamilton this fall, adds, 'The truly great performers, their art is about how much they're willing to reveal. I just would trust her with anything. I feel that way about her on stage. It doesn't stop once we take our bows.' After portraying Angelica for three years (including a 13-month Broadway run and later a Disney+ adaptation), Goldsberry had been keeping busy performing solo concerts and landing roles on television shows like She-Hulk and Girls5Eva. Now, Goldsberry has embarked on a completely new adventure: She's releasing her first solo album, Who I Really Am on June 6, packing the project with 13 tracks that runs the gamut from love to heartbreak and everything in between. 'I've been writing music for a long time. I dreamt of being in Lilith Fair many decades ago,' she says. 'One of the greatest ways to be a storyteller is to be a singer-songwriter. ' 'She's such a chameleon, her voice can do a million things,' her longtime friend and Girls5Eva co-star Sara Bareilles explains. 'To this day, I can't listen to 'Satisfied' without it bringing tears to my eyes. There's so much truth. That's what makes Renée a great artist.'A version of 'Satisfied' actually makes its way onto the new project, with Goldsberry singing all the parts herself. 'Satisfied' is a famously tricky song,' Miranda says. 'Some people make a meal out of how fast they're rapping. Renée does the opposite. She thinks that fast. She's insane. It's a song at the speed of her brain, which is why she's Angelica.' In an interview with Rolling Stone, Goldsberry shares more of the stories behind Who I Really Am and explains why she waited until now to release the project now. She also looks back at Hamilton as it hits its 10th anniversary, describes how the musical haunts her to this day, and reveals whether she would ever return to the show. Why was this the right time for your debut album?I've had some wonderful success in the theater and in television, which crossed into the world of pop and R&B music, genre-defying, age-defying pop-rap. In Covid, everyone was home, Hamilton had a big movie premiere. I have this blessing of a platform. There are a group of people that care about what I sing. It was the right time to do what I love very much, for people that have shown me so much love. How did you come up with the title ?I was visiting my father in church in Michigan. The pastor got up to introduce a special guest they had there. I turned around like, 'Who? I wonder who it is,' as he was reading my entire biography. He said my name, I was shocked. How did I not recognize myself? I realized it's because it had excluded every challenge I'd been through. I had had a couple of really emotionally painful miscarriages that were quite public, and somehow, this introduction of me, just excluded that, because that's what you do. I thought, 'Wow, what a disservice we do to each other when we reduce our identity to shows and awards.' This song is two sides of the coin. If you flip the coin, that's where the loss is, where the mistakes are, where the pain is. And it became the name of the album. Do you remember when you first wrote your very first song?I was in high school, fell in love with a beautiful boy. He graduated, went to Dartmouth, and left me for my senior year. I walked around the campus of Cranbrook in Michigan so sad, so heartbroken, so abandoned, left with all of these 17-year-old emotions. The song is called, brace yourself, 'Left Alone.' I hope you do a 2026 remake of 'Left Alone.'There's a song called 'Love Returned,' about my most soap opera, dramatic, ridiculously kind of crazy running through the rain, heartbreak, night in college. Yes, I'm every cliché. Is there a special backstory to any of the songs?'Twinkle' is written for my daughter. I have songs that require the support of powerful women, the power of sisterhood. It's every nursery rhyme, but reclaimed specifically for my Black daughter. I wrote 'You Can Do Anything,' for my son, especially the line, 'If you knew that you would win, how would you play?' Without the idea that you might lose, you'll do it differently. Were there any other album titles you considered?'Friendly fire,' is in the song 'I Met Someone.' It's about breaking someone's heart. I had to tell the person I was seeing, 'I met someone.' I met my husband. Finding the strength to say those three words and being the villain in the story. Sometimes it's the best thing you can be in someone's life, because it frees them to have a person that actually loves them in the way they deserve. Is this album your villain origin story?Possible! After I wrote that song with Paul Duncan, Sara Bareilles, my very good friend slash 'Grammy Award-winning superstar.' She actually might be the best singer/songwriter ever. I told her, 'I'm doing my own album.' She said, 'Oh, I have a song, I think you'd sing it great,' and she just gave it to me. 