10 Questions with ... Kip Moore

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MCA Nashville's Kip Moore is preparing for the release of his third studio album, "Slowheart." With the lead single, "More Girls Like You," already planted inside the Top 10, Moore is well on his way to another successful project. After finding commercial success with his debut, "Up All Night," and critical acclaim with his sophomore project, "Wild Ones," Moore took time away from recording earlier in 2017 to travel. The result of his travels is a renewed sense of purpose, and a fresh batch of songs that he says reflects where he is in life at this moment. Prior to the release of his album, Moore sat down with All Access to discuss the process, cutting outside songs for the first time, his stint doing middays at KKGO/Los Angeles, and more.

1. "Slowheart" is set to release Friday, September 8th. You have co-written 11 of the 13 tracks. What was the writing process like for you on this record? Are these all new songs, or have some of these been in your catalog for a while?

These were all songs within the last year and a half. This is also the first time I've ever cut an outside song on a record of mine. But, songs like "The Bull" were just so personal to what my life has been. And, playing off of the industry a lot of times - from radio to the industry here in Nashville - the minute that you're not working at radio, sometimes people think your career is not working. But, when people step outside of their bubbles, we were seeing from promoters who were freaking out over the ticket sales we were doing. We were seeing this rabid fanbase snowball in to this huge thing. So, I had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, just thinking about where even my phone kind of dried up during "Wild Ones." I was getting so many calls from songwriters after "Up All Night," with its commercial success, but my phone just dried up. People weren't calling me up anymore after "Wild Ones," because they aren't out there to see what's really taking place. I had a chip on my shoulder with all of that, so "The Bull" is about dusting yourself off. It's also about a little bit of a middle finger to the people who are doubting you and thinking you've been knocked out.

2. This is your third studio album, but it's clearly one you're very proud of, having named it "Slowheart." We know that name has a special meaning for you - and for your fans, who call themselves The Slowhearts - so, can you share with our friends at radio what "Slowheart" means and why it was the right title for this album?

Oh, this was so appropriate. "Slowheart" came about, because it takes me a while to come around on things. It takes my heart some time to evaluate things, and I'm slow to react to a lot. I don't show my cards. I think about the slow, organic burn of making this new record and the way it all came together, and the way I did eventually show those cards. I think about the cohesive nature of what the pictures represent. This was the time to call the record "Slowheart," because it really pertained to the whole journey of making this.

3. "Plead The Fifth" and "The Bull" are the only two cuts you didn't have a hand in penning, as we just talked about a moment ago. So, let's take a moment to talk about another side of the business - A&R. Have you ever really had to go through that process before? Was this your first time considering outside songs at all? What was that process like for you this time around?

No, I had never had to do it. And, honestly, the only reason I even heard these two songs is because I write with Luke Dick. Luke and I wrote a couple songs on the "Wild Ones" record, and he has become a friend on top of being a co-writer. When I was in there with him one day, he said to me, "Hey, man. I've got this song that I think really pertains to you, and I just want you to take a listen and tell me what you think." When he played it for me, I just fell in love with it. I'm not usually getting pitched songs, you know? I've had a few sent to me, but it's not a normal thing.

4. You also produced seven of the tracks on this project. How does Kip the Producer balance Kip the writer and Kip the vocalist when putting together tracks? Do the three Kips ever battle each other?

All the time! I think the seven or eight that I produced by myself - I co-produced the rest - the ones that I did by myself were actually the easiest for me. I had such a blueprint on those songs before I went in, and I knew exactly what I wanted to capture. The only one that was difficult was "Guitar Man." We fought with it - and it ended up being one of the most special tracks on the record - but, we fought with it for probably two hours. It just wasn't coming out like I had it in my head. Then, at the last second, as we took a break, Tom Bukovac and Dave Cohen stayed in the studio room. They started dancing around on that piece that ended up becoming the record. I actually played a trick on them - I told my engineer as I was listening to them do that, "That's what we've been looking for!" So, I told him to press record, and I walked in to the vocal booth. I told the guys, "Hey, I like what you're doing. Let's just start from the top, and let's just see how this feels." But, they didn't know that was going to be the record version. That entire version - the track and the vocal - it's all one take. There's no patching, there's no cut-and-paste; that's just what it was, and what we turned out in that one take. When you hear back to the record, you can even hear me running short on breath at times and trying to catch up with phrasing. But, I wanted it to be this kind of organic, raw feeling, because that's what this song is about. It was all spontaneous. Dave was playing the organ, and I just said, "Let's hold the one here. Let's do a swell right here." I just wanted to get it together to see how it feels, and it ended up being one take.

5. As we sit here today, "More Girls Like You" has entered the Top 10 on Mediabase. As you were writing this one, did it feel special in the room? What was the collaboration process like with the three other writers on this song? How did you decide on "More Girls Like You" as the lead single from this project?

So very cool. I haven't been in the Top 10 in a long time! Since "Hey, Pretty Girl," really. I don't want to sit here and say that my other songs were not as special because they didn't do well at radio, though. I've seen firsthand - I want to make this clear - I'm always super-blessed when I have a song that does work in the commercial field. But, I never rate my songs off of whether they did well commercially or not. I've seen a record like "Wild Ones," that didn't render a single radio hit, but it was this massive underground cult-like record. It grew our fanbase by triple the size. I think that all artists want to have hits, because hits are what bring in new fans that might not have a chance to hear your records. The greats like Tom Petty, Springsteen, and Merle Haggard were always talking about dreaming of another hit - everybody wants those hits - but, you don't go in trying to write them, and it's gravy when it happens. But, with "More Girls Like You," I knew that I loved the song when I got done with it. It was a solid representation of where I was at in my life. And, it was the first time, too, ever for me that I had recorded an entire song without an actual band. It was just me and David Garcia who built all the tracks from the ground up. We played all the instruments, and it was just the two of us. That's what ended up being the record. As for picking it as a single, I'm going to be honest with you. I could sit here and bullshit you like I know you get bullshitted a lot - you get a lot of politically correct answers like, "Well, we just knew this was the best..." Look, we didn't know. We seriously did not know! We had four songs on the table that we were battling over for a month. At the last second, when we had to pick one, it was like we closed our eyes and pointed - and that's what we went with. That's the way it was! We all felt super-strong about four or five different ones having the possibility of being the first single. We all just threw our hands up in the room and said, "We're just going to have to pick one." So, that's what we did.

