Carolina native singer/songwriter Kasey Tyndall has been chasing her musical dream since childhood. Over the last few years, she has made a name for herself with songs like “Jesus and Joan Jett,” “Dirt Road to Hell” and “Middle Man.” Tyndall has shared stages with the likes of Hank Williams Jr., Ella Langley, Ashley McBryde, and many more. Additionally, she landed a spot in the 2023 class of CMT’s Next Women of Country. Today, Tyndall is properly introducing herself to the world with her self-titled label debut.
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Tyndall’s debut features a near-perfect balance of country and rock. She captures the vulnerability, honesty, and storytelling spirit of country music while harnessing the raw power of rock and roll to drive her message home. The result is a collection of songs in which the artist lays all her cards on the table, holding nothing back.
[RELATED: Kasey Tyndall Tells a Familiar Familial Tale on New Song “Middle Man”]
Tyndall sat down with American Songwriter to discuss the album, writing with Lainey Wilson, what she hopes to accomplish with the release, and more.
World, Meet Kasey Tyndall
Kasey Tyndall had one goal with this album. She hoped to properly introduce herself to the world. As a result, she co-wrote all but one song on the album. The single outside cut, “Wrong Side of Rock & Roll” is one that resonated so deeply with her that she felt like she could have written it. So, she added it to the largely autobiographical 11-song collection.
“With this record, I wanted to introduce myself to a larger audience. I wanted them to get a glimpse of all of the different layers of who I am and the best way to do that is through my music. So, every song on this record could or does pertain to my life,” Tyndall explained. “There are a lot of songs influenced by my husband and my daughter. ‘Men Like You,’ I definitely had my husband in mind when we wrote it. ‘He Gave Me You’ is about both of them. Even ‘I Ain’t Askin.’ All of it is influenced by my family,” she added.
Writing “Middle Man” with Lainey Wilson
Kasey Tyndall gave listeners a widely-relatable glimpse into her childhood with the album’s final track “Middle Man.” She wrote the song with Lainey Wilson after the pair had a conversation about their lives.
“We were just kind of chit-chatting and catching up. We got to talking about our families. For me, having divorced parents wasn’t a bad thing. I didn’t realize until I put this song out and started hearing other people’s stories that my situation was rare–my parents actually got along,” Tyndall recalled.
“Me and Lainey were just kind of talking about it very matter-of-factly and I said the only weird part about having divorced parents was that, being the oldest sibling, I was the middle man,” she said. “As soon as she heard that, she said ‘we’ve got to write that.’ I was just talking and she was writing it down and that’s how that song came about,” Tyndall explained.
Those who are familiar with Tyndall’s work may remember hearing a different version of “Middle Man” a few years ago. ”We put it out already and I just felt like it didn’t get its opportunity to shine,” she said of the song. “We were kind of in the middle of the pandemic when I released it and there was a lot going on. So, when I signed this record deal with MNRK and we were putting the record together I figured out the idea of trying to do a more stripped-back version of this song. I feel like there’s so many people with divorced parents who could really connect to it.”
Kasey Tyndall on Her Well-Balanced Sound
Several artists attempt to blend country and rock and roll but few succeed to the degree that Kasey Tyndall does on this album. She explained the genesis of her sound during our conversation.
“With divorced parents, I was in the car a lot when I was growing up. Music was a huge part of my life when I was young. My mom listened to a lot of ’80s rock. She listened to a lot of female rockers like Joan Jett, Heart, Pat Benatar. I also grew up listening to a lot of Avril Lavigne,” Tyndall recalled.
“Brantley Gilbert was a huge influence of mine. I love country music but when ‘Kick It in the Sticks’ came out, I was like ‘Whoa! This is rock and roll country right here!’ I remember being so in love with his sound. Jason Aldean did the same thing. Miranda Lambert did it too with ‘Kerosene’ and ‘Gunpowder & Lead.’ All those songs, I was like ‘You can blend these? Let’s go!’ That’s what influenced me to have the sound that I have,” she said.
“I’ve had the same sound pretty much my whole career. It’s definitely been chiseled out and we’ve honed in on it, for sure,” Tyndall said of her sound. “But, I feel like because of people like HARDY, it’s becoming cool right now and it’s working. I am so excited that my sound is being recognized. It’s just what I love to do. I couldn’t see myself changing. I love the rock and roll side of country.”
Tyndall’s Favorite Song on the Album
“That’s kind of a toss-up,” Kasey Tyndall said when asked to name her favorite song on her new album. “As far as my favorite song I’ve written, I feel like ‘Middle Man’ is always going to be my favorite. But, as far as all-around what’s my favorite, it’s got to be ‘Famous.’ That song is just–I love it. I love what it says and the sound. It’s been my favorite to play live since we started playing it.”
Featured Image by Rachel Deeb
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