C&I talks to up-and-coming country band Indigo Summer about their new single, “Wants What It Wants,” from their recently released self-titled debut album.
Up-and-coming country band Indigo Summer, comprised of the super songwriting duo Bryan Edwards and Hope Nix, is currently riding the success wave of their recently released self-titled debut album. Now the two are adding to their list of accomplishments with the announcement of their latest single, “Wants What It Wants,” a whirlwind love song about the trials and tribulations of an unhealthy relationship.
Edwards and Nix began making music as Indigo Summer in 2010 after meeting in Nashville at songwriter’s night at the famed Hotel Indigo (hence the name of the band). Forsaking their solo careers, they embarked on an even bigger journey as a duo. With their vocal harmonies, vulnerable lyrics, and head-bobbing tracks, Indigo Summer add an excitingly fresh twist to the country music genre.
Recently, C&I talked with Edwards and Nix about their partnership, their latest album, and the story behind their current single, “Wants What It Wants.”
Cowboys & Indians: What was the writing process for your new single, “Wants What It Wants,” like?
Bryan Edwards: Writing this song was a little vulnerable at first. It was one of the first songs that Hope and I wrote as a duo, so to write something with the depth and subject matter like this right off the bat took us both putting ourselves out there with each other and just being real about things.
Hope Nix: Writing “Wants What It Wants” was definitely a fun/different process as it was only our first song written with us as a duo in mind. It was our first time really homing in on our harmonies and the style of songs we wanted to bring to the table as a duo. Still easily one of our favorite songs on the album or, better yet, that we have written together.
C&I: Was there a specific moment during the beginning stages of “Wants What It Wants” that prompted the vision of the music video or the lyrics?
Edwards: The video was the brainchild of our videographer, Stephen Byrum, who has produced and directed all of our videos to date. It was fun to see his take on the song through the video. He did a great job capturing the emotion of the song.
Nix: When we wrote the song, we were just starting off as a duo, so we had no idea this would eventually be a single or that we would be making a video for it. However, I think the lyrics are so descriptive and when we did decide to make it a single/video our director really took those lyrics and made them come to life.
C&I: What do you hope fans will take away from your new self-titled debut album?
Edwards: My hope for the album is to create the expectation that this album is the basis of what we do, how we sound, and the kind of music we want to give [people]. I think it also gives us plenty of room to grow as Hope and I grow in our music and songwriting. We are really proud of it and excited for folks to start listening to the songs!
Nix: I really hope fans feel every emotion as they go through the album. I also hope they can’t help but sing along at some point.
C&I: You co-wrote all 12 songs on the album. What was that like?
Edwards: Easy-peasy. We went into this duo thing with a blank slate, wrote this first album completely honestly, and, I believe, created something really special.
Nix: [Bryan] and I have been co-writing together for almost eight years now, even before we became a duo. We write together so naturally — we know how to be real with each other and aren’t afraid to open up and let a little bit of something we may have going on in our life come out in a song. Sometimes that can be a hard thing to do if you aren’t comfortable with whoever you are writing with.
C&I: When you’re writing, do you start with the lyrics or the melody first?
Edwards: I usually like to start with an idea or title. It gives me a direction early on. If I have a melody that I’ve been wanting to write, I’ll try to match the right idea to that. And if I like the idea better than the melodies I have, I’ll just try to create a new melody.
Nix: I would definitely say lyrics. ... We usually come in with some titles, run through those, and decide together what we are feeling. We usually have some sort of idea on the melody even if it’s just if the song is going to be a ballad, mid-tempo or upbeat. Then again, sometimes we just go in and hope for the best. [Laughs.]
C&I: What made you pick “Wants What It Wants” as a single?
Edwards: It’s personally my favorite song of ours and [we] have been waiting to release it. It feels like a good fall/winter song and this is the last fall/winter before we start putting out songs from the next project.
Nix: I think we both just really feel this is one of our best songs overall, and every time we have played it out — whether it be just us and guitars or a full band — people really seem to dial in when we start playing it.
C&I: Do you all have a song on the album that you are most proud of or a song that you are closest to?
Edwards: This current single is my favorite and the one I’m most proud of. I would say that I’m pretty close to the song as well, just from past relationships. But “Wants What It Wants” has my favorite melody; it’s moody, it’s passionate, it’s fun to sing. It’s a little on the scandalous side but enough on the heartfelt side to resonate with people and portray something that is real. I think a lot of people can relate to this song.
Nix: My two favorite songs are “Wants What It Wants” — I just never get tired of singing it and I love the harmonies on it — and “Something You Miss” because it was a song that meant a lot to me and something I went through in my life. There’s something special about a song that [captures] something you personally went through.
C&I: Are there any songs that didn’t make it on the album? If so, can we expect to hear them sometime soon?
Edwards: There were just a handful of songs that didn’t make the album for one reason or another. I think the songs that are on the album are there because when we finished them we just had that feeling that it was something album-worthy. With the ones that didn’t make it, we didn’t have that feeling. And that feeling doesn’t usually change over time, so we likely won’t release those. We are already working on new material though and have been in the studio gearing up for the next song.
Nix: Hmmm. I think most of the songs that didn’t make the album will probably just stay where they are because we have grown a lot since writing for our first album. I think we are just kind of starting from scratch again and then we may revisit those old songs and see if they still feel like something special.
C&I: You met while performing at Hotel Indigo in Nashville. Do you have a favorite memory of performing there?
Edwards: Hope and I have actually known each other for almost seven years. We’ve played so many shows together that I can hardly remember them all. But I do remember the show that we basically decided we had to be a duo after that. It was at the Smith Mountain Lake Songwriter’s Festival in Virginia. We shared the stage together, backed each other up, and afterward we just asked whether or not we would ever want to do this together as a duo, and the rest is history.
Nix: I’m not sure I have a specific memory. I just know I played there a lot! It kind of became like a second home. I think it’s definitely a cool thing to have a story behind our duo name, though. Bryan and I have definitely grown a lot style-wise since those days.
For more information on Indigo Summer and to purchase their latest album, visit their website.
