The best bit of songwriting advice Shannon Lauren Callihan received was not to wait for inspiration to strike. For the aspiring artist, this was pivotal for her writing career. The Ashland, Kentucky native took the wisdom to heart, as indicated by the overflow of ideas stored in the ‘notes’ app on her phone.
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Her process always begins at her piano or with guitar in hand, laying a solid sonic foundation with the music before exploring melodic scaffolding—messing around with different vocal melodies and guitar riffs. Lyrics come later in the process, taking cues from the music itself which sets the tone. Callihan’s process for her latest song, “Used To Be My Love,” was no different.
“I wanted to write something that a large audience could relate to, and who can’t relate to heartbreak?” Callihan explains to American Songwriter. “I took a deep dive into my past and felt inspired to write this song. I felt like I still had a lot more to say that I wasn’t able to during a past relationship, and writing this song was an outlet for me. It gave me a sense of clarity. I was also listening to a lot of ’90s R&B. If you listen to the musical elements and progressions, as well as the lyrical expressions, that’s very evident.”
Released on August 6, “Used To Be My Love” bears the burden of the past and bittersweet entrance into a new chapter after being left for another. The R&B-tinge retrospective tune embraces past pain in order to move into the acceptance phase of the devastating heartbreak. With clarity, the artist’s brazen vocals explore the opportunity that awaits within the clean slate of her present state.
The song, she says, “takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions.” Callihan continues, “It’s sassy but fragile, and even though the meaning behind the song is about a hard time in my life going through a breakup, the music is more upbeat and it grooves. In a way, it’s my way of saying lyrically that yeah, this was a really tough time in my life, but musically, the message is more like, ‘Hey, life goes on and you’re going to be okay. Keep groovin’.’”
Callihan points to the “hot” bass line that her bassist Sam Fruend (Stoop Kids) lays down as the song concludes—serving as a jazzy outro. She recalls, “I will never forget the first time we all sat down to work on this tune together as a group. When Sam played that line, we all knew we had something really special going on.”
“Used To Be My Love” captures the spirit of Callihan’s intentions as a songwriter and artist, building upon the soulful sound exhibited in “Love You Right” (2020) and “Don’t Blame It On The Timing” (2020). With tangibly emotive instrumentation and raw lyricism, her latest track gets to the very heart of her artistry.
“What I love most about songwriting and making music is the ability to connect with those around me, in all aspects, whether that’s writing and recording music with my best friends, or connecting with a stranger that loves our music,” says Callihan. “There is nothing more rewarding or quite like that feeling.”
Listen to Shannon Lauren Callihan’s new song “Used To Be My Love” and watch the new music video below.
