Californian trio Temecula Road have been wowing audiences on both sides of the Atlantic with their gorgeous harmonies and amazing cover versions.
They’ve been over in the UK performing as part of Country Music Week, and I sat down with them ahead of their headline show at The Borderline in Soho.
Read on for their favourite Christmas music, what would be on their career bucket list and who they’d love to cover one of their songs…
Hi guys! Last time Entertainment Focus spoke to you you’d just played the C2C: Country to Country festival. What have you been up to since then?
Maddie: We’ve done a lot of stuff – we released a lot more singles. Our newest one here is Hoping and we just brought out a music video for that. We also just filmed a music video for our newest song, Everything Without You, and that should be out soon.
Dawson: We’re playing some shows, we’ve got some new music out and now we’re back to the UK!
You’ve opened for Eric Paslay and played the C2C 2018 launch party in Country Music Week – have you enjoyed it?
D: Oh yes!
Emma: It’s been awesome. We’ve had fans singing our songs so that’s super-cool. The fans are so dedicated here.
How have you found the UK fans’ reaction compared to other places?
D: Of course – they’re their own separate thing but they’re awesome. They say they’re the best in the world here and they live up to that for sure.
You played CMA Fest over the summer, what was that like?
D: Yes!
E: That was super-cool. It was actually our second year playing so we really love it.
D: It’s a great festival to be able to meet fans and other artists and have a lot of country music artists just come together and be a part of something awesome.
You’ve just filmed the video for your new single Everything Without You. Can you tell us a bit more about the song and making the video?
D: We shot the video at this aeroplane hangar and they put planes from the 1940s in this hangar. So we were singing at the front and then these big old awesome fighter planes in the back and it was super, super-awesome – such a fun time. I think the video’s going to come out great. We got some shots on the runway too. It was a beautiful night.
M: We love the song – we totally connect with it and I think it’s the perfect time of the year to put it out too.
You’re well known for including covers in your sets. Do you have a favourite cover song that you do?
E: We do a cover of Desperado by the Eagles. We love that one.
M: I love My Church by Maren Morris.
D: Yeah, that’s a great one. I think I’d say My Church or Desperado – those are both really great ones. Desperado is just such a classic and everybody knows it. It feels good to sing that song. And then My Church is such an awesome song – it gets everybody clapping and on their feet, so it’s great.
Are there any other songs you’d like to cover? And is there an artist you’d love to cover one of your songs!
D: That’s a great question! We just love to cover anything that we like – we’re fans as much as we are artists, and so anybody that comes out with a song that we really love we’re like ‘oh we should cover that’ and maybe throw it into the set one time.
E: I love Dan & Shay and their harmonies are awesome, so I think if they were to cover one of our songs I feel like it would be amazing!
I know you’ve been doing some writing lately – how has that been going?
D: It’s good – we’re definitely getting better at our writing every time and just trying to stay with it and keep getting more and more songs and make sure our record is really, really solid.
Is there anyone you particularly like writing with?
E: There’s a lot of people that we love writing with.
D: I’d say Emily Weisband is amazing. Gosh, there are so many – I’m drawing a blank right now! Andy Dodd’s really great.
M: Anyone that we have a connection with.
Have you got any plans for new music soon?
D: Definitely – we’ll be releasing a Christmas song which is going to be really awesome. We’re excited for that one.
E: Super-excited.
D: I love Christmas music so I was freaking out [laughs]. So we’ve got that coming out at the end of the year and then there are talks of possibly an EP – I think that’s what we’re going to go with but we’re hoping that will be early next year.
So what are some of your favourite Christmas songs? Although I know it’s far too early to ask that question…
D: Hands down, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. It’s so good! Every version is amazing.
M: I love O Holy Night.
E: I’m totally blanking on my song! Christmas In Dixie by Alabama – I love that one.
D: Yeah, that’s a classic.
What would be on your career bucket list?
M: I think headlining an arena tour.
E: Yeah, definitely.
D: Maybe having an album go platinum or something and maybe selling out a huge venue like Madison Square Garden or the O2 or the Staples Centre.
M: It would be cool to have people open for us that we love because we were there once and we appreciate it a lot. To be able to choose our openers would be really cool.
Do you have anyone in mind for that?
D: Oh man, I don’t know! [laughs]
E: We’re still in the opening stage…
D: Yeah, we’re definitely a way away. We’re working towards it and hopefully that comes sooner rather than later, but we haven’t even thought about that yet!
Temecula Road’s new UK single Hoping is available now.
[brid video=”169002″ player=”531″ title=”Temecula Road Hoping (Official Video)”]
