Explore the colorful world of Kacey Musgraves as we dive into the writing and production of her genre-bending hit single, ‘Slow Burn’. In his debut series, Ian Fitchuk breaks down the creative process behind the song and reveals how to craft innovative musical arrangements using live instrumentation.
Ian begins by revisiting his early years in Nashville, sharing the story of how he first met Kacey and co-producer Daniel Tashian. Together, this small team set out to expand her sound by incorporating influences outside of traditional country and Americana. Ian walks through the instruments and techniques they used in the studio, explaining how they layered live drums, acoustic guitar, and banjo with more adventurous textures like vocoders, synthesizers and orchestral strings.
After wrapping up the recordings in Nashville, the team took the album to Los Angeles to work with Grammy award-winning mixer Shawn Everett. Ian opens up about this collaboration and the impact Shawn’s approach had on the record’s sound. Finally, Ian reflects on the album’s impact on his life, career, and the music industry as a whole. He discusses the growing influence of country music on the world stage and shares valuable insight on how to establish a sustainable and successful career in music.
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