Many are predicting that 2017 will be a breakthrough year for Drake White. Named by Huffington Post as one of the top country artists to watch in 2016 and one of Rolling Stone’s 10 country artists you need to know, we had high expectations for him. This month, we were lucky enough to see him at the C2C Festival in London and he FAR surpassed them all! We got to hangout with him before he played with Maren Morris, Liz Rose, Kristian Bush and Mac McAnally at the Songwriter Series on the Thursday night. We talked about the writing process, asked him for some advice for upcoming songwriters, and learned that he is a Blue Jay’s fan (go Jays Go)!! Read our full interview below and be sure to check out Drake White’s incredible, debut album ‘Spark’ on Spotify if you haven’t already!
TC: What is the hardest part of the songwriting process?
DW: The hardest part is getting out of your own head. It’s so difficult but important to go with your gut and not question yourself. You have to know and trust that you had a certain thought for a reason.
TC: Is there a certain time of day or place that you feel more inspired than others?
DW: Not really. It’s all different for me. Im so spiratic with traveling all of the time. I grab inspiration from experiences and having different conversations with different people. I always pull from my experiences/feelings – loneliness, spirituality, an answered prayer. I will go for a walk or a drive and pull from that.
TC: Do you have a favourite song that you’ve written?
DW: Not really. There are ones that are special in their own rights for different reasons. I love them all. It would be hard to pinpoint a favourite song, when they all have their own special thing. It’s like picking your favourite child. I don’t have any children yet, but I have dogs!! You can’t pick your favourite, you love them all!
TC: What is the top piece of advice that you would give to an up-and-coming songwriter?
DW: Read!!! Read books. The better the books, the better the writer. Follow your mind, trust it. If you think it, write it. Write every day. Write good songs, write bad songs. Listen to music. Live it and breathe it every single day. You can train yourself to be a good songwriter through writing and listening.
TC: Do you have a favourite artist right now on country radio?
DW: Hard to choose just one. I absolutely love Brent Cobb’s writing. I’m so excited for Zac Brown’s new record. Jason Isbell and Stapleton of course. Maren, Kasey. I love great writers!
TC: It’s Canada’s 150th birthday this year! Do you have a favourite thing about Canada?
DW: Yes! The Canadian Tuxedo! LOL
Every time we go to Canada, there is this unbelievable pride in their sport, in hockey, in their families. The passion they share for music, for everything. They love things that they can relate to. Canadians are tough people and I really appreciate that!
TC: If you had to write a song about Canada what would you call it?
DW: Something about the snow, watch the snow come down… something about the northern territory. Way out in the wilderness where the wild wolves sing, listen to the song I bring… ohh Canada! (Instead of just giving us a name, he basically wrote us a song)!!!
It was just announced that Drake White will be at CMA Fest 2017 and more excitingly (for us) he will be back in Canada for CMW before he takes the stage at Boots and Hearts in August. Pre-sale tickets are available now! (code: SPARK) General public tickets are on-sale Friday, March 24 for $25.00CAD.
Toronto fans – follow us on Facebook to find out how you can win passes to see him on April 18th. Below is a little preview of what you can look forward to. Goosebumps.
