BWW Interviews: Rachel Potter Talks Upcoming Country Album NOT SO BLACK AND WHITE

Recently, I was invited to attend Rachel Potter's CD preview party for NOT SO BLACK AND WHITE, her upcoming solo country album. While many know her as the breakout Broadway star from the EVITA revival, she also wowed audiences on Fox's The X Factor with her stellar rendition of Queen's "Somebody to Love." Following the concert, I sat down with Rachel Potter to discuss her career and the album, with an expected release date in January 2015.

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You're about to release your first full-length solo country album. Was being a country singer something you always dreamed of being?

Rachel Potter: Yeah! It was! I grew up in Clearwater Beach, Florida, and my whole family is from Montgomery, Alabama and Mississippi, so I've got Southern rooted in me. I grew up listening to country music. I think what's funny for me is that musical theatre was never on my radar until I was older, but country music always was.

I was really, really into Christian music. I was a really strong Southern Baptist, and I felt really guilty about singing anything other than Christian music. [Pauses] They'll get'cha. [Laughs] So, I had always wanted to sing country music, but had set my sights on maybe being a Christian artist because that was what God would want and that was the right thing to do. Then, ultimately, I found that Christian music wasn't the path that I wanted to take, and I wanted to go ahead and go to college. So, I moved over to Orlando and started working for Disney. I kind of left recording arts behind at that point. I had put out a Christian album when I was 16. It was all songs that I had written.

While I was working with Disney I got the theatre bug. It was funny because for my first audition I was so green. I brought my resume and it was like, "I work at The Gap, and my job duties are folding clothes." I put my typing skills on my resume. There was no musical theatre involved with my first audition, and I'm sure those people were rolling on the floor the minute I left. [Laughs] I had no idea what I was doing. Then, when they offered me my Equity Card, I had no idea what it was. So, it was kind of opposite, you know. I was so green!

Then, when I first started working for Disney, my first ever musical theatre show was playing Ariel in The Voyage of the Little Mermaid. I just loved it. I got the bug. I had my Equity Card, so it was really cool that I was able to come up to New York and audition for things. So, I started flying up here all the time and going to EPAs (Equity Principal Auditions) and what not. Then, randomly, I got seen by Telsey (+ Company), and they asked me to be part of the LEGALLY BLONDE reality show. At that point, I had just graduated from college, and I was offered to be represented by an agent. Don Buchwald and Associates found me on Facebook and said, "We saw you on an MTV reality show. Do you have an agent?" I responded, "No. I live in Florida." [Laughs] They asked, "Do you want one?" So, when I got the agent offer, I thought "Okay! I'm done with school," and I went ahead and moved.

For years it was really tough. I was auditioning all the time and never getting anything. I started working for a wedding band, and I sang in a wedding band for about a year. It was such a blast, and I think for the first time I figured out who I was as a singer because when you're signing in a wedding band nobody really cares what you sound like or what you're doing. There really is no audience. So, I spent a lot of time with people in a band that were amazing musicians in New York just figuring out who I was.

Then, I started auditioning for stuff and I was like, "This is me! If you don't like it, screw off. This is what I sound like!" Instead of trying to sound like Kristen Chenoweth, instead of trying to sound like Idina Menzel, or whoever the major people were at that time, I stopped trying to imitate. I was like "This is who Rachel Potter is." Then, like that, I booked WICKED. It was crazy how it happened. A lot of kids ask, "Do you have any advice?," and I respond with, "Yeah. Don't give a s**t. If you don't give a s**t, it's going to work out. People don't want cookie-cutter. They don't want desperation. They want people who are artists, that know themselves, and that are going to bring something special to a role." It took being so down and at the bottom of the barrel to figure that out.

So, it was really cool. I was the Glinda understudy on the road for WICKED. That rolled into playing Wednesday Addams on Broadway, and that rolled right into playing the mistress in EVITA. I was so lucky that it was just like boom, boom, boom. But, all that time I was really wanting to do country music. I was writing on the side, and every time I could get to Nashville, I went down to write songs. I just had this desire.

I think what I'm pursuing right now is my own heart. It's a beautiful thing to be a part of someone else's vision, and that's what Broadway is. You are fulfilling the role that someone else who dreamed this up wants, but, ultimately, I just wanted to have my own voice and do my own music before it was too late.

