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Country star Cam reveals why it took five years of work to release The Otherside in Smooth Country interview

23 October 2020, 12:48 | Updated: 7 January 2021, 16:44

Smooth Country Cam Interview

By Rory O'Connor

Grammy award-nominated songstress Cam is set to release her highly anticipated upcoming album The Otherside on October 30.

In 2015, Cam took the world of country music by storm with her critically acclaimed full-length debut, Untamed.

The record yielded her a double-platinum GRAMMY, CMA and ACM-nominated smash single, ‘Burning House’, which remains the bestselling country song by a female solo artist since its release in 2015.

Read more: Cam hopes to make Harry Styles, Avicii and Sam Smith fans proud with new album The Otherside

Since then, Cam lent her writing voice to Miley Cyrus’ 2015 album, Bangerz, and co-wrote ‘Palace’ with Sam Smith for Sam’s 2017 album, The Thrill of It All.

Cam then went on to release a bold lead single, ‘Diane’, as a response to Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’ - from the perspective of Jolene.

Watch Cam's full Smooth Country interview in the video above.

Country star Cam reveals why it took five years of work to release The Otherside in Smooth Country interview
Country star Cam reveals why it took five years of work to release The Otherside in Smooth Country interview. Picture: Cam • Dennis Leupold

The country singer sat down with Smooth Country for an exclusive interview where she spoke to Eamonn Kelly about her new album, which has been five years in the making.

See more: Country star Cam releases first new single following the birth of her daughter – listen here

Revealing why it has been five years since her last album Untamed before releasing The Otherside, Cam told Smooth Country: "I take my time anyway. I don't think I'm a good kind of rush creator.

"And then we came out with 'Diane' and obviously had such an amazing response over there. Right as that was happening, it then lead to a label switch. I had a label switch right after that, so I thought there was going to be an album coming out right around then.

Cam - Diane (Official Music Video)

"But then for business reasons, obviously putting together and fixing the team end of it... I had to sort of get that together. At first you're frustrated. I mean, I was. 'I want this out now! I don't want to wait'.

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"And then the interim is when I wrote 'Classic', 'Girl Like Me' and I think that is when we heard 'Changes' and I got to record that too.

"So in the end, obviously it makes it the best album it can be to have had that pause. But yeah, of course in the middle of it, all you can think of is 'now, now'."

Not only that, Cam gave birth to her daughter Lucy in December 2019, before the music industry suffered changes with global restrictions in 2020.

Cam went on to explain that fans can expected a range of tempos and styles on her new record.

Cam - Classic (Official Video)

Cam will release The Otherside on October 30
Cam will release The Otherside on October 30. Picture: Getty

The 35-year-old singer said: "I am so proud about how well crafted all of this is. I don't make one kind of song over and over again on an album where they all kind of have one sound.

"I like to make them in different colours and make them for different seasons of your life and what you're going through. Different emotional notes.

Read more: Tim McGraw's mum had 'complete meltdown' after hearing heartwarming 'I Called Mama'

"So I'm really proud of how there's so many different kinds of things and I love seeing when people - obviously there's certain songs that everybody seems to gravitate towards.

"But there's also songs that when you say, 'Oh, I love this one'... it kind of tells me where you're at in your life.

"I'm like, 'Oh, you're going through that right now!' So it's kind of fun and makes me feel a little less lonely - something we're all healing."

Cam - Forgetting You (Audio)

Cam and Adam Weaver announced the birth of daughter Lucy in December 2019
Cam and Adam Weaver announced the birth of daughter Lucy in December 2019. Picture: Getty

The Otherside Tracklisting

1. ‘Redwood Tree’

2. ‘The Otherside’

3. ‘Classic’

4. ‘Forgetting You’

5. ‘Like A Movie’

6. ‘Changes’

7. ‘Till There’s Nothing Left’

8. ‘What Goodbye Means’

9. ‘Diane’

10. ‘Happier For You’

11. ‘Girl Like Me’