'Don't Want to Love You,' is the perspective of the person who was hurt. I was a stalker fan first. I first met her backstage at Hamilton. When I got the offer to be in Tina Fey and Meredith Scardino's Girls5Eva, Sara was the only person attached. I thought, 'Ooh, if I do the show, I'll be friends with Sara Bareilles.' Who were some of your musical inspirations for this album?My favorite voice in the whole wide world: Sarah Vaughan. She never wanted to be called a jazz singer. She considered herself just a singer, which also fits very well for me. It's a challenge for me to find one genre that defines me. As a theater singer, we sing everything. I'm in love with the sound of Luther Vandross and James Taylor's voices. Anita Baker, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Eva Cassidy, and Joni Mitchell. Joni! Both Sides Now! 's about to hit 10 years. Let's go back in time. We had dinner after your audition and you said, 'I don't know, I think this could be big. The music is so good.' Turns out, you were right.I turned the audition down several times. It was for the workshop. I'm not an idiot. I was a huge fan of Lin-Manuel Miranda from In the Heights. I knew the genius. I just didn't think that they would cast me for the show. I didn't see myself as a Nicki Minaj type. I didn't recognize myself that way. And most importantly, I had just brought my daughter home. My son was here. My family was complete, and it was hard to get. Then, I got this email, 'Would you come audition for this Hamilton mixtape?' I thought, 'They're never gonna give me that job.' So, no. How many times did you turn it down?Two or three times. The producers said, 'We love her. We just need to know if she can rap. Can she just listen to the song?' I listened. I thought, 'Fuck.' I had only one night to learn it. I was going to be in a room with my heroes, Tommy Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Alex Lacamoire, and Jeffrey Seller. And I can't even understand what he's saying on this demo I get. I'm like, 'What? What is he even saying?' I auditioned. They gave me the job. You played hard to get with .I mean I said, 'Yes,' right away! You do a remake of on this album. Did you get the Lin stamp of approval?Lin kicked off his series to showcase Hamilton cast members' work at his theater in Washington Heights, with my documentary, Satisfied. He asked me to sing. I said, 'Well, this is a perfect time for me to let you know that I have this song. Not to replace the irreplaceable! But I'm always singing it by myself!' He replied, 'You have never once asked me to sing with you!' I sent it. He listened and wrote back, 'I love it, let's do it together!' Phillipa Soo sang with us. I said, 'I want to release it as a single.' And he said, 'I'm honored.' Who came to see you in that excited you the most?The people that didn't come is the shorter list. I got to do the show for Prince, Beyoncé, Barack and Michelle Obama. One night, I saw a letter from James Taylor saying, 'Thank you. I had a wonderful time at the show.' I started hyperventilating, 'James Taylor was here?!' My best performances are always when I don't know that anyone is there. I didn't want to be thinking the whole time, 'Oh my God, Beyoncé!' It was scary every single night. What did you learn from working with Lin?Lin and I are opposites. We're both perfectionists. Most perfectionists think they're never good enough. Lin has this wonderful combination of being a perfectionist, but also, he's very 'Show and Tell.' He doesn't have to be done. He'll never stop working. The first time he performed Hamilton at the White House, he did Alexander Hamilton, a rap that no one's ever heard. He's a perfectionist that's never afraid to show his work. It's a genius combination. What was it like working with Daveed Diggs, Leslie Odom, Jr., Phillipa, and Jonathan Groff?In my documentary and social media, you'll see me with every person you just mentioned, except Jonathan