The album, titled NOT SO BLACK AND WHITE, features many songs written by you. What is your writing process like?

Rachel Potter: There has to be some element of inspiration. I can't just sit down and write a song when I want to. I generally will come up with an idea, a phrase, a hook, or just a feeling I want to capture. I usually co-write. In fact, all 10 of the songs that I wrote on the album are co-written. I find that I'm way better edited when there's someone else in the room. When I'm by myself, it just doesn't feel the same, but when I'm trying to impress somebody, I step my game up. I think that that's an important process for me. It's not for everybody.

For "Not So Black and White," I went to my co-writer and said, "I want to write a song called 'Not So Black and White.' Here's the idea behind it. And, we sat down and wrote it." I wrote the song "Try" the day after my boyfriend broke up with me. So, I went in with a horrible feeling. [Laughs] I said, "I'm really depressed, let's write a song." That's kind of it though.

You definitely got noticed in EVITA, but I'm sure The X Factor really exploded your fan base.

Rachel Potter: Yeah. That was really cool. It went from 0 to 60. It was crazy. My audition aired, and all of a sudden I went from having about 2,000 followers on Twitter to having like 10,000 overnight. It was crazy! All of a sudden people were talking to me and actually paid attention to what I said. I was like, "What?!?!" But, you know, with that came a lot of responsibility. It's really interesting to have eyes on you all of a sudden just because you were on TV.

With all of that new recognition what is it like being a role model for young people, especially young girls. People are finally noticing that there are double standards and tropes that force girls to either be perfectly virginal or trashy. You've got the song "Jesus and Jezebel," so how do you weigh in on this social issue?

Rachel Potter: I pride myself on being a multi-faceted person. I'm very open-minded, I'm intelligent, but I also like to party, drink whiskey, and cuss like a sailor. But, I happen to look like a Disney Princess-it's s**tty for me to say that, [Laughs] but I did play them. But, you know, it's a very strange dichotomy that I think people are shocked by because they look at me and expect me to be like [Speaking in a sweet Southern belle accent], "Well, I've never ridden on a plane before, and, I, you know, I just don't know about boys." And, I'm like, "Yeah! I date boys, and I have sex with them. Deal with it! Also, I like to drink. I'm a 30-year-old woman. Get over it." Hopefully, a lot of people in the world can relate to that because it's real. There's no privilege associated with me. I didn't grow up with money. I'm just a middle class, basic white girl that gets my heart broken and likes to drink alcohol. I own it.

And, all my friends are gay. I love them. I'm a Christian, but I believe Jesus loves them just as much as he loves me. I think that there are so many people like me in the world and that nobody's talking about it. I'm sort of tired of it. Country music is so closed-minded in so many ways, and I want to change that. I'm tired of people being afraid to say what's really on their mind because its not politically correct or whatever. We're ready for that. Everyone who's listening to the radio is ready for a change.

I think "Jesus and Jezebel" is really refreshing because the only other song I can think of by a country artist along those lines comes from Kacey Musgraves.

Rachel Potter: Right. And you know she got so much pushback.

She got a lot of pushback.

Rachel Potter: All the song said was, "Or kiss lots of girls." That's all it said! It's crazy! And the radio wouldn't play her. It's wild. A lot of people in Nashville have said to me that "Jesus and Jezebel" is career suicide. To me, Katy Perry sang, "I kissed a girl, and I liked it," and she's doing ok. In some cases no press is bad press, so why should I be afraid to say what I really fell? Ultimately, with this platform, if I used it just to some fake b***h who doesn't say anything real, then what's the point of having it? Just based on "Jesus and Jezebel" being on my Soundcloud as a demo, I've gotten messages from boys saying, "I came out to my family. They disowned me. I feel lost. I don't know what I'm going to do with my life, but your song gives me hope." That one kid is worth writing a song for. That's what this is about.

Being an artist isn't about being safe just so you can get played on the f**king radio. Being an artist is about making art and changing lives, changing minds, and making a difference. If I'm an artist for any other reason, take me out back and shoot me.

