“2019 is shaping up to be a really fun year,” she said. “For most of 2018, I was busy in the studio co-producing my son, Nick Brennan’s debut country album, the self-titled Nick Brennan, which was released in December of last year. It’s a great album, I did most of the writing for it, and Nick is a rising country star, but it did take up most of my time.”
She continued, “Now, I am free to start working on my own CD this year and focus on my latest single on radio, ‘Here I Am’ and my next new release in June. I am still trying to choose what song that will be. I’ll be going on a radio tour at the end of May to promote both songs and love meeting with the DJs and program directors in person who have given me so much love and support. On completion of the new album, I’ll be hitting the road with live performances.”
“Most of my music, when writing for myself especially, is inspirational in nature,” she said. “Quite simply, I write to thank God. I love God so much, and my gratitude to God is overflowing. I just want to sing and play for everyone. I often tell my audiences that my songs are just messages from God, from God to me when I needed help, comfort, healing, and not from me personally to them.”
“My hope with these songs and their message is that they will have the same healing effect on them as it did for me at the time I wrote them. I know first-hand the power of prayer and it’s healing effects and hope my listeners will feel that as well,” she said.
Growing up, the songstress had a diverse background musically and a lot of different influences. “My parents were classical purists. My mom was an opera singer and my dad was a violinist. I grew up singing with the radio in the car: pop, R&B, and some country,” she said.
Brennan elaborated, “I’ve always loved to sing harmony, so I’d be singing some harmony part with Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Patsy Cline, Ann Murray, and Billy Joel, so many artists from all different genres. As I listened to more country and country gospel music, I felt like I had come home. My writing and singing just naturally evolved. I love listening to Reba, The Oak Ridge Boys, The Gatlin Brothers, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, the Gaithers and the Isaacs.”
Digital transformation of the music business
On the impact of technology and streaming on the music business, she said, “I think technology has changed the way people perceive music. There is now so much talent out there in all genres, and good talent, that it’s harder for artists to really get established.”
“People also expect to get their music for free, not just from radio but from all the new music outlets. Once you get established in the public eye, it’s a lot easier to expand your audience quickly with the new technology,” she said.
Regarding her use of technology in her daily routine, Brennan said, “It is so easy to write now whenever the inspiration hits you with your iPhone or iPad at hand, and I love that flexibility of singing into my phone. So much better than pulling over on the side of the road, madly searching for something to write on when an idea hits you.”
She added, “I have to say that when I am seriously at work at home or trying to flesh out a new song, I just love sitting and playing on my old console piano, totally alone with the music, writing everything by hand. Then, dashing to my computer to play with the lyrics some more in Word.”
For young and aspiring singer-songwriters, she said, “Let your light shine. The love you have for God and the desire to uplift your audience with the ideas God has given you. People will feel that love and want more of what you have to give.”
On her definition of the word success, she said, “Knowing that my listeners have been comforted and touched by the music, to feel uplifted, and to have some hope in the world.”
“My hope is that that these songs will touch someone’s heart so that they too can prove in their lives, the way I did, that absolutely nothing is impossible or too hard for God to heal,” she said.
To learn more about Cherie Brennan and her music, check out her official website and her Facebook page.