Groff. There's a reason why. It's all inappropriate. I can't put it anywhere. He's fine with it. He doesn't care. I can't release the Jonathan Groff footage. One of the greatest gifts, even 10 years later, is this whole family and watching the world discover them. If came out today, do you think it would be received differently?Absolutely, it would be. Not quite sure how. Would it have more potential to heal because the divide feels so great? What's beautiful about Hamilton because of the rap battles, both sides claimed Hamilton. Hopefully, it would be a bridge. That's definitely what we need. It was born in the Obama era. We thought that era was forever. Eight year olds come up to me all the time, knowing the material better than I do, and they were not alive when it came out. Would you ever go back to ? I've never thought of it ever as an option. It's also my recurring nightmare. I have dreams I'm in costume. It's almost time for me to go, 'Angelica!' I can't remember any of it. They start calling old Nalas for The Lion King. I'm on stage. There's no rehearsal, they assume I know it. I do not. When I heard Leslie was going back to the show, I was shocked. But what a gift to all of us. If there was a reason that it would be a win for everybody again, sure I'd do it. The hardest thing about doing the show is singing, 'Satisfied.' I used to say, kind of metaphorically [pretends to smoke a cigarette] after the show, 'I'm going to write an autobiography, and it's going to be called After Satisfied,' because I was so stressed out until after that song. So, I could do it, I would do it, but they don't need me! You've created a soundtrack to people's lives from joy to heartbreak to to love and all the messy, beautiful stuff in between. Your album's called, 'Who I Really Am?' So, who are you, really?Oof, that's hard. I'm an actor, I'm a singer, I'm a storyteller, I'm a mother, I'm a wife, I'm a friend, I'm a sister, I'm a daughter — A villain…I'm a villain. Who am I? Me. I wrote a whole ass song about it, it's track one. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Preston Cooper on Offering Genuine Strength in ‘Weak,' His First Radio Release
Life is loaded with contradictions, not the least of which is the 'tough guy' veneer. Everyone has weaknesses in their personality, and showing strength is one way that people hide their insecurities. In reality, it takes an enormous amount of fortitude to admit a vulnerability, and the greatest artists are frequently those who are able to help listeners explore -— and even embrace — their own fragility. More from Billboard 'Hamilton' and 'Girls5Eva' Star Renée Elise Goldsberry on Her New Take on 'Satisfied' for Debut Album Sabrina Carpenter, SZA, Shaboozey & More Earn 2025 iHeartRadio Titanium Awards for 1 Billion Spins Morgan Wallen Reclaims ARIA Albums Chart With 'I'm the Problem' New artist Preston Cooper does that right out of the gate with his debut single, 'Weak,' which flips the switch on those soft spots, bringing them into the open with a fierceness that turns them into a source of power. Life experience has made him comfortable with that dichotomy; his girlfriend of six years, Liz, helped him weather a rocky stretch in the earliest parts of their relationship. 'I went through a hard time there a little bit after I met Liz and we started dating,' he remembers. 'It was just a mental period where I was very lost, and she helped me through that. And Jesus obviously did, too.' Both Liz and Jesus show up in 'Weak,' though neither was necessarily the inspiration. Instead, it came from a melody he concocted at work. Cooper delivered mail in rural Fredericktown, Ohio, and he used music so much on his route that he was known locally as 'The Singing Mailman.' Near the end of 2022, he invented a musical passage built around a long note that would eventually trail off as he imagined bluesy chords underneath. He recorded that melodic idea on his smartphone with the drawn-out word 'weak' and another line or two behind it. 'The music drives you to certain words, you know; the emotion of it, the musical part alone,' he says. 