Katelyn Clampett~ New Song “Home for Christmas” Q&A!!!

A beautiful singer, songwriter, and gifted producer, North Carolina native Katelyn Clampett truly is the complete package. Her lively range, genre adaptability and wonderful writing skills have taken her all around the world. Clampett was a backup singer for Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande. Also she has gathered admiration from Victoria Beckham, Vince Gill and Kara Dioguardi.

Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers discovered Clampett at the age of 2. She next went on to receive a Songwriting and Vocal Scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music. After winning many songwriting awards at Berklee, she went west to compete on American Idol Season 9. Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Clampett was invited to join Selena Gomez and The Scene as a backup singer. She also went on tour as a backup singer (keyboardist and acoustic guitarist) with Victoria Justice and Ariana Grande, and she also shared the stage with some popular country artists, such as Dan+Shay, Love and Theft, Frankie Ballard and Kip Moore.

On November 30, 2018, Clampett released her new single “Home for Christmas.” This new song was written by Clampett and she also produced the track herself in her home studio in Nashville, with the help of a all female production and recording team: Alex Kline (guitar), Robyn Dell’Unto (co-production), Sarah Emily Berrios (mixing) and Amy Marie (mastering).

If you would like to find out more about Katelyn Clampett then check out her website at http://www.katelynclampett.com.

Q&A:

1. Hello Katelyn, how have you grown as a country musician in the past year?
I think I’ve grown immensely as a person, which subsequently has grown me as a country musician and songwriter. I’m very comfortable with myself at this point, and comfortable with saying things that I think I used to feel too introverted to say out loud. I’ve really learned how to trust myself and my natural instincts too. It’s funny, on “Home for Christmas,” a couple of the lines that I almost took out (out of fear of being “too true”) are the ones that stand out most to people. I’ve really learned how to hone the skill of not going down the rabbit hole of second-guessing to the point of paralysis, but to really trust my abilities and be confident in my perspective’s ability to connect with others when writing. Overall, I’m a lot less of who I’m told I should be this year, and have very much grown into myself, allowing my quirks to be on full-display. 😉 I think there’s a lot of liberation in that.
2. What is the background story behind your new single “Home For Christmas?”
I wrote it one day by myself in my home studio in Nashville, after thinking about holiday plans and feeling a massive rush of anxiety about it (some members of my family like to plan Christmas wayyyy in advance- cue eye roll). I realized that most Christmas songs out there are about the joys of the holidays, and I think it can be pretty anxiety-ridden and sometimes painful for a lot of people. So I wanted to take a comedic stance on how uncomfortable the holidays can be. I feel like everyone thinks their family is crazy to some capacity, and I wanted to paint that picture and make people laugh/relieve some tension about their holiday situations, so that they know they’re not alone.

3.    What is one of your favorite holiday traditions?
Every year, my brother (who’s 28 years old now- a full-fledged adult, mind you) will wake me up at the crack of dawn to go see what’s under the tree. His love language is clearly “gifts,” and I always deliriously bark at him for disturbing my beauty sleep (always right on the cusp of those solid 8 hours). But his enthusiasm is so childlike it’s precious and it makes me feel somewhat like a kid again, which I think is a really important thing!
4.    Is there something you wish your fans would take away from this song?
To just recognize and acknowledge the craziness of the holidays but not let it bring you down or effect you. To realize the humor and lightheartedness in potentially dark home atmospheres, and to realize that, if that’s you, that you’re not alone.
5.    Was there any other artists or producers that helped to create this song?
I wrote the song and produced the demo alone in my home studio. The finished production is mostly my original demo, where I played banjo, mandolin, did the programming, engineering and editing. I’m proud to have had the help of some incredible women and musicians finish the song with me, including Robyn Dell’Unto (who helped me finish the production), SarahEmily Berrios (who mixed the song), Alex Kline (who played dobro and electric guitar) and Amy Marie (who mastered the song). Proud to have had a badass all-female production team on this song!
6.    Is there anything new coming up with your music in 2019?
You’ll just have to wait and see. 😉 But I have spent 2018 writing/producing for other artists as well, so I’m very excited for 2019!
7.    Is there anything else you would like to share?
Music video is coming out soon! And if you like it/resonate with it, add it to your Spotify playlist! ❤