Big Valley Jamboree: Teigen Gayse interview

From British Columbia, Teigen Gayse is a country artist looking ahead to an upcoming single release, and possibly another album. While her set on the Chevrolet Stage at Big Valley Jamboree (BVJ) was cancelled due to weather, she was still able to play the Songwriter Showcase. Prior to the set, Gayse chatted with The Gateway about her recent releases, her upcoming ones, and how the writing process has been. 

Gayse said she took a year off to write and figure out what direction she wanted to go in. Now, she’s getting ready to release more music in September. 

“The first one is going to be a single, but I’m [also] working on a project right now. Which is really fun and exciting because it’s been a minute since I’ve gotten to do that,” she said. Gayse’s last full length record release was in 2020. 

The upcoming single release is currently unannounced, but Gayse said “it’s more of an upbeat, fun song” about a breakup. 

The upcoming record, Gayse said, is a personal recollection of events. “It’s [about] what I’ve been going through and what I’ve experienced in this last year. It was really important for me to write things that were personal to my life,” she said.

For Gayse, writing from personal experiences was therapeutic, and sometimes necessary. “Sometimes you’re going through it and just need to get it out. But it can be really hard. Sometimes you go to write a song and it’s [something from the past], and it’s a little different, but it pulls you back to that time,” she explained. 

With Gayse being deeper into her career now, she says what she’s releasing now is her matured sound. And that taking the year off was a big help in that. 

“It takes a while to figure out what your sound is, and who you are, and who you want to be. I find it’s really hard because I don’t feel like I’m just one thing. Sometimes it changes. I have lots of layers, but I hope that resonates with people, and that they understand that.”

“I want to show off my character and my voice, and I don’t want to push it to its maximum because I don’t think I sound like myself,” Gayse says

Since her set on the Chevrolet Stage was cancelled due to weather, she was only able to play the Songwriter Showcase stage. The Songwriter Showcase is a stripped down acoustic set where artists are able to chat about their songs, and what’s behind them, in a more intimate setting. 

Between the two types of shows, Gayse has a lot of love for both. “I love telling the stories behind the songs, but I also love putting on a show. Our show is really cool, my band is awesome, and it’s really high energy and I love running around and showing off my personality. But at the Songwriters [Showcase], you get to take more time to talk a little bit more and get personal with people,” she explained. 

And alongside the differences in performances, she added that the differences in sound are big too, appreciating that Big Valley Jamboree allows for the opportunity for audiences to hear both. 

On her most recent release, “Better Mistake,” she said “it was such a quick write. It was one of those songs where we went in and I had the title and we ended up making up a song to go with that title.” She added that this song’s narrative is imaginary, and that those are sometimes the most fun to write. But, it has also been a really fun experience writing from personal experience.

For her upcoming releases, one thing that can be expected from it is highlighted vocals. “I wanted to be heard a little more in these next songs,” she said. 

And with that, she said she also wanted to sing more how she naturally would. Not how she may be expected to sing.

“I like my voice at a lower register. When you go into [writing] rooms, sometimes you’re working with certain people and they’re like ‘oh, you’re a girl. You can sing really high.’ And they try to push your voice to where you lose all your character. It doesn’t even sound like you anymore,” she explained. “On these next songs, I want to show off my character and my voice.”

Gayse’s next release can be expected in September.