We had a chat with Merritt Gibson about her intimate new single ‘7 Years’ and the inspiration behind it.
Having spent a few years away, honing her sound and her style, Merritt Gibson is back and in emphatic style, perhaps with her most affecting and powerful release to date as she explores a long-lasting friendship that was lost and the emotions and sadness that come with that situation.
The sound itself has this really endearing rawness throughout, with the emotion of the lyrics on full display thanks to the stripped-back nature of the sound and Merritt’s engrossing performance. The track has a really relatable edge and is sure to resonate and strike a chord with people that have been through similar situations and enjoy this kind of intimate songwriting style. We love this new release from the artist, and had a chat with Merritt Gibson to find out some more about her journey and the inspiration behind it.
Hey! We love your new single ‘7 Years’, what more can you tell us about it?
Thank you so much! It’s very special to me on a few different fronts – it’s my first release in a couple of years, it’s the first co-write I’ve ever released, and it has brought me closure on a difficult time in my life. Songwriting is how I process my emotions, and to release a new song that is highly personal feels very freeing. It’s like I’m releasing the feelings – hurt, confusion, nostalgia, a little anger – from myself by releasing the song.
What was the process like putting it together?
I usually write by myself, but I created this song in a writing/production session with Aron Rosing. He’s a great producer, songwriter, and artist based in Nashville, too. We had a mini therapy session when I got to his studio, and I started venting about a former friend who treated me poorly in college. He said, “What if we wrote a breakup song about a friendship?”. An hour and a half later, we had this song. He created the gorgeous instrumental, and I toplined the melody and lyrics in real time. It came incredibly naturally – the best songs usually do. After fine tuning the song together, I recorded scratch vocals. While we thought about re-recording the vocals, the demo vocals were so true to the emotion of “7 Years” that I decided to keep them for the finished track.
What were your biggest influences when creating the track?
My songwriting and production influences have definitely shaped my writing, but I’m highly aware of the importance of originality and uniqueness. I love Taylor Swift’s songwriting and Holly Humberstone’s and Chelsea Cutler’s production, but I always want to sound like myself, not a carbon copy. I think we were able to pair traditional songwriting and storytelling with a modern indie pop production in a cool way.
This is your first new release for a few years, how do you feel that you have changed and evolved in that time?
Yes, I definitely have changed and evolved in my sound! My last releases were a pop rock album as a teenager and singles in college, so it’s been a couple of years, but I never took a break from music. I’ve been evolving my songwriting, finishing up college, moving to Nashville, and meeting and working with producers. I decided to wait to release music that truly represented who I am as an artist and person. I’ve always had the same confessional, personal songwriting, but I write in more of an indie pop vein now. I’ve also found an interesting balance of organic instruments and electronic elements.
What else do you have planned for the near future?
I have more singles to release, which I will eventually compile into an EP. I’m excited to be telling the story of my young twenties, to be documenting my life as it happens. And I will be putting out more video content on TikTok and Instagram as well – along with a music video this fall for an upcoming single. I hope everyone reading this follows along with my journey. I love sharing my music and life experiences.
Instagram: @merrittgibson
