10 Questions with ... Cassadee Pope

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Cassadee Pope first came to the attention of most Country fans during her time on NBC-TV's "The Voice," where - as a member of "Team Blake" - she became the first female winner on the reality singing competition. Prior to her run on "The Voice," Pope was the lead vocalist for Rock band Hey Monday before launching her solo career. Pope was signed to Big Machine Label Group's Republic Nashville imprint where she released her "Frame By Frame" album and "Summer" EP and singles that included her Top 10 charting "Wasting All These Tears." In 2016, Pope collaborated with RCA Nashville's Chris Young on the chart-topping duet, "Think Of You," which landed the pair a Grammy nomination. Since then, Pope has set out on her own, becoming an independent artist and forming her own team consisting of industry vets to help guide her in the next steps of her career. Pope has release her next single, "One More Red Light," to Country radio, and on the day it dropped, she sat down with All Access Nashville to discuss her recent career journey and how both her personal and professional trials have led her to a new place, creatively.

1. Hi, Cassadee! Thank you so much for taking time to answer "10 Questions" for us today. The last time we sat down to chat was nearly three years ago to the day - back in August 2015. So much has happened in your career since then, but let's start with the music. You are preparing for your first independent Country album release. What can you tell us about the full project and the music on this album?

I just released a new single, "One More Red Light," and there's a lot more where that came from. I'm finishing up a full project with Corey [Crowder], my producer. "Take You Home" and "One More Red Light" felt like great songs to come back with. A year was a long time for me to go away and work on writing and getting thigs together, so coming back with these two songs back-to-back felt like the right way to come back with something fresh and new. On the project, there will also be songs about the things I've gone through this past year, with heart break and tough issues, too. I had to write, almost just out of survival. There were so many days when I didn't want to get out of bed, but the motivation was to write while I was in that headspace. I knew if I waited, I would end up writing it from a different point of view on the other side. It led to me writing by myself a lot, too, which is something I hadn't done in a long time. This project will feel complete for me, I think, based on the writing I did and how everything I went through was part of the process for me. It's still evolving, and I thought I had the track listing done, but I just wrote a song the other day that I now think I really want on there. It's a lot to take in to account - figuring out the messaging and what I want to say - but the album will be eclectic with songs that have different kinds of emotions. That's something I want to share: life is messy, and life is up-and-down, so this album will be the same, and it will explain what has happened over the past year. People will learn a lot about what is happening.

2. How did the process differ in creating this album now that you're working with your own, independent team?

It has definitely opened up a corridor in my brain, and creatively, it just makes me feel much more confident. I had to go through the situations of being told no and being rejected time and time again, over and over, to appreciate this place. I know I had to take the path I took, but this is so much better. I go in to session - or even meetings - with a new outlook and so much more confident now. I feel so much more like myself now. I think I've really learned not to take things so personally - which is hard in this line of work, because what we do and the music we make is a very personal thing. But, down to little things like, if I held the door open for someone, and they didn't say "Thank you," I would get upset. Now, I realize that's on them - maybe they've had a bad day, or maybe they just don't regularly say "thank you," but whatever it is, that's on them, because I was being my true and authentic self. It's not about me, and I will just keep doing my thing and keep being the best version of myself that I can be. It's easier going through life giving yourself grace; that works in your professional life as much as your personal life. I felt like, maybe in the past, I just had to go through so many other people before I got to the other side of the creative process that my true self was getting a little watered down.

3. Let's talk about the team for a moment. Who are you working with, both in and out of the studio, moving forward?

It was really organic, the way it happened. I left the label, my manager, the publishing team - I even got a new lawyer! Overall, it was just a big purge. Corey has always been a champion of mine, and so has my agent at CAA, Darin Murphy. As has Leslie Fram at CMT. So, between the three of them, it was great to get everyone's opinions on managers, digital marketing firms, creative teams, and all of that stuff. I started talking to them about it, and I met with Leslie. She brought up [Fusion Music founder] Daniel [Miller], and she connected us. He was interested, and when we met up, it was love at first sight! I just thought he was perfect - he was smart and knew how to direct me, but he was also going to let me be creative and do my own thing. Of course, he had to hear the music first, but he got pumped and loved the music. From there, he has been a great asset as far as letting me do my thing but steering me to stay on brand and keep moving in the right direction. For digital and marketing, Daniel gave me the right and freedom to decide, but he helped me find mTheory, which has been incredible. I met with a company called Milk Glass here that is creative. They sat me down for three hours and asked really cool questions like "What stores do you think your fans shop at?" and it contributed to this amazing pamphlet that explains everything about me, who I am as an artist, and who my fans are. It was a really cool experience. Overall, I just wanted a team that was going to let me do what I wanted to do, but that would be creative and help guide me and keep me organized. The roll-outs have been great so far, and I love how organized everything has been. I love having this team around me that trusts me and believes in me.

