Earlier today, Baeblemusic aired their interview and performance with Mat Kearney. Filmed in August on the day of his record release for, Young Love, Kearney explains his songwriting process for the album along with many of the stories behind the tracks on the LP.
“This record I went back to me and some buddies in a room and we would build beats and create these groves and then I would write songs to them,” Kearney said. “It wasn’t your typical singer/songwriter record. It was very visceral from the start. It had to hit you in the chest before we would even start with something.”
An incredibly personal release, Kearney said his focus on this album was telling real life stories.
“It had to be within an arms reach or I wasn’t going to write about it. It forced me to write about things that were very personal. I had to bleed every line to say it because it came from someone I knew or it came from my own life . . . it was very challenging to be that honest in songs.”
Before he performed each track, he told the tale behind each song. First single, “Hey Mama” is about meeting his wife at a clothing store while “Rochester” is about his father.
“Real life is so much more interesting than what you can fabricate,” he concluded.
Watch the complete interview below as well as Kearney perform a few tracks live.
Watch the full video at Baeblemusic.com
Related Links:
• Mat Kearney Celebrates No. 1 Album with Intimate NYC Performance
• Q&A with Mat Kearney
• Song of the Week: “Hey Mama”
• Album Review: Mat Kearney’s “City of Black & White”