GILLIAN HAY ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM, MAGNOLIA BABY
Introducing Gillian Hay! When she’s not rocking her nursing scrubs, striking yoga poses, or jamming with her brother, Gillian’s penning musical magic. Get ready for her debut album, Magnolia Baby, dropping April 12th, featuring the irresistible new single “Apartment.”
Recorded live off the floor, “Apartment,” is a must-listen for fans of Kacey, Lucinda, and Phoebe.
“I wrote the song Apartment about that heartbreaking feeling when you love someone, but you know they don’t love you the same,” shares Gillian. “I think many people can relate to this sentiment when I sing – ‘If loving you is painful, why is leaving you so hard on me?’ – and I hope this song makes them feel a little less alone.”
Prior to stepping into the studio, Gillian curated a playlist to convey her creative vision to producer Gavin Gardiner (The Wooden Sky) and the band, setting the tone for their collaboration.
“The main influence for “Apartment” was “Motion Sickness” by Phoebe Bridgers. I absolutely love that song and the raw emotion and feel of it.”
In Gillian’s words,
“I was dating this guy, and it was one of those agonizing on-again, off-again, hot and cold relationships. After I ended things, I was looking back at the whole thing, and I was like, oh my goodness, I was in so much pain that entire time!!!” Gillian felt like she really lost herself in the time they were together and forgot that she is an independent, awesome person who deserves so much more than the breadcrumbs he was giving her. Gillian reflects, “I felt like I lost my soul; I couldn’t tell him no, I couldn’t say goodbye, and I couldn’t leave him even though the relationship wasn’t healthy.” She adds, “It took me some time to walk away and to get over that ‘empty silence’ of not being loved in the way I wanted and deserved. From these confusing and heartbreaking feelings stemmed “Apartment.””
“Apartment” was recorded at All Day Coconut Studios with veteran producer Gavin Gardiner and co-produced by Gillian’s brother Dylan Cantlon Hay. This song is quite vulnerable, and she really wanted the emotions to be felt through the music, so they recorded it live off the floor, which made it such a fun and authentic experience.
After the studio session with Gavin, her brother Dylan and Gillian added some sparkly touches such as the guitar licks in the chorus, synths to give it that dreamy feel, and background vocals.
“I have always loved country music and pedal steel has such a special place in my heart, so I felt very fortunate when pedal steel wizard Aaron Goldstein (Kathleen Edwards) agreed to play on the track.”
“Apartment” was mixed by Will Maclellan at Sound City Studios (Phoebe Bridgers) and mastered by Noah Mintz (Arkells).