BY LESLEY HASTINGS

It’s been a very busy and exciting year for platinum-selling country artist RaeLynn who was born and raised in Baytown, Texas but now lives in Nashville with her husband and young daughter. Earlier this year she returned to the Valory Music Co. / Big Machine Label Group and kicked off a slew of new releases in May with the boot-stomping “Heaven Is A Honky Tonk” before hitting the road with Jason Aldean on his “Full Throttle” tour. 

Most recently she has given us her 6-track Christmas EP “Jingle Jangle Rock” 

https://raelynn.lnk.to/jinglejanglerock

So there was a lot to talk about when I managed to grab 15 minutes of her time last week! It was a really fun and interesting chat which I hope you enjoy!

I began by thanking her for her time and asking where she was talking to me from …. so readers can visualise the scene! 

“I’m at my label in Nashville, TN, on this really nice brown couch with a white pillow and a grey pillow . Actually there’s a funny story, I’ve been around Big Machine since I was young, I first started with them at eighteen, and this is the room I had my first fitting in Nashville in!” 

Which led to me congratulating her on her recent return to the label, an emotional full circle moment I assumed? 

“Thank you! Yes it was, I felt it was an ‘Ah Ha’ moment , like ‘how funny God is … well ok here we are!’. It was cool too though as I have a different team now with management and publishing,having so many moments come together is really special. I’m really excited to have Big Machine back on board and Jonas Group (my management / publishing group) … we are all going to make this thing happen, I love my team!” 

I commented on how busy she’d been since when it came to putting out new music….

“Yes we’ve gotta just keep going! I put out three tracks this Summer and the Christmas project, it’s all been really fun!”

I wanted to start with that festive release, as we are scarily almost at Christmas again already …..I assume from her socials that RaeLynn is a big fan of the season? 

“I am and I’m actually very proud of myself as I’m decorating the house for Christmas this weekend …. especially having my daughter it’s such a blast to see the holidays through her eyes. My job as her parent is to make it as magical as it can be. She’s so musical too, she dances and sings to ‘Jingle Jangle Rock’, she knows all the lines! Look on my TikTok and you’ll see!” 

My next question was out of so many festive songs why she chose to cover “Run, Run Rudolph” and “I Only Want You For Christmas” on the EP…..were they always favourites? And I said that I love how she really has put her own mark on them! 

“Thank you! First of all I love the Opry at Christmas, it’s magical, and I grew up listening to Alan Jackson’s ‘Honky Tonk Christmas’ record, and ‘I only Want You For Christmas’ was always one of our favourite songs ….(she began singing it to me!!) … and ‘tie a ribbon around yourself’ is such a cute line, I’ve never heard a female sing it either! And I’ve always had the idea of making ‘Run Run Rudolph’ my own, I’ve always sung it the way I ended up recording it and putting my own spin on it. So it was really easy for me to decide on those two!”

Then when it comes to the originals I said I love the sassy ReaLynn that comes out, and that “Redneck Christmas” makes me laugh so much with the images it portrays … “antlers on the hound dog” for example….

“Ha thanks and absolutely, it’s great, it you’ve not done a taco in a bag you really haven’t lived life yet” 

But the final track on the EP shows a very different side to her ….what could she tell me about “The Barn” (a co-write with Aaron Gillespie and Lauren Hungate) which I told her I absolutely love and which gives me a bit of a “The House That Built Me” feel. 

“Yeah I love that Miranda song. Aaron had that title, so I asked him what he was thinking and we were just kind of talking about more of a country song, not necessarily a Christmas one. But my favourite thing about the story of Jesus is the fact that this little baby born in the lowliest of low places changed the world, people’s dreams, hearts and lives. There’s a place or moment for everyone that shapes us, it doesn’t matter where it is, and I brought real life experiences that I’ve gone through, or different fans have gone through, and compared all those moments to Mary’s story. It is my favourite song on the record because of that, when we figured out the hook ‘ all my memories, dreams and Jesus were born in a barn’ it was like I still have dreams and aspirations and if Jesus and Mary can do that, the we all can power through it. That’s what the holiday spirit is about, family and being there for each other and supporting each other. I hope that song resonates like that with people”. 

