Being in love is a beautiful thing. It sometimes makes you feel “messed up” in the best way possible, and Canadian country songstress Teigen Gayse describes that feeling in her new single titled “Messed Up.”
The upbeat, bubbly country track, which is out now for fans to hear, was produced by Jimmy Thow and Jordan Oorebeek. Within just a few months upon release, Gayse has seen major support from music critics and streaming giants, as the track landed spots on Amazon Music’s Breakthrough Country, Fresh Country, and Brand New Music; as well as Spotify’s Live Country and New Music Friday Canada.
Written during the pandemic, Gayse tells Celeb Secrets Country that she wanted to “create a song that made [people] feel happy and uplifted.”
“I came into the writing session prepared with song titles and story boards. We came up with the title ‘Messed Up’ but put a spin on it, making it about how being so in love with someone can make you feel ‘messed up’ in a good way,” she says.
Crediting Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, Morgan Wallen and Parker McCollum as musical inspirations, Teigen says that her new track is a great representation of who she is as an artist, setting the bar high for more music that’s coming in the future.
“As a singer/songwriter I feel that I need to do my very best to tell the story I have written by expressing all the emotional highs and lows,” she shares. “I actually do feel this [song] represents me well. I am pretty easy going and love the journey life can bring.”
After picking up her first guitar at the age of 13, it wasn’t long before songwriting became a passion for Teigen. It was the ability to tell her own story, in her own words, that began Teigen’s love for country music. The desire to create pushed her to get an audio engineering degree before striking out on her own as a full-time musician. She continued to feed that passion with multiple trips to Nashville and co-writing with several industry veterans, including Brian Howes, Phil Barton, Patricia Conroy, David Thompson, Chris Buck, Jimmy Thow, Chrystal Leigh and Jordan Oorebeek, to name a few.
After putting in the hard work, Gayse started seeing real results. She made waves online after releasing her single “I Don’t Wanna Fall In Love Anymore” last year, which has roughly 3 Million TikTok views to date. She’s even taken home the honor of Trending Track from Stingray Radio while hitting #43 on the Billboard Country Music charts, and amassing over 350,000 streams! An impressive feat for an independent artist, her follow up single “Blame the Wine” reached #46 on the Billboard charts and is currently on the rise.
As for what’s next, the budding country songstress says that she’s been “writing a lot” and hoping to release more original music soon. “I have written an entire record’s worth of songs and am in the process of selecting songs to get into the studio to record,” Gayse shares.
Her ultimate goal though is to play live for fans on a stadium tour. “I would like to get on a stadium tour.. it’s a biggie but I have been super focused on that,” she adds.
Keep scrolling for our full Q&A with Teigen below and let us know if you’re loving the “Messed Up” video by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @CS_Country.
You can connect with Teigen by giving her a follow on Instagram at @teigenxo.
Celeb Secrets Country: Who is Teigen Gayse? Could you tell us about yourself?
Teigen Gayse: “I am singer songwriter born and raised in northern BC, I love pugs, movies, music, food, adventuring and my family. Fun fact, before music I was a professional figure skater.”
CSC: Who are some of your music inspirations?
TG: “Taylor Swift and Shania Twain have always been a huge inspiration of mine. Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, Morgan Wallen and Parker McCollum are also some big musical inspirations of mine.”
CSC: How would you describe yourself as a singer-songwriter?
TG: “As a singer/songwriter I feel that I need to do my very best to tell the story I have written by expressing all the emotional highs and lows. Connecting with my audience is super important to me. I love to perform whether it’s with a live band or stripped down with my guitar.”
CSC: What was the inspiration behind your new single “Messed Up”?
TG: “We wrote this song during the pandemic… life was hard for a lot people.. I wanted to create a song that made you feel happy and uplifted. We came up with the title ‘Messed Up’ but put a spin on it, making it about how being so in love with someone can make you feel ‘messed up’ in a good way.”
CSC: Walk Celeb Secrets Country through the writing and recording process.
TG: “I like to come into a writing session prepared. I have a list of song titles and story boards. Sometimes I have a melody in my head .. it all depends on who I am writing with as we all have different strengths. I am super open to others’ ideas and am generally excited about the entire collaborative process. When we go into record, I have a warm herb tea in hand. Make sure I have warmed up my vocals and am in the zone. I try to visualize the story that we wrote about so I feel what that person would be going through at the time. My hope and goal is to deliver a vocal that the listener can feel and relate to.”
CSC: Do you believe this piece of work represents you as an artist?
TG: “I actually do feel this represents me well. I am pretty easy going and love the journey life can bring.”
CSC: How would you like your fans to feel when they listen to “Messed Up” for the very first time?
TG: “I want the upbeat fun of this song to create a vibe of happiness. Like they need to drive with the top down in the car singing it at the top of their lungs. Hopefully it brings them joy!!”
CSC: What was it like to work alongside industry veterans like Brian Howes, Phil Barton, Patricia Conroy, David Thompson, Chris Buck and more?
TG: “It was incredible! Every time you go into a session with someone new you learn something. We all have different styles of writing and it’s the best education you could possibly hope for. I love all of these amazing humans and feel blessed to have them in my life.”
CSC: Do you believe your success on TikTok has catapulted your country music career?
TG: “Yes I do. TikTok has given me another plat form to reach fans. They hear the song and hopefully go to search it out and that translates into more streams. This helps raise awareness of who I am and pray this translates to bigger shows in the future.”
CSC: How does it feel to climb the ranks in the country music genre as an independent artist – what is one thing you have learned about yourself or the industry?
TG: “I honestly feel very blessed to be able to have my music heard as an independent artist. I have learned that I need to be patient. I am always pushing my self to do more. I know you have to work very hard and if you sacrifice hard enough things will work out in the end.”
CSC: What are some other goals you have for 2022?
TG: “I would like to get on a stadium tour.. it’s a biggie but have been super focused on that. I have been writing a lot so would love to get a few cuts on some other projects.”
CSC: What is one thing you would like your fans to know about you?
TG: “That I appreciate them ! Love to hear from them and will respond to each and everyone.”
CSC: Since we are Celeb Secrets Country – do you have any secrets about the single “Messed Up” or projects in the pipeline?
TG: “Yes I do! I have written an entire records’ worth of songs and am in the process of selecting songs to get into the studio to record. I can’t wait to share it with you.”
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