Pop-rock artist, Bailey Spinn, has just released her heaviest album to date, death & devotion. The album is packed full of collaborations with several genre powerhouses; including Kellin Quinn, The Funeral Portrait, and Melrose Avenue.
Besides preparing for the album release, Bailey has been staying busy opening for Scene Queen's Metalicious tour, hosting her Idobi radio show Spinnin Out with Bailey Spinn, and preparing for her heaviest era yet. We caught up with Bailey to discuss all of these projects and more!
MSM: You've been staying busy recently leading up to the release of your new album death & devotion, what have the last couple of months felt like for you?
Bailey: It's been a very exciting couple of months collaborating with new artists, going on tour, and keeping my time busy with promoting the album. It was such a wonderful experience to go on tour and get to play some of the songs from the album before they came out to see what the fan reactions were. It made me that much more excited for the album to come out and for people to hear what I’ve been working on. These last few months were definitely busy and a bit stressful, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Can you tell me a little bit about what went into putting the album together? How did you know what songs would make the cut?
I usually have a strong gut instinct on the first lesson of a demo on whether it was going to make the album or not. When I’m listening back to songs that I’ve made, I’m not looking for anything specific. I really want to know if it invokes the right feelings that I’m dealing with. Most of the songs that made the album were the ones that I connected to the most, and that gave me an exciting feeling on the very first listen. I definitely like to collect opinions from the rest of my team and some of my friends, but usually I trust that if I love a song, there will be other people that will love it too.
death & devotion is full of collabs with iconic artists in the scene. What has that experience been like working and interacting with artists like Kellin Quinn on “long sleeves in summer" and The Funeral Portrait on "pins and needles"? Do you have any favorite moments from those sessions?
It’s been an incredible experience, getting to collaborate with so many artists that I look up to and have inspired my own career. It was nerve-racking to show my art to other musicians who have had an impact on me, but everyone was so kind and ready to collaborate. One of my favorite moments from those sessions was hearing Kellin’s vocals on my song for the first time. I honestly think it changed my brain chemistry and I have been such a big Sleeping With Sirens fan for years. It felt like a very surreal moment to me to hear him singing my lyrics so beautifully.
Currently, what do you think is the most surprising/unexpected song in your tracklist, and why did you pick it?
I think the most unexpected song is “pins and needles” featuring The Funeral Portrait. I wanted a song that would shock people and to get them to stop telling me that my music isn’t rock or metal. I went into that session knowing I wanted to make something pretty crazy and it definitely turned out exactly how I imagined it. Lee Jennings' vocals on the song really take it over the top for me and I am obsessed with how it came out.
How has your music evolved since the early days of "my worst enemy" and loser? What aspects have remained core Bailey?
My music has grown not only sonically, but also in the depth in my writing. Starting out, I would create the song based off of the exact feeling I had, but now I love to be a storyteller and really place myself into a scene, and write the song from there. My music taste was much lighter around the making of "my worst enemy" and loser, and over the course of making death & devotion, my music taste has grown far into the metal scene, which inspired the darker sound. I think what remains the same between all of these projects is my honesty with my audience, and my ability to share my experiences openly. Throughout it all I still love to create a safe space for people that have been through similar struggles that I have, and it will always be my goal to connect with new fans.
You’ve spoken about people making assumptions about your music and genre as a woman in rock. What does that look like for you, and what do you want people to understand about your art?
A lot of people like to diminish my art and tell me that it’s not rock or metal music because it doesn’t sound exactly like one specific genre. I think the beautiful part about creating music is that I don’t have to adhere to one single lane, and I love to combine the aspects that I like from many different genres in order to create my songs. I'd like people to understand that music has no bounds and I’m glad my songs don’t sound exactly like metal music they’ve heard in the past. I’d love for people to accept that the music is heavy regardless that I’m a female vocalist or that I started out with lighter music.
You recently went on the Metalicious tour with Scene Queen. What was that experience like for you? Were there any stand-out memories from that tour?
It was such an amazing experience opening for Scene Queen on the Metalicious Tour. I had been a fan of hers for years, and it was an honor that she had even considered me to open up for her. I had never done a tour of that capacity before or length, and I learned so much along the way. A standout memory for me was getting to play the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts, because I had played the smaller room at that same venue on my last tour and when we walked through it, I then said one day I would play the bigger room. That same year I came back and played the bigger room with Scene Queen, which felt like a very surreal experience for me. It was also amazing to connect with fans and so many different cities and get to hear how my music has impacted peoples lives. I got so many wonderful gifts from fans and heard so much positive encouragement that I will never forget.
You've recently gotten into radio with your show, Spinnin Out with Bailey Spinn. What has that experience been like for you? What was your biggest goal when you created the show?
It has been a wonderful experience, getting to start my own radio show and collaborating with so many artists to really have an impact on the show. My biggest goal when creating it was to create a comfortable space for other artists to open up about their experiences and share more behind their artistry. Through my own experience as an artist, I always found it easier to open up when there was a safe, inviting energy in the room, and I wanted to make sure I could be that for others. I really wanted to make a safe space for them to speak their minds and a space for me to connect with more like-minded people. It's an honor to hear from so many incredible artists this year, and I hope I get to continue hearing from more in the future.
Who are some of your biggest dream guests for Spinnin Out? Why?
Some of my biggest dream guests for Spinnin Out would be Vic Fuentes, Kellin Quinn, Amy Lee, and Courtney LaPlante. All of these singers have had a huge impact on my sound and the artist I have become. It would be such an honor to speak to them. I am an insanely big fan of every one of these singers, and I would love to hear more about their experience in the scene and get into the depths of how they write.
What has your transition from a social media creator to musician been like for you? How has the prior experience in social media helped shape your community into what it is now?
The transition from social media creator to musician was not always easy. People tend to put you into a box of creator, and aren’t accepting of those who want to venture into music. I’m really grateful that my audience and platform have gotten me to the point where I am today with my music, but it definitely was not without a lot of hate comments. Honestly, I think their hate just made me want to become an even better performer and artist, and to keep sharing to connect with those fans who are more open to the music. Being able to push past all the hate and continue on with my music, has built up my confidence and community.
Following the release of death & devotion, what can we expect to see next as we start to close out this year?
I have a lot of exciting projects coming up next year including more shows and even more music. Fans can expect to see me in some new places and on even bigger stages and I can’t wait to see them as well.
