ACL Interview with Savannah Conley

Photos by Joel Pena - Photographer, SA Sentinel

October 16, 2019 - Austin, Texas

Article By: Joel Pena - SA Sentinel

Artist: Creative, Passion to Create, Strong Character, and Savannah Conley

This is the new definition of an artist. Everything you can think of when you hear the word artist plus the name Savannah Conley, who is leading the way for a new generation of what it means to be an artist.

While growing up, Conley was no stranger to music while living just miles away from Nashville’s music scene and having two musically talented parents, music just seemed like the logical career direction that was going to cross her path, if not now then later. 

After opening for huge acts, touring, earning awards, releasing her debut major-label EP Twenty-Twenty in 2018, Savannah Conley makes her Austin City Limits Festival debut and we had a chance to talk about her experience and her come up.

How is your ACL experience so far? 

It’s COLD but awesome, it’s been great so far and everyone has been so nice and helpful and the line up is absolutely crazy. 

How was it performing here at ACL?

It was great! Over half the set was new songs, it was only the second time we play most of the songs we played today. It was nerve-racking but the crowd was super chill and we have a lot of slow sad songs so it is always a crapshoot whether or not if people are into that or not but they were into it so it was cool. 

Perfect weather for it isn’t it?

Yes! I was like “you know what? Actually, this is good for me” (Laughing)

Growing up you had music all around you, how did you come into it on your own. As your own musician, as your own artist, how did you find that identity?

I still kind of think I haven’t, I think the beginnings of it took me abandoning it all together. I went to college for an education degree and didn’t play anything, didn’t play any music or didn’t write for two years but you can only run from it for so long if thats what you know you want to do. 

My parents and I had a lot of discussions and finally my mom looked at me and said you need to quit school and I was like “Okay”. (laughing)  I mean if my mom is telling me to quit school,  that probably means I should quit school. I still think I will always be in an era of finding myself… I like to listen to all different kinds of music, to be inspired by all different kinds of art, different live shows and all kinds of things… I think that immersing myself in it after that is good.

Sometime after you left school to pursue music, you opened up for not just big acts but legends, Willie Nelson and Brandi Carlile, what were you felling when all that was happening? 

It was validating for sure. I’m never one for ‘it was meant to be’ I mean everything happens from hard work I don’t think everything is meant to be but…it did kinda feel like it was meant to be because I quit school and six months later I signed a record deal so it was very much timing that was impossible for me to ignore. I had to go for it and at that point it was unavoidable that I had to do that and felt right and absolutely terrifying and here we are now.

What do you think your genre would be considered a part of? It seems like theres a lot of genres associated with your name.

Yes! (Laughing) I’m glad you say that, that’s the goal! That really is the goal, is for nobody to put their finger on it because I don’t want that. If I want to do a hardcore rock record next year, I want to be able to do a hardcore rock record and everybody is like, “oh cool!” And then the next year I do a 30’s inspired record and everybody is like, “sick, cool”, and it's never out of left field. Thats the goal to have all my options open and all times which I think is kinda cool for everybody…Feel like Indie is the most all inclusive genre, so thats kinda where I would like to land in.

I was seeing the rest of your tour, you’re pretty much booked for the rest of the year. You got the midwest and then a big east coat set of dates.  

Yes, Ive been out with Ben Folds for most of the year and I’m heading out with him straight after ACL and then out with CAAMP after that and then its the new year. So crazy its come so fast. 

Do you have a new album coming out next year?

Yeah, that will be out early next year Im saying that right now so I will hold myself to it because I’m a perfectionist from hell. I want everything to be exactly how I want it, all the time. Which is completely impossible but I’m saying it so it will happen! (Laughing)

You can check out Savannah Conley’s tour dates and music at https://savannahconley.com/