I love that you said this. It makes me think of artists like Natalie Maines. She still has a career. Miranda Lambert with the Pistol Annies writes music about killing her spouse in the trailer park. [Laughs] Her career is still huge! I just love the empowerment that "Jesus and Jezebel" offers.

Rachel Potter: There's just no reason why we should be afraid anymore. Some people said, "Well, Billy Bob in Oklahoma listening to the radio in his truck isn't going to want to listen to your song." I said, "I don't want him. I want his kids." They are the ones who are impressionable. They are the ones who are going to change.

You know, my fan base is mostly teenage girls and boys. It's not a whole lot of middle-aged men. That's not my demographic, and I know it. I'm not after them. I don't care if Billy Bob doesn't like my song. I don't care if he wants to turn me off the radio and protest. In fact, if Westboro Baptist Church ever comes to protest one of my shows, I'll feel like I've made it. [Laughs] That's where I want to be.

That's awesome! You're catching the same wave as up-and-coming artists like Steve Grand.

Rachel Potter: Yeah, and look at Sam Smith. You've got a completely out and proud gay man who is singing about one night stands with another man, and his concerts are selling out. So, I think that it's time to break free of the idea that country people aren't open minded because they are. Their parents might not be, but I think the people are ready.

Is there a favorite song for you on the album?

Rachel Potter: I love "Try." My favorite artist is Sara Bareilles. I'm obsessed with her. I sat down with a girl in Nashville, the day after my boyfriend broke up with me, and I said, "I want to write a Sara Bareilles break-up song, and I basically want it to be the country version of 'Say Something' by A Great Big World." I feel like I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish. It's something that came from such a real place, so I love that song.

Your album drops in January. Are there any plans for a tour?

Rachel Potter: I'm trying to sort that out. I'll do a really big album release in New York for sure, and I'll go hit where I know I have people. We're in some talks right now with other artists to possibly get on their tour and open, which will be really fun. Hopefully there'll be something on the docket. (Editor's note: On November 13, 2014, Rachel potter announced via Twitter that she'd be touring with Bryan White during spring 2015.)

Being from Houston. I can already imagine some of the songs finding airwave time on stations like 93 Q Country or even KIKK. Maybe you'll find yourself at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. That could be a great platform.

Rachel Potter: I hope so! I would really like to get around the country this year. It's expensive to tour, and I didn't have anything to promote. Now, I have a record to promote and a reason. Otherwise, it's just like "Hey, I'm Rachel! [Laughs] Like me?" it's weird. It's just weird to tour without a record. This whole year has been about writing and making the record. I've lived in a fog of studio time and bartending. Now, I'm ready to go and play my music for people. Hopefully, they'll listen.

Where do you draw your inspiration for your sound? It's clearly a country album, but it also feels so organic in that Lilith Fair artist sort of way.

Rachel Potter: I grew up listening to Sarah McLachlan, Melissa Etheridge, and the rest of them. I loved Alanis Morissette and Fiona Apple. I grew up listening to singer-songwriter women. I also grew up listening to Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. I studied their voices, so I draw a lot of inspiration, vocally, from how they were. Then, I also grew up listening to The Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, and Shania Twain-huge influence. As I got older, I became obsessed with Rascal Flatts. I love Hunter Hayes and that sort of new, pop sound. But, I also like rap. I like Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea. So, I think everything that I love about music is sort of captured in this album.

Nothing is traditional. It is very crossover, pop country. Everything has a programmed beat on it because I like programmed beats. I like bass. I like a pop sound. I have been told in Nashville to dumb down my voice and to not do all the riffing and high notes, but that's not me. And, I think that's what makes me different. If I just sing like all the other country girls out there, then why would anyone pay attention to me? It's a game of trying to get people to think that you're better than someone else so they'll sign you to a record deal or whatever it is. Then, once you're there, cool. You can dumb it down, but I sing high. I like to belt high notes, and I like to riff. I like to talk about my gay friends. That's just who I'm going to be. If they don't like it, then okay. But, I'm not going to go into it trying to be somebody I'm not just for the sake of getting a job.

There isn't a firm release date set for NOT SO BLACK AND WHITE, but you can get a preview of some of the tunes by visiting Rachel Potter's Soundcloud. To stay up to date with Rachel Potter, please visit http://www.rachelpottermusic.com, and don't forget to follow her on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.