Jason Lytle, also known as the indie songwriter Grandaddy, is a beloved California-born indie songwriter and performer. Most recently, Lytle announced his forthcoming new album, Blu Wav, which is set to release on February 16, 2024.
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With that news, Grandaddy has released a few new singles including “Cabin in My Mind” and “Watercooler.” Below are five questions we posed to the cerebral songwriter about his craft, what inspired Blu Wav, his favorite albums of 2023, and more.
American Songwriter: What would you like to say about your forthcoming new album slated for February—what was an inspiration for it, or your favorite part about its production?
Jason Lytle: About five years ago, I was on a long solo road trip and heard “The Tennessee Waltz” by Patti Page on my truck radio. From that point on, I imagined a sort of slow simple bluegrass/country album that was drenched in synths and other modern elements. That is the sound I was after throughout most of the writing and recording of this album. Where it actually ended up—I’m still not sure.
AS: When you write lyrics, what thing or two do you keep in mind—either a technique like alliteration or a way of voicing a story succinctly? Another way of asking this is what tip or trick do you hold close when writing lyrics, if anything?
JL: I almost always write it to be sung in a way that I would be comfortable saying it in conversation. If a line feels forced or unnatural to me, it gets scratched. It has to look and feel right and fall out of the mouth effortlessly. You would be surprised how hard it is to make things sound easy sometimes.
AS: When it comes to news stories of 2023, what was one that really raised your eyebrow when it came to the world of music?
JL: I heard somewhere that Sean “Diddy” Combs has to pay Sting somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,000 a day for the uncleared sample from “Every Breath You Take.” Diddy later confirmed it was closer to $5k. Insane!
AS: What were your one or two favorite songs or artists or albums from 2023?
JL: New Blonde Redhead and new Wilco.
AS: What are your hopes for 2024 personally, professionally or for the world, looking ahead?
JL: Just kicking ass in general—2023 was a beast for me so I’m all about 2024. Creatively, physically, mentally—all of it!
Photo by Dustin Aksland / Courtesy Charm School Media