'It feels like it's 'weak,' [but] it's this strong relationship. When the intro to that song comes in, I feel that already.' As fate would have it, Skotynsky Financial Group hired Cooper as an opening act for a corporate event on April 21, 2023, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Perrysburg, Ohio. Mike Severson's Songwriter City had booked Brett and Brad Warren ('Red Solo Cup,' 'Highway Don't Care'), plus JT Harding ('Sangria,' 'Beers and Sunshine') to headline that night, and when the Warrens heard Cooper, they invited him to visit Nashville and try his hand at writing. A few weeks later, on May 8, Cooper and Liz drove six hours to Nashville and headed straight to the Orbison Building, where songwriter Lance Miller ('I Called Mama,' 'Beer With Jesus') kept an office. Liz busied herself in another room while Miller and the Warrens worked with Cooper. Asked if he had any ideas, Cooper launched into the unfinished half-chorus of 'Weak.' 'When he started belting out that chorus, we were like, 'Oh my gosh, this is like driving a musical Maserati,'' Brad remembers. They finished the chorus first, recognizing resilience, but crediting Liz and faith for the ability to overcome the hard times: 'Just you and Jesus/Get me where I need to be.' The last line returned to that one word — 'weak' —threaded through a conclusive run of descending melodic trills. The opening verse was more conversational, exploring a handful of strong elements: an El Paso, Texas, wind; an oak tree; and bourbon. It set up the dramatic chorus, and as that stanza ended on the drawn-out, emotional 'ee-e-e-e-ak,' Miller started verse two with a one-word line: 'Strong.' 'Willie Nelson said simple is complex,' Miller reasons. 'That song,' he adds, 'came out fairly easily. I don't remember this being a laboring process.' Nelson and 'Whiskey River' were counted among the verse-two strengths, and before it was all over, they came up with a bridge about tension and comfort — 'Crazy like a train, amazing like grace' — that referenced Ozzy Osbourne and Jesus side by side. 'We're not comparing him to Jesus,' Brett notes. Once they had finished a second song, the Warrens surprised Cooper with a same-day demo session four blocks away at Curb Studios. The A-list musicians were surprised to find they were playing a blues-inspired number and thoroughly impressed once Cooper locked in at the mic. 'The second he opened his mouth in the studio, all the session players stopped and turned around,' Brett recalls. 'They were like, 'Hey, we got a real singer in the room.' ' The band developed a slow, spacious groove, the sound thickened by Jeff Roach's soulful Hammond B-3. Guitarist Justin Ostrander laid down a chill solo live on the first pass, and drummer Evan Hutchings added some shimmer with his cymbal work. 'It must have been right,' Brad muses, 'because Brett hates cymbals.' Cooper continued working on his newfound career, his voice deepening and his confidence growing. After a year, Brett had him return to the studio to redo the vocals, and he nailed them on the first take. Outside of hiring Greg Barnhill to overdub background vocals, Brett didn't change much about the production — the session that was supposed to be a demo became a master recording. 'Brett was smart enough not to put too much makeup on the mannequin,' Miller says. 'Basically what we did at Curb that day was the foundation of that song.' 'Weak' recognizes that admitting emotional struggle provides an opportunity for strength to arise. While it's written around a relationship, listeners can easily apply the concept to other life facets. 'I'm a recovering alcoholic,' Brett says. 'I remember the first time I raised my hand in a meeting and said, 'My name's Brett and I'm an alcoholic.' Oh, my Lord, I was so scared to say it, but the moment I admitted that I struggled with alcohol, in that weakest moment in my life — boom! — 60% of this weight just came off me. It's really fascinating. So on the lyrical side of it, I think that that side of 'Weak' is really true.' 'Weak' was the first song Cooper performed in an audition for Big Machine Label Group; by the third tune, president/CEO Scott Borchetta was ready to sign him. 'Weak' got a standing ovation at the label's lunchtime showcase during Country Radio Seminar in February, and it cinched BMLG's decision to make it his first single. Subsidiary Valory released it to country radio via PlayMPE on April 23 with a May 19 add date. 'Ever since we wrote the song — like the day of — we always thought this was going to be a first single,' Cooper says. 'It was so much excitement in making the song and the vibe of it. It just felt right.' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
