Cyndi Thomson – Interview

Cyndi Thomson has the looks, the voice, and the skills to make it big in Nashville. Most extraordinary is that she’s looked at as the next big thing in country, but Cyndi is down to earth. She’s real, she’s honest, and she’s here.

Life’s busy, huh?

It’s been crazy. I just got back from my first CMA’s (Country Music Awards). I’ve been doing so many radio shows and promotions, so it’s been nonstop since last November to get my music out there and learn the business.

What was CMA’s like?

It was so busy that I didn’t even get a chance to cry like I thought I would. I was being pulled in so many different directions that I didn’t get a chance to realize I was at the CMA’s. At the Grand Ole Opry all the dressing room doors are open and it’s a great atmosphere, so to have that was great. But there was like seven girls to a dressing room, which was a mistake. (laughs) In the hallways there was food everywhere, and you see Trisha Yearwood out there and you freak out, or you see someone you love in the bathroom. (laughs)

Did you approach anyone you looked up to?

Well, like I was saying, I was going into the bathroom and Emmylou Harris was coming out and we bumped shoulders and I was like, ‘I’m sorry!’ I didn’t know her and I didn’t feel comfortable saying, ‘Hi, I’m…’ and we were in the bathroom, (laughs) so it wasn’t the time to shake hands. It was just chaotic there and I was really nervous.

So how big is Tifton, Georgia?

I’ve been telling people that there is twenty thousand, my mom says she thinks there is thirty-something, but that includes the other rural counties.

Is your family still there?

Home for me is Nashville. I’ve been there about five years, but my mom and dad and three sisters live there. I have nine nieces and nephews and they live completely different lives, but I do want to get married and have babies. It’s hard to hear my sisters saying how they met to go shopping or went over to mom’s house to eat barbecue chicken. It’s hard because I don’t get to do that. It’s sad, I love what I do, but I want to be with my sisters.

Now, on to the music. It seems like female country singers are looked at those singing songs others have written. Was it hard to convince someone you could do all this?

I think as a new female artist you do have to deal with some jaded people. In the beginning it was hard. I met Tommy [Lee James] and we started writing. My songs caught the ear of Sony Publishing and they wanted to hear me sing and hire me as a staff writer. Sony offered me a developmental deal, but that wasn’t what I wanted. At first I thought maybe I wasn’t good enough and maybe I had to go back to the drawing board. But that same day I was offered that, Capitol had been calling Tommy and the buzz was strong and wanted us to come in. So as soon as I got an answer from Sony I decided to go over to Capitol and sang a few songs. They offered me a deal right there. It was weird, and it worked to my advantage. But dealing with a publishing company beforehand really let me come in with a sack full of songs and time to work at my craft.

And learn the business.

Yeah. That was a big for me. In the beginning I was very involved and read and learned as much as I could.

I don’t think a lot of people realize what happens with the business end of it along with the publishing.

I didn’t realize how much business there was. When you are a kid, you just hold your hairbrush and sing in your bedroom. When you are done, you can just lay your hairbrush down and walk away. But there is so much that happens on the other side that you have to understand there is more. You really have two jobs, one as an artist and another as a writer. You’ve got to make time for both.

As a songwriter, how gratifying is it to have someone come up to you and say a song moved them?

It feels great because the songs are the truth. They came from my heart and I experienced everything on that album. To have someone come to me and tell me that they’ve gone through things I have, I can tell them now that that stuff that happened was the best thing because it made me stronger. In relationships you’ve had, you can take good things away and use them when you find the one that is forever. For me, being able to talk to fans has been really important because I set out to write songs people could relate to and feel something. Music is something we all lean on. I’m really blessed to be able to do this and have people relate to the songs.

Is the songwriting for you therapeutic or are you not conscious of it at first?

Every song is different. I went in and did a few songs yesterday and they were so pitiful sounding. I was begging for somebody to love me but it was a place where I was when I wrote it. When I write, it does have to be a part of me. If it’s not then I’m not that passionate about finishing it. Songwriting can be hard if you aren’t passionate, because when you are passionate, you can run like the wind with it.

Was country always the sort of music you liked?

That’s an interesting question. I grew up on all kinds of music. I have three older sisters and my mom and dad are musical people, but I was interested in a lot more things. I was really making my choices around twelve or thirteen. It was Trisha Yearwood who really made an impression on me. I wasn’t a traditional country fan. My parents didn’t really purchase that kind of music, but I did have a Hee-Haw album. (we both laugh) I did like the Mandrell Sisters and I had a vision of me and my sisters, that we’d be in this band and I could play the drums, but they didn’t want to do it. The day I saw Trisha Yearwood I knew I wanted to do country music. I knew it would take me a long time, but I knew I wanted to sing.

What else did you listen to?

I grew up with Def Leppard and Poison. I loved monster ballads. I was a huge Edie Brickell fan. I liked The Cure. I was all over. It’s because I really love music. When you are a country artist, people tell you not to talk about other music.

Do you think that is finally changing?

I think it has to because music has changed so much.

I did the opposite. My dad was a huge country fan so I grew up on that and rebelled against it. I just wasn’t feeling that it was true to me.

And I think that is important. You have to find your own identity. My friends and I weren’t listening to country growing up. It was Poison, even though we had to do it secretly because my mom didn’t want me listening to that. (we both laugh) I also listened to the Eagles and Doobie Brothers. I haven’t denied any of that. Everyone wanted me to say I listened to all these country artists growing up and they were my influences, but it really wasn’t true.

Truthfully, it seems Nashville is a bit insecure about their future because they want people to be tight-lipped on their influences outside of country. I just find it weird that Nashville acts this way.

I think they shouldn’t worry about it because I chose this genre. I chose country music. I could have sung pop, but I didn’t. I chose country because of Trisha Yearwood and because of my voice being more southern.

In pop you couldn’t have gotten your point across and have a future.

I am a strong Christian and I’m not perfect and I think God has shown me this path. I don’t think I chose my path, I think it chose me. I could be dropped tomorrow from the record label, but I know that I’m in the right place. I know that because of the team of people I have around me, and it’s divine in many ways. Who knows what is going to happen in my life at any time, and I all I can have is faith. So I know I’m where I’m supposed to be right now.

When you go to bed at night, what is your dream?

How long from now?

Five years from now.

Five years from now I’ll be thirty. Hopefully I’ll be proud of being thirty and not freaking out, but I want to be married and I want to start a family. I want to have a garden and give vegetables to people and they call me to tell me, ‘That was the best vegetable I’ve ever had.’ I want that kind of life. I want to be writing a lot. I want to be doing this too. I really hope I’m making people happy. I don’t want to stick around because I need to fulfill a contract. I want to be making a difference. It’s exciting to think about, but I live every day as it comes. Every day is precious.

+ charlie craine