4. As part of the album, you've just released your brand-new single, "One More Red Light." Within the project as a whole, what was it about this song that raised its hand and told you it had to be a single?

It was between "Take You Home" and "One More Red Light" for the first release. I had loved "Take You Home" for a year or so, and I wanted that to be the song people heard first from this project. But, unanimously, from the team and myself and my family and everyone around me, the second favorite was "One Red Light." So, it just made sense to come with it next. It starts a really cool story, and I think "One More Red Light" is almost a sequel to "Take You Home." It's the next step in a relationship, where you're going out and you're - on purpose - meeting up and going on a date and getting to know each other.

5. "One More Red Light" was written by a trio of great female writers, yourself included. Did you make a conscious effort to do more writing and co-writing with all females, or is that just a bi-product of your current artistic freedom?

There was no intention behind it, other than I just really love writing with Kelly Archer and Emily Shackleton. There's an effortless, natural energy between us when we write. This was my concept, and they just hopped on board. Sometimes, it's really hard to get people to want to write your idea or to stay on that course with you. But, the three of us just have this tendency to get on board together and stay there. We wrote this one together fast - in about three hours - on the piano.

6. You've also surrounded yourself with a great "girl gang," if you will. You've become a voice as a leader in empowering other young female Country artists, and you've built a network of great female artists, co-writers, and friends. What are your thoughts on the presence of females on Country radio currently? How do you hope to influence change there?

I think that I've been out of the radio game for a minute, so as a listener, it doesn't look like it's gotten any different or "better." But, I'm going to be a female artist pushing a single to Country radio again now, so I guess we'll see. I know that we as female artists are doing our part. We are out there writing and singing and recording and making music. There's only so much that we, as artists, can do. And, we definitely support each other, which I think is so important. Carrie [Underwood] is bringing out all females [Runaway June and Maddie & Tae] on her tour, which is just amazing. Leslie Fram is a huge voice and platform for us, as well. We all bring each other on stage and do what we can to shine a light on each other as best we can. But, we also know that - in a way - we are competitors with one another, too, because know that, for some reason, there's not enough space for all of us. So, we are trying to set an example and lead by example by supporting one another.

7. You've experienced success on many levels and across many platforms. Do you still see Country radio - and radio, specifically - as an important piece of the career puzzle, or do you think streaming and digital platforms can sustain prolonged career success in the future?

There are so many ways to cut and slice a career now, where maybe you don't need a record label as much anymore in certain situations. It would be great to always get Country radio on board, but at the same time, sometimes you don't need radio to have a career anymore. Of course, you're going to have different levels of careers with streaming success versus radio success versus being a viral video star or something along those lines. There are just different measures of success now and different ways to be heard. And, sometimes that means taking it to secondary radio, like we're doing with this single, and getting your feet there if some of the larger reporting stations can't fit you on a playlist. Country radio is so important, though, and those relationships are so important. In the Country community, Country radio is huge - it is something we all grew up with, and we all want. But, we almost have to be happy with other accomplishments and make up for a lack of airplay with other platforms. It's not an easy thing, I know, for anyone on any side of the business. I think everyone is in a precarious position. The one thing about having multiple platforms is having so much opportunity for fan engagement. You can spread content around across multiple platforms and create your own moments in different spaces. As an independent artist, I feel like I need to take advantage of creating a new formula for myself and not just going and doing the things I've always done or take the path I've always taken. It's exciting and fun, and there are good things and bad things about the new ways of getting music out, but we are bobbing and weaving accordingly and trying to figure it all out as we go.

8. As a powerful female, you also represented the entire Country genre at the final "Warped Tour" dates. That was bit of a full-circle run of dates for you, right? How did that partnership come about, and what were the crowds like as you took the stage on those dates?

