By Selena Haynes • Photos Credit Austin McMaines
Musical genres often serve as boundaries but Cassadee Pope stands tall as a fearless artist who defies categorization. With her mesmerizing vocals and captivating stage presence Pope has emerged as a true force to be reckoned with. From fronting the band Hey Monday to her solo career in country music to her return to the pop-punk scene, Pope’s voice transcends labels. She has seamlessly navigated diverse soundscapes and is redefining what it means to be a versatile artist in the modern music industry. We spoke with Pope ahead of her performance at this year’s Nashville Pride Festival about her music, attending pride for the first time, and what it means to show up for the LGBTQ+ community.
Selena Haynes: The Will Weinbach remix of “People I Love Leave” is super hot. What do you think about it?
Cassadee Pope: I’m so excited. I literally couldn’t have imagined this song in that way and when Will hit me up to ask if he could remix it I just told him, ‘Sure, but you know I can’t really imagine that working, but give it a try.’ I was so excited when I got it back from him and it just feels like it was originally a dance song. It’s so crazy how it translated so well.
SH: So you have a new album on the way, correct?
CP: Yes! I’ve got about 12 songs on the docket and there’s more coming. I’m just focusing on really getting people to see me in this new way as a pop-punk artist and coming back to the genre. It feels really exciting to get the opportunity to ease people into it. I’m going to release a bunch of songs this year and have an album ready to go for next year.
SH: Is Nashville Pride the first Pride you’ve ever played?
CP: It is! I’m always out of town for it too so I’m so excited I’m even getting to go to it let alone play. A lot of my fan base is part of the LGBTQ+ community so I’m very excited to not only play a show for them but just to be able to be there in person and soak up all the love and energy. I hear it’s a super electric energy there and I’m very excited to be there so it will be a good time.
SH: What do you want to say to the LGBTQ+ community?
CP: I am a safe space. My shows are a safe space. I am so appreciative of the people that show up 100% as they are, that are authentic, and that are just navigating their lives rooted in love. I think this weekend — and this whole month really — is a time for all of us to put aside the things that have really been hard this year… especially in Tennessee with all the legislation and just the things that people say, the hate and bigotry that’s spewed by certain people even that live in Nashville. Just forget about all of that and celebrate who we are and just love on one another.
SH: You seem to really be coming into your own with the newer music. Do you prefer the edgy, pop-rock over country?
CP: I do, especially with where I am in my life. I think when I started to do country music it was a very just seamless move for me. I was in L. A. for a few years before I did The Voice and after The Voice ended, I had been doing my version of country music — like a pop-rock kind of version of country music. That actually was perfect timing to do country music in 2013 because Florida Georgia Line was starting to be bigger and Taylor Swift was going pop and [the song] “If I Die Young” was crossing over. It was a lot of really cool things going on in Nashville. At the time it was a great move for me and I loved it.
Now, it just feels like it’s the right time to go back to pop punk. I feel like I subconsciously started inching toward it with my last album, “Thrive,” because it was a pop-punk-country record. I just fell out of love with country music a little bit and I’m just following my heart at the point. There’s always a risk, but if you don’t listen to that little voice inside of you then you’re just kind of flying blind and I don’t ever want to do that. I know I’m basically running a business, but it’s all rooted in heart and authenticity.
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