Mary Richard is one of the most promising songwriters in today’s music scene as attested by her hypnotic debut single ‘Deja Vu’. Jason Barnard speaks to Mary about her influences and what’s more to come.
Can you tell me about ‘Deja Vu’?
The inspiration behind Deja Vu is pretty simple. I wrote the song when I met my now-boyfriend last year. The song was essentially an answer to a song he had written to me a couple of weeks prior. When we met, we both had a long period of time in which we experienced quite a lot of deja vu when around each other. We often spoke about how we had felt as though we had known each other long before we met in this lifetime. I wrote the song in my backyard in Autumn of 2019 in about 10 minutes and sent him a voice recording. Here we are in September of 2020, and my boyfriend actually produced the track.
What can share about your forthcoming album?
I’m currently still in the process of writing and recording my debut record, most of what I’ve been writing pertains to the struggle of mental health issues and things of that nature, as I’m very passionate about that topic, in particular. I’m not 100% sure where the record will go, but I’m definitely aiming for more of a concept-style record. I’m recording the record here in Nashville, TN, with my boyfriend Austin Sisk in our home studio.
How do you write?
Songwriting usually varies for me. It depends on the situation I’m in, but I usually find myself in situations where a lyric and/or melody will come to me and I end up recording a voice memo on my phone and then work from there. That’s usually how it starts for me.
Where you originally from and how long have you been making music?
I’m originally from Miami, FL, though, I moved to Chattanooga, TN when I was 18 with my family. I’ve been writing songs and making music full-time since I was 15. I started out playing in bars and small venues around that age and haven’t stopped pursuing a career since.
What’s the music scene like where you’re based now?
I currently live in Nashville, TN. The music scene here is vast and the artist community is wonderful and very supportive. They don’t call it “Music City” for nothing, that’s for sure. Pre-pandemic, there was live music happening just about every night. It’s definitely slowed down a bit since March, but I’m hopeful that things will turn back around eventually.
What artists, past and present do you admire?
The artists that I greatly admire are mainly artists from the 1960s/70s. I really love Fleetwood Mac, Joni Mitchell, Damien Rice, and Joan Baez, but as of late, I’ve been really enjoying Weyes Blood. Her record “Titanic Rising” is an absolute masterpiece.
What’s next?
My plans for the next year are definitely to finish this record and have it released, hopefully by Summer of 2021. Ideally, I’d love to tour and play shows around the U.S, but that’s all very dependent on what happens with the pandemic.
Get Deja Vu for all the usual streaming services.