6. Earlier this year, you spent a month handling middays at Mt. Wilson Broadcasters Country KKGO (Go Country 105)/Los Angeles. What did you learn about the radio world during that fill-in time that you didn't already know? Would you consider doing it again?

I learned that they have to talk about the same things a whole lot! Ha. That's what I learned. I don't think I really realized how often the same songs get spun. I learned there's a lot of talking to do. I did enjoy it, I really did, but I don't know if I'd do it again. I think I'll stick on my side.

7. You also famously took some time for yourself between projects this time around - lovingly known around the office as your "vaKIPtion." How did you spend your time while you were away, and what do you think that time did to contribute to your readiness for this album?

A lot of the songs that were happening before the record - if I pointed out those songs - those are from a different Kip. The before and after songs are two different Kips, and that's okay with me. I wanted you to be able to see the difference in the two different things that were happening. "More Girls Like You" was written during the trip. "Try Again" was after. There was just a different kind of vibe and a different thing. But, what the trip did for me - what I have realized that I'm always needing - is it makes me look at my own vulnerabilities and evaluate my own heart. It showed me where I've been and where I'm at, and it showed me where I want to go. It helped me find the balance I need in my life - that my soul needs - that I sometimes neglect.

You traveled internationally on this excursion. Did you bring anything back that was cool or interesting, or that means something to you?

I might have, but you're not supposed to know about it!

8. You just had another big milestone moment recently. Your debut album, "Up All Night," was certified Platinum! Your label surprised you in the middle of an event promoting "Slowheart." Did you have any idea that "Up All Night" had gone Platinum? Do you watch charts or sales figures at all?

I did not! No idea! I don't watch the charts anymore. I used to. But, I have no clue what is going on now, for the most part; I realized before that it just drove me crazy. I stopped watching charts during "Wild Ones." I just had to start letting go of some things, and that was one of them. I think the fans helped me out a lot with that, because I saw what was truly happening. I saw that they were in it for the right reasons and the artistry of it, so I just decided to let all of that other stuff go and leave it in the hands of my label and people like that. But, I just think about having a Platinum record, and now in this day and time, it's pretty insane, because it's pretty rare.

9. So, this means you have a commercial success with "Up All Night," and a great critical success with "Wild Ones." Both have worked to build your fanbase, but in different ways. What is your hope for "Slowheart" and its success? Is it something you hope will find both variations on success? Or does it matter to you?

I have got to be honest, you always hope that people love it. But, it doesn't matter to me right now. When I say it doesn't matter, I want to be really clear - you hope that people love it, but if I made the record that I wanted to make, and it was the record that I felt, then I can't be overly concerned with what you think about it or what somebody else things about it. I did what I wanted to do, and I can lay my head down on my pillow at night in peace knowing that I did it my way.

10. You are also officially back out on the road, where you have a loyal and fervent fan base in cities across the globe. You're hitting a lot of festivals this year, as well. How important has touring been for you, and what do you think has contributed to the rise in the popularity of music festivals among both fans and artists?

I always hear the thing of, "Well, you've got to go see him live. That's when you get it." I always hear that about me and the band. We work so hard on our live show, and we never go through the motions. And, because of that, I feel like whenever we can get in front of people that might not be accustomed to seeing us, we're going to win them. That's why I go play those things. Then, we'll start our Fall tour heading back to the big theaters again this Fall.

I want to also talk about the Kip's Kids Fund. You now officially have six skate parks open in various spots across the country, so what work is ahead of you with the fund and your skate spots?

I'm honestly hoping and praying about a door being opened. I've got all of these things in mind, and my whole thing is that I want to help these inner-city kids who have the cards stacked against them from the time they're born. My thing is helping underprivileged kids. I want to provide food, I want to provide safe havens for them, and I want to provide education for them. There are all kinds of things that I want to be involved with, and I've got these ideas, but I'm just taking it as it comes. The skate parks were just the first thing for me, because I knew it was something I could do immediately. I knew I had the funds to get it going, and I just wanted to give these kids in these rough neighborhoods a safer place to go to. Maybe it will spark hope in them. There have been a few moms come up to me when I've been out at one of them, and some will say something like, "You know, my son didn't really love anything. Now, he's in love with something, and it has changed his whole attitude at home and in life." That's all I'm trying to do.

What do you want radio to know about this record before they get it? What do you want your fans to take away from this project?

For radio, I want them to know that I'll always be authentic - with myself, and with the music - and, hopefully there is a place for authenticity. For my fans, I just let the fans decide that. I never try to steer them. I get asked that a lot, and it's not that I'm trying to be difficult, I just think the fans really know. I could say that I want the fans to know that I was authentic with them, but my fans really do already know that I'm always going to be authentic with them. That's why I let the fans decide what they really want to take away from each record and how this one will relate to them and their life. This record was very personal for me, and I hope it brings them the same joy and peace - and recognition of sorrow, while also being able to move past that sorrow - and I want them to know that joy is around the corner. I hope it makes everyone aware of all the colors in their own heart when they hear this record; I hope they'll know they don't have to be scared of those different colors.