A lot of it is the freedom to collaborate and do creative deals with people just to make songs work. If I wanted to do a collaboration with RAC, I could just figure out a way to do it, whereas with a major label, there’s a ton of red tape, and all those deals become really complicated. I think it was more just about the process of marketing and picking singles, and walking into an executive’s office, and him being like, “I don’t like this song! I like this one.” Just being able to be flexible and fluid with our own songs and singles that we want to pick. Well, I think creatively, I’ve always kind of done my thing and turned in my records. What is an example of something on this album that you wouldn’t have been able to do if you had stayed with a major label. The new album is still quite commercial and accessible. “CRAZYTALK” is your first album as an independent artist, and you’ve spoken of how you wanted to take control creatively. In anticipation of the release, Kearney met with Entertainment Voice to discuss music, inspiration, and the new album.

On many of the new songs, traditional songwriting fare is framed in buoyant EDM packaging. The new music further expands Kearney’s sound pallette, with a variety of electronic influences seamlessly making their way in. The record is also Kearney’s first as an independent artist, and consequently exhibits great creative freedom. ”Ĭoming from a seasoned recording artist and performer who had his first child last year, CRAZYTALK naturally reflects a more mature perspective than previous work. In the time since, Kearney has topped multiple charts, reached number 1 on iTunes, toured with the likes of John Mayer and Sheryl Crow, and has now released his fifth album, “ CRAZYTALK. His 2006 debut album “Nothing Left to Lose” was as pop as could be, but infused with hip-hop influence in a way that would become ubiquitous in mainstream music a decade later. Kearney indeed does play plenty acoustic guitar, but the similarities hardly go further.

The term “Singer-songwriter” has come to conjure coffee house fodder and singing over acoustic guitar. Nashville based artist Mat Kearney is a one-of-a-kind singer-songwriter - if it’s even fair to call him that. Mat Kearney Talks Independence, Nashville and New Album ‘CRAZYTALK’

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