Lera Lynn
Ixchel Lara

This week in The 615 Spotlight, Billboard is excited to debut "La Di Da" from Lera Lynn. It's the lead track from her upcoming project The Avenues, which is set for a Sept. 9 release.

"It's a song I started writing really late one night a couple of years ago," she said. "Some people had urged me to finish it. When I started working with my producer for The Avenues, Joshua Grange, he said 'You gotta finish this song.' So he helped me do it. Sometimes, it can be tough to finish them for some reason. You can just leave them floating forever. We finished it, tracked it live, and cut it at his studio in Los Angeles. It was the first song we did for the album."

The album title is symbolic in more ways than one. Lynn's musical influences range from classic country to 80s rock, and the title alludes to where she recorded the disc. "The area where we made the record is called The Avenues, so I thought that was the perfect title with a lot of double meaning I have been influenced by a lot of different kinds of music. My parents listened to a lot of old country music, and bluegrass. They also listened to Van Halen, Metallica, Joni Mitchell, and Michael Jackson, so they were kind of all over the place musically. I guess I am too."

She also cites her mom as a musical influence. "My mother was actually a singer. She performed with a band, and would always rehearse. So, there was always guitars and keyboards around the house, and my dad played a little bit." 

Lynn gets personal on cuts such as "Letters," "Coming Down," and "Leave It Up To Me," which delve into her sometimes difficult relationship with her alcoholic father – who passed away when Lynn was in her 20s. She admits she tells some, but feels she held back quite a bit. "I guess for music I'm not afraid to talk, but I do keep some of it to myself." 

As a songwriter, Lynn feels there is a line that one can cross in telling too much about themselves. "I think that's a successful song – when it can affect a lot of people in different ways for different reasons. I think if you get too specific, that ruins the potential for the song to move as many people."

Just as she is musically diverse, Lynn's upbringing had her living in many different places, as well. "I guess that's the side effect of being an addict, you have to keep relocating. We followed my dad around to various jobs. We landed eventually in Georgia where I spent the majority of my growing up. I'm happy to be in Nashville now. I feel like this is where I belong, at least for now."

She says Nashville is exactly where she wants – and needs to be as a musician. "It's very professional here. I lived in Athens, which is also a hotbed of creativity. But, when you come to Nashville, everyone has really got their shit together. You show up for a rehearsal, everyone knows the song. They're wearing what you asked them to wear – no questions asked. It's very refreshing. If you're making music your career, you want to work with people that are doing the same thing. I can't say enough for how much talent and professionalism in Nashville. It's a very creative place!"

Lynn will be on the road this summer, and is gearing up for the Americana Music Festival in September.

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