On her new acoustic music video for “Rock Stars,” she said, “It is fun to let go and do different versions of songs that you hear full productions of. This allows people to really listen to the lyrics.”
She co-wrote “Rock Stars” with Blue Foley and the late Randall Clay. “I went out to walk my dog one day, and the chorus came to me and I brought it to the other writers. The song comes from a perspective that hasn’t been put out there very much, especially in the Americana and indie genres. We miss Randall dearly,” she said, prior to noting that the video features her friend Carl Lindquist on guitar.
Regarding her plans for the future, Sebastian said, “I am still on tour with Miranda Lambert and we start tour rehearsals next week. We will be touring until the end of Thanksgiving. I will be busy, but I am also writing songs and I am writing for other artists. Hopefully, I will record my next album in the next year or so.”
At the end of November, Sebastian will be doing her annual Christmas show in North Dakota.
Digital age of music
She acknowledged that being an artist in this digital age is a quite different experience. “Growing up, the first time I listened to something was on my parent’s vinyl records. My first cassette tape was Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and all of the things I would listen to were on cassette,” she recalled.
“These days, everything is so different: music is so accessible, which I think is amazing, especially for independent artists. The digital age is definitely helpful, but at the same time, the business part of it is hard with the royalties for songwriters. I’m sure eventually it will be figured out,” she said.
On the passage of the recent Music Modernization Act (MMA), she said, “I think that’s amazing and a huge step, but there is a lot more that we have to do in the industry itself. The laws were so outdated and the artists need to get involved with it to know what’s happening. We need to come together.”
“Rock Stars” by Gwen Sebastian is available on Apple Music and on Spotify.
To learn more about Gwen Sebastian and her music, check out her official website.
