Cameron DuBois
Interview conducted on June 19, 2021
By Dan Locke
Country and soul singer-songwriter Cameron DuBois’ unique artistry is solidified on a new single project called “The Light,” which the Alabamian songstress composed in two separate arrangements. On Friday, November 26 she’ll release the original up-tempo guitar version of the song across all digital platforms (linktr.ee/CameronDuBois), and teasing today with a new lyric video released on her YouTube. The new song came from some recording sessions DuBois had with hit-making producer Bill McDermott (Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, George Strait) at OmniSound Studios in Nashville.
You are from Montgomery Alabama. What is your upbringing?
I was born in Rome, Georgia but my parents moved to Montgomery when I was 6 months old. I have lived in Montgomery with the exception of college and travel back and forth from Nashville. I have a younger sister and older brother and very supportive parents.
How did you discover music?
My dad and I have always shared a great passion for music. Since I was a young girl, he always had music playing on the radio in the car, and we would sing along. I constantly played music on my CD player, radio in my free time and I knew it was always something I wanted to be a part of.
How did you start to write music?
I didn’t start writing music until I got to high school. Going through relationships and breakups, really sparked my first songs. I began writing them and posting them on YouTube in my spare time from school.
How did you get your first guitar, and do you still have it?
I went to an art middle school, however the art I chose at the time was dance. I had friends who took guitar class and I thought “how cool it was” to watch them perform on stage. They were the rockstars of our school! I decided I wanted to learn how to play and asked for one for Christmas when I was 13 years old. My parents bought me a First Act guitar from Target and I would spend hours in my room teaching myself how to play. I still have it to this day. It is packed away in one of my closets in my old room at my parents house now.
What is your guitar of choice now? Year, make and model? And does she have a name?
I currently play on a Cole Clark Fat Lady 2019?? I love the 3 pickup line system and the sound of this australian brand guitar. I do not have a name for it. My back up guitar was my very first real guitar purchase which is a 2010 Breedlove guitar I call the “Black Magic.”
Describe your music.
My music is country with Soul & Southern Rock influence.
What was your first performance like?
My first performance in front of an audience was at Distinguished Young Women my senior year of high school. It is a scholarship program and one of the judged categories was talent. I decided to sing and play guitar and had many people tell me I should think about pursuing it on the side while I was in college.
Do you belong to any songwriters’ organizations like the International singer-songwriter association, SESAC, BMI or ASCAP ?
I am a member of BMI.
What makes a good songwriter?
Writing a song that’s been written thousands of times before in a way that’s never been done. Also, I feel like an artist’s best work comes from the hardest struggles they go through.
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
The Home Place. I recorded it in Muscle Shoals, AL. It’s a song about a house that has been in my family for several generations. I wanted to give my grandmother and family a gift at our last Christmas spent in this home. It was originally supposed to only be a gift for them, however I felt many people could relate to this story and I decided to release it as my first single.
What is the process of writing your music?
It depends! Typically, I’ll have a phrase and I will write a melody around it before writing the lyrics.
Tell me about your latest single “Modern Day Wonder Woman”?
Modern Day Wonder Woman is a song for all the single mothers who work overtime, cook, clean, get their kids ready for school, and do it all over again. I am thankful Jimmy Thrasher asked me to be apart of such an awesome project that is very relatable to many today.
How was it to write it with Jimmy Thrasher?
I love writing with Jimmy! He has a heart of gold and he is all for writing music with a positive message out in the market. He is a great lyricist!
What are you feeling about streaming music?
It’s good in the fact that it allows any artist to get their music out in the market. It’s great for exposure.
The symbol # is known as the number sign, hash, pound sign and a sharp sign in music. The symbol has historically been used for a wide range of purposes Since 2007, widespread usage of the symbol to introduce metadata tags on social media platforms has led to such tags being known as “hashtags”, and from that, the symbol itself is sometimes called a hashtag.
Are people forgetting that the # is apart of music?
I feel like most musicians and artists associate it and use it for both writing/reading music and when trying to advertise themselves on social media.
Digital vs. vinyl?
I’m old school so I have to go with vinyl! I love the raw sound of a record player.
You are about to host your first golf tournament in your hometown (the Montgomery Area Down Syndrome Outreach). How does it feel?
I am really excited and also very nervous. I have always wanted to start a charity event and am so thankful for the opportunity to host my very first one this year! I have great local support in Montgomery. So many wonderful people in my hometown want to see me succeed in this industry and are offering their time to help me with this tournament. I am so thankful to see my hometown come together for a great cause!
If “Video Killed the Radio Star” do you think that the Covid-19 virus has killed live music? Do you feel the Covid-19 virus is going to affect the music business in the future?
I believe it has killed live music in the way we are used to seeing it for the time being. However, with the vaccine becoming more available and all the safety precautions going into effect, the industry has done an awesome job of keeping it alive. I believe it will eventually get back to the way concerts were pre-Covid.
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
Recording and A LOT of writing!! I started writing with my friend Rick Hansen and Bill Hinds in Montgomery, AL. They are a part of the band “Bama Sound” and I am so thankful they took me under their wing. I believe written over 100 songs since the pandemic started!
How do you stay healthy during the lockdown?
I make sure to wash my hands every chance I get. I wear a mask in public and also stay on top of my vitamins. I try to eat as healthy as I can and get enough sleep.
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
When the pandemic hit, I decided to get a TikTok and rediscover my love for dancing!
You have over 1,000,000 views on facebook. Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. In October that is going to change at least on Facebook. Facebook is cracking down on live streamed shows that include recorded music with new terms of service, preventing artists from using the platform for “commercial or non-personal” purposes, unless they have obtained the relevant licenses.
The updated music guidelines state that users “may not use videos on our products [which include Instagram] to create a music listening experience […] This will include [Facebook] Live,” and stipulates that such content should be posted for the enjoyment of friends and family only.
How do you think this will change the landscape of Facebook?
I believe artists will find or create different routes or other applications to promote their business.
How can bands keep their fans if they cannot play live in front of the fans and sell merchandise to them at the show?
That is a difficult question because in the end the artists need a way to connect with their fans on a personal level.
Is pay to play still a thing? Now pay to play also means things like a playlist on the internet and opening slots for a major band on tour.
Yes I think it is still a thing but a valuable platform for up and coming artists to broaden their reach.
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
This would be really cool to see happen! I would be all for it with the future of technology and music.
Governments around the world are hearing the call of thousands of music creators and included protections for the music community in the omnibus bill. In addition to extended and improved unemployment benefits and small business loans for freelance creators, the package includes several bills which the Recording Academy, its members, and the larger music community advocated for. From the Save Our Stages Act, provided a lifeline to performance venues and promoters, to the CASE Act, which creates an avenue for smaller creators to defend their copyrighted works, Congress has ensured that both music creators and those who act behind the scenes to bring music to life are given the support they need during this difficult time.” Do you think this will save music venues?
I certainly hope so. This will not go on forever; the venues are, in my opinion, the most important avenue through which artists reach their fans.
