One on One with Jamie Lynn Spears

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We love the single “How Could I Want More.” Could you give us more background on the song?

Yeah, I wrote the song with Rivers Rutherford. We wrote the song four years ago. I wrote it about my husband and what I was going through ya know, and I think that’s the best part about country music – being able to be honest and tell your story. It’s something I’m really proud of.

So, your single is part of this really awesome EP ‘The Journey,’ which you self-released with your team. Pushing a project on your own without the backing of a record label, what was that like?

It’s definitely a lot harder. A lot of your bigger artists go the traditional route with a record label. For me, it was about believing in myself and my EP and what was best for me as an artist was to go that route. But it’s definitely a lot harder. It’s not the easy route.

(Read our review of the EP here.)

You worked with Luke Laird and Chris Tompkins. What was the songwriting process like?

As a mom I can’t really do songwriting retreats but I’ve been in Nashville for three years meeting with songwriters, sometimes the same writers sometimes different ones, and I would go in and learn something from each of them. Chris Tompkins was one of the first writers I started to work with. I wrote “Shotgun Wedding” and “Big Bad World” with him. Ya know, after you write with a bunch of people you find who fits you best and who can help tell your story best. It was a really cool process doing that and I learned a lot during that time. So yeah, basically I’ve been a songwriter for the past three years. 

What’s your favorite song on the album? 

If I had to choose probably “How Could I Want More.” Just because it’s my first single and it’s something I’m really proud of. It’s really special to me.

What went into the planning for the music video?

The song is really simple and it’s about the lyrics so I wanted it to be in the studio without any distractions and just to focus on the music. So it was just a simple idea I had and I think it went through well.

Who are some of your biggest musical inspirations?

I love Loretta Lynn, Garth Brooks, and Alan Jackson. Those are probably three of my favorites.

I know you’ve been playing some fair and festival venues. Do you have any upcoming shows?

I did a lot of touring over the summer but now I really just go play wherever my team takes me. I have my daughter with me but she’s back in school now so I’m starting to slow down and really focusing on the next step of my career but I always put her first and have to sort of plan everything around her.

Billboard recently posted an article on the country format being exclusive in terms of somewhat shutting the door on new artists that come from the television and film industry. What is your take on that?

I think country music has a plan and they really want everyone to do it their way so it’s probably harder. But at the end of the day it’s really about the fans and if you’re putting out music you believe in you just have to find a place for it. It really comes down to the music. There’s no format that holds back a good song. It’s hard for everyone. It’s about finding your place and what works for you as an artist but (coming from a different industry) you definitely have to work a lot harder.

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