The Christmas EP was originally 5 tracks, with  “Let The Holiday Come On In” being added the day after we spoke so I wanted to know how that came about….

“Yes!! A couple of weeks ago we found out that a song I wrote earlier this year made it to a Hallmark movie so we’ve added it as a surprise bonus track to the EP. It’s very different production-wise but very special” 

I then backtracked to the EP released earlier in the year, and I mentioned I felt there was quite a rock vibe coming through on both “Heaven Is A Honky Tonk” and “Long Live Country Music” which I hadn’t heard from her before……

“Yes Ma’am! I started working with a guy called Aaron Gillespie, he’s the drummer of a band that’s been together about twenty years, Underoath. So he contacted me and said tho he’s known as a rock guy he’s really a country guy at heart and he’d love to create some music with me. I’m grateful I said yes to that call as it changed my life! I’ve always admired artists like Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert….that rock/country side …so being able to tap into the raspy side of my voice more and write songs like that was so much fun. Aaron also brought me to the table of production, and that’s why you can really feel and hear me in these songs”. 

I had noticed RaeLynn had co-produced the EP, and said I liked how female artists were getting more involved in this traditionally male dominated part of the creative process….is it something she hopes to do more of? 

“Yes Ma’am, I enjoy it so much and I hear things ….I’ve always had input in my own music but as I’ve got older I really want to stick up for myself”.

The EP ends with “Fall Together” which shows a very different side to RaeLynn, pensive and gentle,  with an accordingly more stripped back production. It’s a very relatable track too I told her, that “make or break” point in a relationship, is it getting a lot of feedback from fans? 

“Yes it is! I’ve been married for ten years which is insane, but I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is that through every trial and tribulation you either decide ‘we’re going to get through this’ or else you’re selfish and go separate ways. One great thing about me and Josh is that we’ve always chosen to fall together, and I pray that we always will. There’s that internal struggle when you’ve been in a relationship a long time with anybody……for some it’s with their Mom or their Dad, or a friend, and when you love someone you have to make that decision. I love this song and what it represents , and that’s its very relatable”. 

So how was it being out on the road with Jason Aldean this year, further expanding her fanbase I’m sure? 

“Nate Smith was with us too, and we had a really great time!  It was awesome to be around his fans, they were just so welcoming and I did a lot of new music on the tour…..a ten-minute medley of older stuff, but I took the chance to try some new stuff. The fans really took to it and loved it, and I’m really excited to get this music out to them! 

Which led me nicely to ask asking what 2026 will look like ….more EP’s, an album, tour dates? 

“Well I think we are going to finish putting out the record, we’ve been teasing a few of the songs from the project …..and we are going to radio here in America which is going to be great.

So does she mean an album is on the way? 

“Full album, yes ma’am! And new shows too…..we are going to hunker down and find some new tours to get on…..I’m really excited for what’s ahead “.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen RaeLynn over here, she played C2C in 2019….what are her memories of UK fans and will she be coming back ? 

“C2C was my first experience of how y’all listen to music, I came out and everyone cheered and was then really quiet! Y’all take in every lyric and are so thoughtful in how you respond. It’s really cool. So I’m excited to see when we get to come back, and I hope I get to be part of C2C or something cos I loved being a part of that festival” .

I finished by saying when (not if!) she returns here then I’d love another chat, but face to face next time ….

“Yes I’d love to meet you Lesley” 

RaeLynn has a special festive show at Nashville’s City Winery on December 11th (which she told me she was super excited about and invited me along … ha, I wish!) and steps into the circle at Grand Ole Opry on December 22nd . 

More artist information and links to socials here https://www.raelynn.com/