Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter, bassist and actress Heather Youmans marries powerful, soulful vocals with raw storytelling elements, looking at honest life moments and emotions. Heather performs at Southern California venues (W Hotel Hollywood, The Hotel Cafe, The Viper Room, The Study, The Avalon, Dolby Theatre, Hotel Casa Del Mar) with her husband and guitar player Jon MacLennan, guitarist for Julian Lennon, John Popper of Blues Traveler and Steven Tyler. While continuing to perform and further her career, she records as a session singer with incredible soul and talent and is currently writing and recording a new EP. With new music on the horizon, she’s now taking the chance to share her story, unfiltered and unapologetically.
“My Kind Of Trouble” is Heather Youmans newest single and we can’t get enough. Her powerful live recording is what sets her apart from artists today. It’s raw, honest, and beautifully stripped down to showcase Heather's authentic vocals and incredible register. The angelic tones she exudes are admirable and prove her ability as a powerhouse vocalist. “My Kind Of Trouble” is a light-hearted love anthem. Although Heather worked through a few recording sessions of this track, she ultimately decided that the first times a charm and provided the realest experience for her listeners and fans. We love her authentic flare and individuality she infuses into her music and we can’t wait to hear what’s next.
Check out “My Kind Of Trouble” here and read more below in our exclusive interview!
Hey Heather! Can you start by telling our readers about your upbringing and how you got started making music?
I'm originally from San Diego and grew up in a very musical family. My mom sings, and my dad plays the drums. Both of my brothers play the saxophone, and one of them just joined the United States Army as a musician. It goes without saying that music chose all of us. I've been singing and performing in musical theatre since I was a little girl and picked up the electric bass and started writing songs as a teenager. Most of my teenage years were spent growing up in a recording studio with some of the industry's best mixers, engineers and session musicians. I met many of my idols early on, like Sting and the late Natalie Cole, and got the chance to sing on Flicka and Marley & Me movie sequels. I was so lucky have an outlet for my music early on, but the songs I’m writing and performing now represent the woman, songwriter and artist I have become in the past decade. Great love, loss, pain and triumph have all shaped the music I'm creating today, and I'm grateful for those life experiences that led me to this point.
How do you draw inspiration from your wide variety of influences?
I really do have a wide range of influences, from Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow and Heart to Joss Stone, Fiona Apple, James Morrison and Amos Lee. I love Alanis' message. I love Joss Stone's soulful vocals. I love the raw, open and emotional quality of Fiona Apple's songwriting. I love the groove of so many Amos Lee songs. Whenever I hear music that inspires me, I tuck a little piece of it away in my mind, and when the time is right, it will manifest itself through my vocal choices and songwriting. It's all subconscious and hard to explain. So much of the pop sensibility in my writing comes from listening to P!nk and Kelly Clarkson - two of my favorite singers. Even though P!nk and Kelly are both pop-rock artists, they often venture into more country and R&B music from time to time. I really like that, and take a similar approach in my music. I never want to be constrained to any one genre or put in a box. I don't want to make music the way I think other people want to hear it. When I make music for me without thinking about external expectations, that's when I produce my most honest and relatable work. The songs I've written for my EP are only available as stripped-back acoustic versions right now, which makes the music sound like acoustic/pop or pop/country. As they take shape with a full band later this year, listeners will hear more of my soul and rock influences come out.
We love “My Kind Of Trouble”! Can you talk about the meaning of the lyrics?
"My Kind of Trouble" was written for anyone out there who has felt drawn to someone, who they know is just trouble. The song is about untimely fatal attraction, and it explores the emotional rollercoaster that ensues when desires of the heart override logic. One of my favorite lyrics in the song is "Do you believe in the one that got away, oh no the one who didn't stay - just the one who came too late." There are so many songs out there written about "the one that got away," but "My Kind of Trouble" doesn't focus on the person that slipped through our fingers, but the one who came along a little too late for any relationship to really materialize or be explored. There's a lot of conflict baked into this tune, even though it sounds very positive, musically. That's the irony.
What do you hope your listeners take away from this song?
I hope someone listens to "My Kind of Trouble" and uses it as a means to finding peace in turbulent love or heartbreak. Love is hard. Love is complicated. Love doesn't always turn out as planned. It's something we all go through in one way or another. I hope listeners find resolve in sharing this piece of the human experience together.
What’s next for you?
Honestly, I'm just trying to write as much new music as I can, and I feel more driven than ever to collaborate with other musicians that inspire me. I’ll be releasing two EPs in early 2020. The first will include live performances of original music and covers from a show I played at The Hotel Cafe in May. The second will feature all-new original music - including "My Kind of Trouble" - produced by my husband, Jon MacLennan. I’ve been releasing stripped-down, live music videos for some of the songs on YouTube.
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