Country singer Chelsea Gill has a fun new song! We sat down with Gill about the “lighthearted” track and what it means to her.
Nashville Noise: I’m loving how catchy this song is! What’s the story behind it?
Chelsea Gill: I wrote “Ray-Bans” as a lighthearted look at little things left behind after a breakup — his t-shirt, your favorite record or in this case, his favorite sunglasses. Sometimes those things can bring up memories and make you sad but other times you know you are so much better off without him. Many times I’ve focused on what I’ve lost when a relationship ends but sometimes what you gain is so much more — freedom, strength, empowerment and self-love. I feel strong when I realize I am happy and worthwhile no matter what a man says. If your ex doesn’t know what he/she is missing, you better run! To me, “Ray-Bans” is about holding on to the good from a relationship and letting the rest drift away.
Did you write this from a personal experience?
CG: Yes! I got the idea for the chorus and decided to team up with songwriter and artist Lexi Mackenzie to finish it off. Lexi has an amazing talent for pop rhythm and lyrics so I knew she would be the perfect fit to capture the vibe. Together we talked about past breakups and how often we are left with little reminders of the past. Both of us have had moments of finding an old flame’s stuff around the house and either feeling sad or in some situations realizing we are in a much stronger place on our own. Not every detail of the song is specific to personal experience, but the general idea comes from saying, “Thank goodness that did not work out!”
I love that you took a positive spin on a breakup since there are so many sad breakup songs. What’s been the response from your fans?
CG: Fans have really been loving this song! It’s such a feel good upbeat tune that it’s hard not to love. I wanted to give fans a happy and empowering song to introduce my new project and new song. When I sat down to listen to all the tunes I recorded this past year, I knew this was the perfect song to finish out the summer.
Obviously, this was a perfect song for the summer! What else is on your summer feel-good playlist?
CG: I’ve been loving “High Horse” off of Kasey Musgraves’ new album Golden Hour, Dan + Shay’s new album, Maroon 5, Carly Pearce, Old Dominion’s Happy Endings and Haim. The list is too long!
This is from your upcoming sophomore project. Can you give us any hints about that? And when we can expect it?
CG: I am releasing the project as a series of singles to really give the listener a chance to hear each song and soak it in. Each song has such a different meaning and story behind it, I wanted to be very strategic about this release. The “Ray-Bans” music video is coming very soon along with a new single in the next couple months. Everything is recorded and ready to go so I’m excited to finally share these songs with the world!
Grab your own copy of Gill’s new song, “Ray-Bans” below. Just click on the album art to download it. Stay tuned for more news from this talented artist soon.
