With her captivating voice and relatable lyrics, Kacey Fifield continues to capture the hearts of her fans with each release. Her latest single, “Right Past Me”, showcases her evolution as an artist and songwriter, diving into themes of personal growth and missed opportunities. In this exclusive Q&A, Kacey opens up about the inspiration behind the track, the creative process, and how she has been influenced by the transition from adolescence to adulthood in her past work.

link: https://ffm.to/rightpastme

1. How does your new release reflect the growth you’ve experienced since Between the Lines and Nostalgia Haunts Me?

“Right Past Me” is a pretty vulnerable track, a lot more vulnerable than my previous releases, and I’m super proud of how the lyrics tell a pretty intricate, detailed story. It definitely builds upon the theme of growing up and apart from certain people I talked about in the “Nostalgia Haunts Me” EP, but focuses more on the self-reflection behind realizing your own mistakes as opposed to cutting off people who hurt you.

2. Can you walk us through your songwriting process for this new project? What inspired the lyrics and themes?

I was actually inspired to write this song by a friend who was telling me about how they felt guilty about the end of their prior relationship. It’s about the process of getting over a heartbreak and how you can realize that you were wrong in the end but still feel hurt by the fact that the other person has moved on.

3. You’ve mentioned being influenced by the transition from adolescence to adulthood in past work. Is that a continuing theme in this release?

Definitely! I’m in my second year of college now, so a lot of what I write is reflecting the ways I’m growing throughout this transition. I think coming to terms with the changes in relationships with friends, family members, and partners is a big part of navigating life as a new adult. I don’t have it figured out yet, so my music reflects the themes of uncertainty and confusion that I still feel.

4. How did your collaborations with Samuel Beresford and Michael Kamerman shape the rock influences on your previous work, and are they involved in this release?

Working with Sam and Mike absolutely gave my music a cool, fresh rock element. I worked with them on “Dream Girl,” “Never Reply,” and “Left Behind,” which definitely brought a unique edge to my music. They weren’t involved with “Right Past Me,” but we’ve been working together on some new songs that will be released in future projects!

5. How do you balance maintaining your signature sound while experimenting with new genres and influences in your music?

I think my signature sound is pretty rooted in my voice as a songwriter as opposed to a specific genre. I tend to love making alt pop music, but I’m still 19 so my music taste is changing as is my life experience, which, in turn, means my music is ever-evolving. I love experimenting with different genres and I think each song I create helps me better understand who I am as an artist and what kind of music I want to make going forward. 

6. Can you share any challenges or breakthroughs you faced while recording this new music?

I’ve had my fair share of writer’s block for sure – I’m actually in the middle of a pretty big creative block right now. But, I like to remind myself that this is normal for every creative and focus on other aspects of my music career, such as preparing for and playing live shows.

7. How has your approach to producing music evolved since your debut album? Have there been any significant changes in how you create or record?

I’ve definitely learned a lot about the production aspect of music! I’ve always written my own songs, but now I have a better understanding of how certain effects and production techniques work, which helps me be more involved in the actual production of the track. I’ve also become less “picky” about the songs I write – I used to only write if I thought I had a perfect, fully-formed idea but, now, I’m comfortable with just writing whatever’s on my mind. If it turns into a great song, amazing! But if it doesn’t, that’s fine too and it just means I’m closer to the next great song I write.

8. How do you manage to blend different sounds—like pop, rock, and introspective ballads—into a cohesive musical experience?

A lot of experimentation! In the studio, my producers and I play around with a ton of different sounds, making tweaks and changes to see what sounds the best. I also love working with new people – it helps bring a fresh perspective that my usual collaborators and I might not have thought of! In the end, it’s really just a lot of time put in to each song to make sure it perfectly encapsulates the emotion it’s meant to represent.

9. What message or feeling do you hope your listeners take away from this new release?

I always hope people can relate to my music, but, with this song, I hope more than ever that listeners feel a little less alone after listening to the release. I think that everyone can relate in one way or another to the idea of feeling regretful for how a connection ended. Taking responsibility and owning up to your mistakes is so difficult but so important.

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