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Vanessa Siebrass

Interview: "Night Driving" - Lindsey Sampson




“Night Driving” is such a sweet song, one that definitely makes the listener feel good when they hear it. What inspired the song, and what does it mean to you?


Lindsey: So originally, I wrote this song back in 2020 — I was in the middle of a tough relationship, and "Night Driving" was an expression of resiliency and commitment in the midst of uncertainty. I put it away for a few years, but when I was putting together the track list for Juniper, it jumped out at me in a new way. I was preparing to make a huge life transition — uprooting my life in Boston to move to Nashville — and all of a sudden, the song completely shifted meaning. Instead of being about romantic love, the song sounded like an illustration of the dance with the universe that happens when we’re listening to ourselves and creating our own lives. I fell in love with it all over again and sent it over to my producer Daniel Radin. When he sent over the first draft arrangement, I was captivated by the space and the delight I heard it in. In my mind, it’s been the single ever since



How frightening was it to take the leap and relocate from Massachusetts to Tennessee – have you had any difficulty adjusting? Have you found that it’s impacted your creative flow?


Lindsey: Fear and joy are always tangled together in decisions like this, but I couldn't be happier to have made the move. It already feels like home. I'm certainly in the middle of adjusting and finding my musical footing in the city - I had such a warm, loving, creative community in Boston, and I'm still finding that in Nashville - but the songwriting flow hasn't disappeared at all.







I imagine that performing some of your final (just for now!) shows in the Boston area was bittersweet. What are some of your favorite memories from those July performances?


Lindsey: Wrapping up my time in Boston was enormously bittersweet. I knew this transition was the right one to make, but Boston was my home for 11 years - so much formation, so much growth, and so much love happened there. That last show felt partially like a going away party and partially like a beautiful culmination of my time in Boston.



I see that you are also part of the trio known as Visiting Wine. What has that experience been like for you, and what knowledge have you gained from it?


Artist: Visiting Wine has been the most joyful, most fruitful creative experience of my life. The Visiting Wine family are my favorite musical collaborators, and it is an absolute gift to be able to make music with them. We still have a few things on the horizon, so Visiting Wine is alive and well.







Who are some of your biggest musical influences and inspirations?


Lindsey: I find myself listening to a lot of female songwriters and girl bands right now - I'm particularly fond of rich harmonies. My favorite bands right now are JOSEPH, the Staves, HAIM, and MUNA.



What aspects are the most rewarding about being an artist, and which are the most challenging?


Lindsey: The most rewarding part is getting to be part of the intimate pieces of people's lives and realizing over and over again that humans are all connected by their shared experiences. My music has been the soundtrack of faraway friends, it has been played at friends' weddings and engagements. There is something so special and sacred about being able to participate in peoples' lives in that way. The most challenging part is getting through the vulnerability fears, especially when it comes to releasing songs that are a bit sadder. It's easier for me to show up musically as an encouraging buoy, but it's harder to show up with honesty about sad or difficult feelings.



Interviewed By Vanessa Siebrass




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