Lindsay Ell's New Sophomore Album "Heart Theory"
Chart topping musician, vocalist and songwriter Lindsay Ell today announces her highly-anticipated sophomore album heart theory, out August 14. The album’s pre-order launches tonight with the track “wAnt me back” which was co-written with Kane Brown, Matt McGinn & Lindsay Rimes and premieres at 23:00 British Summer Time / 5pm Central Daylight Time on BBC Radio. Pre-save, add and order heart theory on digital platforms HERE.
This album coming out at this time and very powerful moment- can you expand on that for you personally?
It’s been a very interesting time in quarantine…but I’ve honestly been grateful for it. I feel like I’m learning a lot about myself. I normally am used to playing over 230+ shows per year, and being on the road 280 days. This has been completely the opposite of that, but it’s been really nice to actually learn how to live in my house. It was amazing to be able to finish my next album, heart theory in quarantine - I worked at a distance with my producer, Dann Huff. We finished vocals sending files back and forth, and finished guitar parts with him coaching me and talking me through things on FaceTime. All in all it was a great learning experience of what you can truly accomplish with technology, and how quickly we can adapt and change as a society.
What were your greatest inspirational points in deriving this album?
This album is written around the seven stages of grief. Although everyone has their story in moments of transition in their life, this is my story. I wanted the album from track one to track twelve to be my process. When you listen down from the top, you can hear my heart, and how I finally ended up in a place of acceptance. I hope this music can be comfort to those who need it, can meet them in a place of empathy to help them know they’re not alone, or can be a reminder that all of our own potential comes within ourselves - and no circumstance in life or person can change that. Nothing in our past defines us, only how we accept and what we choose to do with what life throws at us can we truly determine our future.
You love performing, and are AMAZING at it - when you created this album, did you have your performing it on the stage in mind? Did that play heavily into creating the songs on this album heavily?
Yes. Always. Performing is where I feel most at home in life. I am happy to the greatest degree when I am on stage. There are so many moments throughout this record that I CANNOT wait to perform live. But until it is safe to do so, I will just be dreaming up the best ways on how to present all of these special moments and bring them to life. It’s exciting to be able to listen back to the album now. It helps me process some of these feelings again and mainly just gets me so incredibly excited to get back on the road whenever it will be safe again.
With fans clamoring for new music from her – heart theory marks Ell’s first new original album in three years – she captivated them with a digital scavenger hunt this week, teasing the big news across social platforms before revealing album details on TikTok. heart theory is an incredibly personal concept album comprised of 12 tracks that journey through each stage of grief: shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, testing, and acceptance. Ell co-wrote 11 of the songs, enlisting help from acclaimed writers & artists including Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line and Brandy Clark among others on the project. While heart theory stemmed from Ell’s personal experience, its arc serves as a source of solace for the universal process of experiencing any type of hardship. “If theory is the science of music, heart theory is the science of a heart,” Ell says of the record. “I hope this roadmap can be a comfort if you need it, reassurance when you need to remember to believe in yourself or maybe just a glimpse into a memory that’s made you who you are.” The concept of heart theory extends to every aspect of the album – its cover art features the spectrum of corresponding colors to each stage, mirroring the music’s movement itself from dark to light, while its tracklist subtly reveals the album title through use of seemingly random capitalization. Due to quarantine, Ell completed heart theory with legendary producer Dann Huff from a distance and two different locations. Ell takes the unique challenge posed by the pandemic to almost every element of album completion in stride: “If my last record was called The Project, this could be called The Process.” The Project – Ell’s first full-length album – debuted at No. 1 on the Country Album Sales Chart and was named Billboard’s Best Country Album of 2017. Ell will co-host CMA Summer Stay-Cay special on July 1 with BBR Music Group label mate Jimmie Allen. She recently marked her first No. 1 at U.S. Country radio with her Brantley Gilbert duet “What Happens In A Small Town.” Ell has amassed more than 123 million on demand streams to date and is currently nominated for two 2020 ACM awards – New Female Artist of the Year & Vocal Event of the Year.
heart theory track listing (with writers) a journey through the seven stages of grief shock 1. “Hits me” (Lindsay Ell, Tyler Hubbard, Corey Crowder) denial 2. “how good” (Lindsay Ell, Brandy Clark) 3. “i don’t lovE you” (Adam Hambrick, Melissa Fuller, Neil Medley) anger 4. “wAnt me back” (Lindsay Ell, Kane Brown, Matt McGinn, Lindsay Rimes) 5. “get oveR you” (Lindsay Ell, Gordie Sampson, Kelly Archer) 6. “wrong girl” (Lindsay Ell, Steph Jones, Matt McGinn, Luke Niccoli) bargaining 7. “body language of a breakup” (Lindsay Ell, Laura Veltz, Sam Ellis) depression 8. “good on you” (Lindsay Ell, Sam Ellis, Micah Premnath) testing 9. “The oTHEr side” (Lindsay Ell, Jessie Jo Dillon, Matt McGinn) 10. “gO to” (Lindsay Ell, Nicolle Gaylon, Jordan Reynolds) acceptance 11. “make you” (Lindsay Ell, Brandy Clark) 12. “ReadY to love” (Lindsay Ell, Jessie Jo Dillon, Matt McGinn, Joey Hyde)
ABOUT LINDSAY ELL: Lauded as “one of the most exciting and talented young artists in country music” (Forbes), Lindsay Ell is a triple threat: accomplished musician, unique vocalist and awe-inspiring songwriter. The Calgary native learned to play guitar while traveling with her father to country-bluegrass camps as a young girl. Ell honed her craft as a musical stylist and songwriter after being discovered by BTO and The Guess Who’s Randy Bachman (“American Woman” / “Taking Care of Business”) who discovered her at the age of 13. The multi-instrumentalist was soon touring alongside the likes of Luke Bryan, Buddy Guy, and Keith Urban. Ell also shared the stage with distinguished country group, Little Big Town, along with other powerhouse female artists in one the biggest moments of the 2019 CMA Awards where she was also nominated for Musical Event of the Year. Ell’s nominations do not stop there. She has been nominated for New Female Artist of the Year in both 2019 and 2020, in addition to her 2020 ACM nomination of Music Event of the Year. These nominations are well earned after Ell exhilarated audiences as part of Keith Urban’s Graffiti U World Tour, Brantley Gilbert’s Not Like Us Tour, and Brad Paisley’s Weekend Warrior World Tour. Ell’s first full-length album The Project debuted at No. 1 on the Country Album Sales Chart and was named Billboard’s “Best Country Album of 2017. “What Happens In a Small Town,” Lindsay’s duet with Brantley Gilbert, claimed the top spot at country radio, marking her first No. 1 in the US. Her new single "wAnt me back" is out now from her just-announced sophomore album, heart theory, which will be released August 14th. For more information visit: www.LindsayEll.com.