Tigirlily Gold knows that people gossip about artists who play Nashville’s Lower Broadway. The biting remarks are typically about singers trapped in the neon neighborhood, never advancing from Music City’s most touristy bars to Music Row.
The sisters, who got their start playing Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row in the heart of bachelorette central, think the notion is crap.
“There’s definitely a stigma about you’re just going to get stuck down there,” says Tigirlily Gold’s Kendra Slaubaugh in an exclusive interview with American Songwriter. “It was never that mentality for us. First of all, we need to pay our rent, we need to pay our bills.
“I don’t see anybody else paying my bills,” sister Krista Slaubaugh quips.
“And if we’re going to get a job, why not still do something that can better us as musicians, as performers,” continues Kendra. “We are still playing music. It’s a little bit different route than maybe we thought we’d be taking, but it still checks all the boxes for us.”
The North Dakota songstresses released Blonde, their debut album on Monument Records, on July 26. Tigirlily Gold co-wrote eight of the 10 songs on Blonde, and Shane McAnally executive produced the collection.
“Playing Broadway Is the Best Thing We Ever Did for Ourselves” – Tigirlily Gold
The women never thought they would be discovered playing on Lower Broadway. They also went to college at Belmont and wrote songs several days a week. Playing the famous strip was a way to hone their skills as entertainers and songwriters and learn about the music industry.
“Playing Broadway is the best thing we ever did for ourselves,” Kendra says. “It’s the best thing we ever did for our career. We did not get a record deal from someone coming down to Broadway and seeing us, but it was part of the whole picture.”
By the time Tigirlily Gold signed their record deal, they’d already spent more than 10,000 hours on stage entertaining crowds. During that time, they fine-tuned their sound and learned what audiences most wanted to see and hear.
“It prepares you just for this industry,” Krista says. “It is never easy on artists, no matter what stage of it you’re in.”
With Blonde, Tigirlily Gold spins everything true of the duo’s story and artistry into an album of sassy anthems. The sisters wrote between 40 and 60 songs for Blonde and recorded the 10 that only they could sing.
“It’s uniquely us,” Krista says. “We very much locked it in. Blonde is girl group energy, those songs that make you feel confident and empowered or vulnerable. We don’t like to filter the human experience at all.
Tigirlily Gold Only Recorded Songs That Were Uniquely Them
“We also like to have fun,” Kendra adds. “We poke fun at ourselves and like people to laugh during our music.”
Lyrics to the title track include: ’cause you can’t buy happiness| But you can buy hair like this| It’s a Dolly Parton state-of-mind| It’s Marilyn leaving Norma Jeane behind| From dirty to platinum| We’re just trying to have some fun| When we’re feeling low, we highlighting up| Every day’s a good day when you’re waking up| Blonde
The sisters are platinum blonde with flawless makeup and warm but no-nonsense demeanors. They animatedly talk at the same time and finish each other’s sentences. They’re the women other women want to talk call for fashion tips—living the same story.
“Some of it is not taking life so seriously,” Krista says. “There’s so much seriousness in this world we live in, and we want to give people a little break from that.”
The women explained playing live is their “bread and butter” and tested each of their songs in front of their audience before they included the titles on their album. They remember that someone from their booking agency watched them perform “Blonde” and then asked if they had written it.
“Hearing that and seeing the way the crowd reacted was a really great feeling,” Kendra says. “To this day, that song still, no matter where we go, it just brings people to life. And that’s what live music is all about: sharing those vulnerable moments and connecting, but also having those moments of pure fun and energy and letting loose. For me, that’s what country music is.”
Krista Slaubaugh Manifested Her Breakup with Radio Single
Tigirlily Gold wrote their current radio single, “I Tried A Ring On,” with Pete Good and Josh Jenkins. Good also produced the song, which examines the brokenness—and hesitation—that comes from discovering that the person you thought was forever is only temporary.
“There are breakup songs that are heart-wrenching and so honest, but we noticed a lot of these breakup songs talk about how hard it is to get over that person,” Krista says. “But we noticed there wasn’t a ton of songs that talk about how hard it’s to start over once you had split.”
Krista didn’t know she was manifesting her breakup when she co-wrote it.
“If you’re in a serious relationship, you picture your future wedding together; you picture your whole life together with that person,” Krista explains. “It does have a sense of empowerment to it as well. No matter how tough it is or how devastated you are, you are going to be okay. But it is okay to feel those emotions. It’s just that shock a little bit. You thought you had forever with that person.”
Tigirlily Gold’s strategy for success is watching what other artists are doing – and then plotting a different course. And it’s working. The duo won ACM New Duo of the Year earlier this year and performed on the show – months before their debut album was available.
“We know as women in country music, if we’re going to break through, we got to have our own sound,” Kendra says. “We’ve got to have something to say, and we’ve got to write about things we know about. There’s no other way we’re going to break through.”
Blonde tracklist:
- “Blonde”(Kendra Jo Slaubaugh, Krista Jade Slaubaugh, Alex Kline, Scott Stepakoff)
- “Leroy (Nora Collins, Jessie Jo Dillon, Forest Glen Whitehead)
- “Hometown Song” (Kendra Jo Slaubaugh, Krista Jade Slaubaugh, Alex Kline, Scott Stepakoff)
- “Move On” (Kendra Jo Slaubaugh, Krista Jade Slaubaugh, Alex Kline, Scott Stepakoff)
- “End Up Us” (Kendra Jo Slaubaugh, Krista Jade Slaubaugh, Todd Clark, Jason Cole Saenz)
- “I Tried A Ring On” (Kendra Jo Slaubaugh, Krista Jade Slaubaugh, Pete Good, Josh Jenkins)
- “Stupid Prizes” (Kendra Jo Slaubaugh, Krista Jade Slaubaugh, Pete Good, Josh Jenkins)
- “Shoot Tequila” (Kendra Jo Slaubaugh, Krista Jade Slaubaugh, Kevin Griffin, David Mescon)
- “Only Once” (Kendra Jo Slaubaugh, Krista Jade Slaubaugh, Alex Kline, Jason Cole Saenz)
- “Bleeding Love” (Ryan Tedder, Jesse McCartney)
photo credit: Jared Olson
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