It was so cool! I really didn't know what to expect. I knew how grueling Warped Tour can be; we played two shows and got the full experience with the rain and the heat and the grossness...it was great! But, the crowd was really awesome. They knew "Wasting All These Tear," which was great. I figured I might play one song of my own they might know. I also played "Take You Home," and then I played "One More Red Light," which was, of course, before it was out to the public. I also played two Hey Monday songs, which was really fun - and they knew it! I wasn't sure what to expect there, because I didn't know if this was a younger generation who had never heard of our music from Hey Monday or who the crowd would really be. I went in the crowd throughout the two day, because I was a big fan of all of those bands. And, sincerely, it was a really diverse group of people. I think it was because it was the last year for Warped Tour, and people wanted to go to one last Warped Tour. Oh, and I got to sing with Simple Plan, which was a huge deal for me! I'm a big fan. I got to catch up with people, too. Moving here and not being in that format, it feels like a different lifetime. Sitting down with people in different bands that I haven't seen in seven years or so was great - they're married and have kids now, and it was so nice to catch up on life with everyone.

9. You've toured with everyone from Tim McGraw and Dierks Bentley to Chris Young and Rascal Flatts. As someone who has been a touring artist for years, how have you continued to elevate your stage show?

That's the goal - to continue to get more confident. The thing I've learned over the years is to relax. I used to always want something between every song, whether it was me talking or the band playing a cool transition. I was just afraid of silence. Now, as I've grown on stage and learned to relax and enjoy the flow, I know it's okay to pause, take a sip of water, and have a moment. Because, while I'm up there thinking, "Oh my gosh, this is like 30 second of dead space!" it's really more like three second. Genuinely. Just three seconds to breath is good for you. I've been really laying back in to it and enjoying my time on the stage. I'm thinking less and feeling the music more. I've also got a great band, and I trust them. I feel supported by them on stage, and we tend to change up the set list based on what we think the crowd will be. I've learned to be adaptable with my show, even as we are in the moment. So, at a club show, we might throw in a cover that's a little more Rock and up-tempo. But, at a festival at night, we might add in a slower song somewhere in the set. So, it's been about learning to cater to the setting and to the crowd and the energy you're feeling back from them as it comes to you.

10. You've been busy the past couple years, Cassadee! You were a part of a Grammy-nominated vocal event with Chris Young on "Think Of You," you've toured on your own and with others, and you've worked on new music. With all of the success you've been building, what would you say is the next goal, professionally, to close out 2018 and head in to 2019?

It's crazy now that I can put "Grammy Nominated Artist" in my bio. That's just crazy! I've had such a crazy ride, and there have been some ups and downs. I've been busy, but I've also learned that balance is so important. I would love to, in the next year or so, would love to have a hit at Country radio. That's a big goal for me. There's also a tour next year in the Spring, and one shortly after that, that are planned for me to be on. It's funny - the radio thing is the only thing that is still a big goal. Everything else really feels like it's falling in to place. I've got the tours lined up, and I get to travel. I'll be going overseas some, too, which was previously a goal of mine. So, the focus for me will really be on climbing the ladder to check off that big bucket list goal of having a solo hit at Country radio. It's my biggest goal and biggest dream right now.

Bonus! Your personal life has changed a bit, too, recently. What can you tell us about your newest love? Social media has just blown up over how cute you and Sam Palladio are together.

I am super happy. I am in a place, with my friends, that I've never been in before. Being in a relationship for so long in the past, I didn't realize how much you lean on that one person and only confide in them. And, while that's amazing, I had a tendency of only having the one person. So, stripping him away and being left to take a look at my circle of friends and who I was connecting with, I realized that I really need to do some work to build back up my friendships and start really deep connections with people. More than anything, I leaned on my friends, and it has really brought us closer. Some of them have been going through things more recently, and I was able to really be there for them, too, the way they were there for me. It's this amazing life transition, really, with friendships. I'm in an awesome relationship, and I'm super happy. It's a very adult, mature relationship. My last relationship started when I was 19, so it's really fun to date someone as an adult. Before Sam, I did date a little bit and put myself out there. It was really scary, but it was also fun! I found out a lot about myself, and now, I feel like I can pour so much more in to a relationship. It's just a really great place to be in, and the future is wide open.