Singer-Songwriter Lacy Green is Turning Life into Lyrics
Some artists write songs. Lacy Green creates space for us to pause, reflect, and feel a little less alone. We caught up with the Nashville singer-songwriter to talk about her new solo album, the creative process, and the stories she's telling through music. And, as Lacy worked for StyleBlueprint for years, this one hits close to home for all of us! Image: Quinton Cook
Nashville singer-songwriter Lacy Green has a gift for transforming ordinary moments into songs, whether sheβs writing for other artists, leading her band The Wonderful Nobodies, or creating deeply personal music of her own. In her newly released solo album, Paper Swan, she does all of that and more, exploring motherhood, identity, and making room for every version of yourself. We caught up with Lacy to talk songwriting, creativity, and the making of Paper Swan.
What led you to Nashville?
I grew up in North Carolina, in a tiny town called Pilot Mountain, most notable from The Andy Griffith Show. Itβs the smaller neighboring town to Mayberry, and in a lot of ways, it was very much that thing β everybody knows everybody, and there wasnβt a whole lot going on.
That played a big role in my getting into music because thatβs what we did to entertain ourselves and pass the time. My dad played music, and he would go to little fairs and festivals and take us with him. There was lots of bluegrass, folksy, roots music in the area. And of course, there were a lot of people singing in church.
I started playing out and doing shows as early as high school, and got the bug for it β after many failed attempts to find something else more sensible to do with my life!
As a young adult, I visited Nashville a few times and realized that, to whatever extent I get to do this, I want to be in this community with these creative people. I was enamored with all the music culture. Iβve been here 14 years now, and I still feel so inspired by Nashville as a community.
How do you know when an ordinary moment is asking to become a song?
The kind of music I love and strive to make is music with layers β where something is happening on the surface that you can appreciate, and thatβs relatable. But if you go a level deeper, thereβs more to the story there β¦ if you want it.
I love setting a scene and find a lot of inspiration in the mundane moments of life because itβs how we spend 95% of our time. Maybe a woman is washing the dishes. How can I use the dishes as a point of entry to explore the midlife crisis sheβs having?
Iβm inspired by the everyday, especially on this record, because I made it in the wake of becoming a mother. I was at home a lot, doing a ton of laundry and very important β but also rather unglamorous β repetitive tasks.
Why did now feel like the right time to share these stories?
Iβve made a lot of music over the years, including a few full-length albums. But I think the experience of becoming a mother and solidly entering adult life in my 30s really forced me to reconcile myself.
There were all these different parts of me. Iβm a mother now, but Iβm also still a daughter, wife, employee, artist, and songwriter. How do I make space for all those different facets of myself? How do I make a table big enough for them to all sit at?
To me, this record is that table. This is the table I built, and they all get to sit and laugh, and disagree, and contradict each other. In a way, the art helped me process all of that.
How does writing for yourself differ from writing for other artists?
I wrote a lot of the songs on this record by myself. In some sense, Iβm probably writing to figure something out, or itβs a form of catharsis.
βCancerβ is a good example. I wrote that song, never intending to ever play it for anyone. It was just me trying to process an experience I had. When Iβm writing for other people, Iβm much more strategic and intentional about how I help support whatever they want to say.
Songs are kind of magical. They can do whatever they want and show up however they want.
Dozens of other artists have recorded your songs. Is there a cut that felt especially meaningful because of where it found a home?
When I was making my first-ever record, I was 13 years old in North Carolina, recording it in my basement with the help of my dadβs friends. I sang my vocals in the bathroom.
One of the first songs I ever did was a cover of βTraveling Soldier,β a Chicks song written by Bruce Roberson, who has written a million other great songs. Fast forward 20 years, and I end up meeting Bruce through a friend of a friend. I sent him a handful of songs, and he put this song on his record β a song I wrote with Adam Wright, called βIt All Depends.β
That was a wild full-circle moment. Twenty years later, the guy whose songs I recorded as a kid, before I ever knew how to write, was then recording one of my songs. And heβs such a phenomenal songwriter that he doesnβt need to record other peopleβs songs unless he really sees value in them.
Shout out to Bruce for being a great guy.
Whatβs one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?
I was a Religious Studies major in college. At first glance, it seems like a far cry from music or songwriting, but it taught me so much about how to view lifeβs big questions from different perspectives.
Songwriting is just another way to ask and explore the answers to those questions. On the new record, βThereβs Somethingβ and βJerusalem Thornβ are good examples of that influence on my writing.
Whatβs the best piece of advice youβve ever received?
As simple as it sounds, love is truly the only sustainable motivation for being in the arts. Especially right now, in the world of AI, itβs a very weird landscape. If youβre in it for any reason other than that you have to do it and you love it, then you should find something else to do.
LIGHTNING ROUND!
Whatβs something you always keep in your purse or guitar case? A pack of gum. And I always try to have a Sharpie in case I need to sign stuff. The funny thing is, Iβm so forgetful that Iβm now thinking about all the times I leave something I really need!
Favorite line from one of your songs? One of my favorite lines from the record is where the album title came from. βShe makes a list of pros and cons, folds it up into a paper swan.β To me, itβs your logical, practical brain trying to figure out what you should do. Then the creative brain takes all of that and makes something beautiful out of it.
Self-care item you canβt live without? My life runs on dry shampoo of any brand or price point. Give me all the dry shampoo because Iβm usually running late!
To attend Lacyβs album release show at The Station Inn on July 22, purchase tickets HERE!
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Jenna von Oy Bratcher
Jenna von Oy Bratcher is StyleBlueprint's Editorial Operations Manager and Lead Content Editor. The East Coast native moved to Nashville almost two decades ago, by way of Los Angeles. She is a lover of dogs, strong coffee, traveling, and exploring the local restaurant scene bite by bite.