I caught up with Seth
Ennis on his first trip performing in the UK – read on to find out what he
thought of C2C, his new EP, playing at the Bluebird Café, and more.
Ciara’s Country (CC):
I’m joined by a very special guest – none other than up-and-coming Nashville
star Seth Ennis! So first of all, thank you so much for joining me today.
Seth Ennis (SE): Thank you, that was pretty impressive – I
liked that little introduction!
CC: Thank you! And of
course, welcome to C2C!
SE: Thank you for having me!
CC: Is this your
first time in the UK?
SE: It’s not my first time over here, but the only other
time I was here, I was a super young kid, so I don’t really remember any of it
– this is my first time remembering my stay here.
CC: Aside from all of
the press and music stuff that you’ve been doing over here, have you managed to
get out and do anything quintessentially British or touristy while you’ve been
here?
SE: I wouldn’t say like anything touristy – I kind of drove
by some things downtown, but I’ve been kind of tied up doing stuff around here
so I haven’t had much downtime yet.
CC: And while you’ve
been at C2C have you had the chance to check out any of the other acts?
SE: Yeah, I was at all the shows on the first night, and
it’s cool because all the people here are all a close-knit family in Nashville,
and we see each other at festivals and things like this all the time. I was
actually talking to Cassadee Pope last night – that sounded like such a name
drop! I was talking to Cassadee Pope last night and she was saying it’s so
weird to see everyone over here, it’s hard to believe we’re not in America
right now. It just feels weird because it feels like a festival or show back
home, except even better, so it’s pretty cool.
CC: And this being
your first time performing in the UK, I think a lot of UK fans are really
excited to get to see you. How has the response been so far?
SE: It’s been incredible – I’ve never seen anything like it.
It’s awesome.
CC: I can say
personally we’re thrilled to have you here following the massive few months you
had after the release of your single Woke
Up In Nashville. What was it like having the song take off so quickly?
SE: I mean it’s pretty crazy, it feels like I’m in a dream
and I still haven’t woke up yet. That sounds like I was about to segue into my
song (laughs). No, it’s seriously crazy. It’s hard to believe what’s going on,
I guess when I was younger and I dreamed about being the guy on stage singing
the songs, I thought I would feel different once things started to happen, and
it doesn’t feel any different. I feel like the same old Seth. I’ve got a really
awesome team behind me, people are listening to my song and singing it back to
me, so I guess that’s different, but everything feels the same, I’m still
having fun.
CC: I think keeping
it grounded is very much a country way to handle success.
SE: Yeah, I think people who don’t stay grounded should just
go back home!
CC: And you’ve also
just released your first EP Mabelle –
can you explain the title?
SE: Yeah, so Mabelle is the first apartment complex I lived
in when I moved to town, and the album cover is actually me sitting on the
steps of that apartment. I moved to town with three of my best friends, and we
lived in a one bedroom apartment there, and it was like in four bunk beds. I
think my rent was only like $150, which is mega cheap for Nashville, but that’s
all I could afford. That was seriously the best year of my life – that’s where
it all began, so I thought I’d make that the first project I put out.
CC: I take it that
experience of starting kind of from the bottom in Nashville really influenced
the songs on that EP.
SE: Yeah, absolutely. A lot of the influence is from things
I’ve pulled from high school, stories about me in college, stories since I’ve
moved to Nashville. I don’t really write about my kindergarten days too much!
CC: What would you
say has been the most interesting song for you to write so far?
SE: I went on a writers retreat in Cabo, and I wrote a rap
song. That was pretty interesting.
CC: Will we be seeing
that on an upcoming album?
SE: Maybe so!
CC: Looking forward
to it! And you also play your own instruments too?
SE: Yeah, I did on Woke
Up In Nashville. And then on some of the other songs I’m still singing
background vocals on, and on a couple of them I’m playing like keys and guitar
here and then.
CC: What comes first
for you – the melody or the lyrics?
SE: It depends on the vibe in the room and what my
co-writers are doing. Sometimes you’ll be writing with somebody who’s really
good at lyric but can’t really sing, and sometimes you’ll be writing with
somebody who’s really good at singing but can’t write a lyric, so I kind of try
to play to the strengths of whoever I’m writing with.
CC: Once you’ve got
the idea for a song, how do you turn that into the finished product?
SE: I have no idea how it happens, it just happens!
CC: Still figuring it
out!
SE: Yeah. If there was a magic formula, I would pay a lot of
money to know it.
CC: I take it the
last few months have been pretty hectic.
SE: Oh yeah, they’ve been pretty crazy. It’s so fun though.
I like a fast-paced life.
CC: Do you have a
highlight so far?
SE: Oh man, there’s so many of them! The first time I heard
somebody sing a song back to me that I wrote. Another highlight would be when
Little Big Town introduced me at the Opry, that was pretty awesome. I wrote a
song on Lauren Alaina’s record, and she was playing at the Ryman and had me
come out and play the piano and sing background vocals, that was pretty
special. And then being here, obviously!
CC: Sounds like some
great highlights!
SE: Oh yeah, my life doesn’t suck!
CC: And of course,
anyone who follows you on social media will see that you’ve been waking up in
different cities on your radio tour – what was one of your favourite places to
visit?
SE: Some of my favourite places were Boston, the North West
like Seattle. I tried to have as much fun as I could everywhere I went.
CC: And it seems that
you’ll be waking up in the UK a bit more often since you’re coming here again
later in the year as well.
SE: I sure am! I’m coming to Manchester, Birmingham,
Gateshead, Glasgow, Bristol, and right here in London to the Royal Albert Hall.
That’s a bucket list place for me.
CC: There you go,
make sure you get tickets to go see Seth then! In terms of the music you listen
to, is there one artist who you think is currently underrepresented and
deserves more recognition?
SE: Oh, wow! Man, I played this Bluebird round today with
Charlie Worsham and Cassadee Pope, and Charlie is unbelievable. He’s a great
guitar player, and I guess I’ve never seen him in that kind of environment, and
I was very impressed. I’d like to see him on some bigger stuff pretty soon.
CC: Speaking of the
Bluebird, have you played the one in Nashville?
SE: I have, I’ve actually played the Bluebird accompanying
someone else, and then I’ve played it myself, and now the Bluebird in London.
CC: I think we’re all
very glad you were able to join us there at the Bluebird.
SE: It was so fun.
CC: As we draw the interview
to a close, I have to ask you what is the one question you wish you were asked
in interviews but never have been?
SE: What’s your favourite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle?
CC: And the answer
is?
SE: Oh, I don’t even know. I feel like everyone says
Michaelangelo. I like Leonardo, he’s the leader of the pack. I’m not even a fan
of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I don’t even know why that came to my mind!
CC: One of the most
unique answers I’ve heard nonetheless! Thank you so much for your time and
answering my questions today.
SE: Of course, anytime!
Huge thanks to Seth
and his team for agreeing to this interview – I had great fun interviewing Seth
and watching him perform over the weekend. If you’d like to be kept up to date
with future interviews and reviews, make sure to follow me on Twitter @CiarasCountry!
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