For Lori McKenna, a song is not so much created as it is discovered. “My job is to find the song in the room,” says the singer-songwriter, whose track record of “finding” hits has landed her multiple awards, including the Best Country Song Grammy in 2016 for “Girl Crush” (recorded by Little Big Town), then again in 2017 for “Humble and Kind” (recorded by Tim McGraw), and a nomination for Song of the Year at the 2020 Grammys for “Always Remember Us This Way” sung by Lady Gaga in the 2018 film A Star is Born.
McKenna, along with Keith Stegall and Paul Overstreet, will gather at this year’s SEWE festival in Charleston, South Carolina, for Lowcountry Lyrics, an already-sold-out evening in which they’ll share original songs they’ve written for themselves and Nashville superstars alike. And while songwriting and a wildlife expo may not seem like a natural fit, the way they see it, bringing a song into the world is a lot like casting a line or sitting in a duck blind: it’s all about being open to the wildness of inspiration.
Lori McKenna.
McKenna, who grew up in New England and still lives in Boston (with a condo in Nashville, too), was only thirteen when she started penning tunes, inspired and encouraged by her two older brothers who were also songwriters. “It was the seventies and I was listening to James Taylor, Carole King, Carly Simon—those amazing storytellers,” says the artist, who in addition to writing hits for others has recorded three acclaimed Folk/Americana albums. Yet despite McKenna’s decades of experience and achievements, she remains mystified by the creative process.
“A song has its own presence. You enter the writing room and you don’t know what the song is going to be. Our job is to listen and let it in,” she says. “I’ll often say to my co-writers or think to myself, It’s in the room, we just haven’t found it yet. What does that line want to be? I’ll mumble something along with a melody and something pops out, so I chase it. I’m endlessly fascinated by all the different ways you can find what it is a song wants to say.”
For Overstreet—a solo artist and songwriter with Number 1 hits for a veritable Who’s Who of country music: Randy Travis, Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, Tanya Tucker, Keith Whitley, Allison Krauss, The Judds, Ronnie Milsap, and George Jones, among others—the essence of a song really shines through when you hear it from the one who penned it. “The artists get so much studio production and hype behind a release, but when you hear a writer sing their own song, that’s when you realize how credible it is,” he says. “It’s bare; there’s no production. When you sit there with just a guitar and sing a song, it better be a good one. When you break it down, things get real.”
Paul Overstreet.
Keith Stegall, a music industry veteran who produces records for Alan Jackson, Zac Brown Band, among many others, agrees. “People may recognize songs from the radio, but they arise from that magical world where artists exist,” he says. “To be in an intimate environment where you get to see the songwriters playing off each other and hear their songs played and the artist describe how it was written, it lands in the listener’s lap in a new way. It’s a peek at the creative muse.” Stegall, who headlined SEWE’s inaugural Lowcountry Lyrics last year, is excited to try out some new songs this go-round. “I’ve got a couple close to my heart,” he says.
Keith Stegall.
Like a fly fisherman knee-deep in a swirling current, McKenna feels most attuned to the unknown and unexpected when she collaborates with other writers in a write around. “I could write a book about how cool they are,” she says. “I usually try to have some songs ready, but it’s not concrete—you’re inspired by who goes before you. You’re hoping for some connection, but you may not know the people sitting beside you or what’s coming. Then they’re singing this Hall of Fame song, and you’re like, Oh wow, I didn’t know you wrote that! It’s so fun. I’d travel anywhere to be in a write around.”
Although Lowcountry Lyrics is sold out, tickets for other events at the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition are still available. Visit sewe.com for details.
