(Photo Credit: Hannah Hall)
1. You have said that It Will Never Be The Same is about "...being okay with change and striving to become a better human being". There's definitely a bright vivid tone to these tracks. How do you combine theme and sound so eloquently?
"Thank you for the compliment. I don't know. It's a little unintentional. Many times, the song doesn't reflect the title. My first EP was titled Midland. My second EP was titled Where Do We Go From Here, that was about if I should continue as an artist with my dream of being a musician. Everything Will Be Okay came out of the pandemic. And It Will Never Be the Same is about things being totally different in the country and in the world post-pandemic. It's also about how things are different for me from when I first started making it to completing it. I was living with friends before, now I'm in a new city and married. So there have been lots of changes."
2. You're in the middle of a pretty extensive headlining tour right now. How has touring changed for you as you've progressed throughout your career?
When I first started, I was really excited to play a show and would never turn a show down. Now I only want to do things that are career advancing in a way. When I first started, I was 20-21. Now I'm 30, 10 years of change is pretty drastic. We take care of ourselves better, take off days, do vocal warmups. People are showing up and interested in what I'm I'm doing.
3. This EP was your first experience working with co-writers. Can you tell us a little bit about how this impacted your writing process?
"In the past it's always been me stumbling through a song trying to finish it. Now, I realized that working with other people people can be a better process. I think lyrically this has been my best work because I worked with people who helped me say what I wanted to say. You need to have people that you trust that are there to serve the song and no ego."
4. We absolutely love your TikTok account. It's so candidly you. When did you decide to start using the platform and what made you approach it the way you have?
"I think one of the things that I've learned is to take what I do seriously but not take myself seriously. Why did I start using it? Because that is what I'm supposed to do as an artist. Do I like doing it? Sometimes and sometimes not. I love consuming TikTok and I think it's a pretty great place to get discovered."
5. You have a new adopted home of Nashville, TN. What has been your experience thus far with Nashville and what attracted you there?
I always loved going there, had a good amount of friends there, met my wife, the music scene is great, so I thought "Why don't I move here?". There are so many great artists that are here that I've gotten to be in a room with. A lot of people are working on something cool. It's turning to an alternative scene as well. There's so much more going on than just country and gospel.
6. What's next for Michigander?
"I am working on my debut album, which has been a daunting, long time coming. I'm very excited and nervous. I'll probably start recording that when I get home from tour later in the summer. I'm feeling really excited."