Eryn Shewell aka Eryn is a New Jersey-based blues and soul singer-guitarist with a retropop twist. Originally hailing from Maryland, she began performing publicly in her early teens and has since gone on to share the stage with artists including Gregg Allman, Don Mclean and the Gin Blossoms. She has been nominated for, and won, numerous awards over the years and, in 2016, she became the youngest-ever inductee of the NJ Blues Hall of Fame.
We got a chance to catch up with Eryn in advance of the release of her latest EP Lady E, due out April 6, where we talked everything from collaborations to inspirations and more. Check out the full Q&A below.
Laurie Fanelli: Congrats on your upcoming EP, Lady E! Can you share a bit about your songwriting process throughout the release?
Eryn: I don’t really have a set process for songwriting, but I find that often the best work comes with collaboration with others.
My co-writers and I spent a lot of time working through a pile of songs before choosing to record these six but each of them has its own unique story. Over the last couple years I wrote with writers throughout the country, including New York, New Jersey, Nashville and Chicago. I ended up collaborating with some amazing writers on this project. I didn’t have a hand in creating all of the songs but each one has personal meaning for me.
The single “Hallelujah You’re Gone” was actually the first one to make the cut. Cheryl DaVeiga and Anthony Krizan came up with this great concept about celebrating a loss of something negative in your life. I had them change a few of the original lyrics to make the song more personal to me. This idea is really something that I feel a lot of people can relate to, not just within a relationship but with anything in life — for instance, one’s career, business relationship, or friendship. Sometimes a loss can be something that upon reflection is something to celebrate. I know I’ve recently gone through this and when I sing this song I always think about how far I’ve come and how much better off I am now.
Then one day my friend David Bryan of Bon Jovi sat me down in his home studio and said he had a song he wrote for me to sing. It was such an honor to have someone like him, who wrote the music for Memphis and The Toxic Avenger, write a song for me! I almost couldn’t believe it. He then played this beautiful piano-vocal demo of the song “The You Missing from Me” and I burst into tears. The song just touched on my heartstrings in a way that I hadn’t felt in a long time. I had to record this one!
The other song that really comes from a personal place for me is “Stranger In My House.” I was in a bad place in my life and I think I had just finished arguing with my boyfriend at the time. I had just realized this man whom I had been with for almost eight years was a complete stranger to me. I locked myself in my room and these words just flooded out onto the page like my muse was writing them for me. I then gave these words to my good friend and co-writer Alice Leon and we collaborated on the music. We wanted the music to have the same concept as the title and almost something that could be turned into a cool thriller movie. I love what Dave Eggar did with the strings on this song to help create the feel.
LF: Who does “Lady E” represent? Is she you through and through or a bit of an alter ego?
E: I feel that “Lady E” is actually me, but it’s not just me as who I am now or have been, but who I’m meant to become. Lady E has been a nickname of mine from friends and fans for many years but I feel that I am only now really embracing it. They saw me in a way that I didn’t see myself at the time. I didn’t always know my own value. I have now shed a lot of the negativity and insecurities that were a part of my life and stepped into this person that those people knew I could be. I’m now a more confident woman and I’ve become comfortable with myself. I do know that I have a lot more personal growth and learning to do, but I’m excited for the ride on my journey to completely become “Lady E.”
LF: Who were some of the musicians and producers you worked with on Lady E?
E: I had the pleasure of working with such an incredible team of people on this project. Everyone from writers like Cheryl DaVeiga who is an ASCAP award-winning writer, and Anthony Krizan who wrote and performed for people like Lenny Kravitz and the Spin Doctors, to the musicians, our producer Jack Daley, and all the other wonderful people I get to work with. I could never have done any of this without this team of people. They believe in me and they help me make it happen.
Our producer Jack Daley is just an all around talented and great guy. He played bass with artists like Lenny Kravitz, Joss Stone, Rob Thomas, and Beyonce. He brought in this dream lineup of musicians to perform on the EP. This includes himself as well as my husband Matt O’Ree, who played guitar for Bon Jovi’s “Bon Jovi Live” tour, David Bryan of Bon Jovi, Dave Eggar from Coldplay, Beyonce, Phillip Phillips and some more of the best musicians in the business. I walked into the studio for each session excited about who I was going to meet that day. Jack really picked the right A-team of people for this project. (Check out the complete list of players here)
LF: Do you have a favorite song to perform live from the new EP?
E: I honestly really enjoy performing them all. They all have their own place in my life. Every one of these songs is a part of my journey and I’m glad I’m able to share it with the audience. I do admit that the song David Bryan wrote, “The You Missing From Me,” is a bit intimidating and probably the hardest one to sing. Lol, I have to psych myself up for that one a bit. It has a big octave vocal jump towards the end of the song that just really plays up the drama of the lyrics. It’s definitely worth it in the end though.
LF: Your music captures so many different eras and genres. If you could go back and live in any time, Midnight in Paris style, what time period would you choose?
E: That is hard to say. There are so many aspects of each decade that I love but other aspects that I could live without. I really love the music and the fashion of the 1940s and ’50s. Men and women were just so classy! I love all those hairstyles that really highlighted a woman’s facial features and all the glamour! Women started to become a stronger force in society and started taking jobs that only men would’ve worked previously. Women basically stayed home and ran our country while the men were out fighting for it. I love all of these things but I could’ve lived without — like war, segregation and some of the negatives for women at the time. But, if I had to choose a time period to walk around in Paris every night at midnight that would definitely be it! Now I have to go watch that movie…
LF: You have performed with, or opened for, so many legends including Buddy Guy, Gregg Allman and Dr. John.Who are some artists that you would love to collaborate with in the future?
E: Oh my! I’d be thrilled to collaborate with ANY of them, but if I had to choose one, I think I’d go with DR. John — mainly because of my love for the city of New Orleans and its music and his style. He is a mix of voodoo and funk. Mmm, I just love that! I’d love to see what he and his band would do with a song like “Stranger in My House.” I think that would really be something special.
LF: Will you be touring in support of Lady E? Where can people see you perform live?
E: Absolutely! I just love to tour and travel and meet the fans. We still have a lot of dates coming in now but our next big performance with a full band will be at Arlene’s Grocery in NYC on April 3rd at 8:00 p.m. I’m excited about this one because it’s going to be my EP debut in NY. I put a great band together with a horn section and all! I also have a really cool intimate acoustic show coming up at the Lizzie Rose Room in Tuckerton, NJ opening up for my husband’s band, Matt O’Ree Band.
LF: Is there anything else you would like to share with Eponymous Review readers?
E: I really hope people get as excited about this music as I am. It’s not only a part of me but a part of all of those who believe in me as well. Everyone involved has really made this special and I can’t wait to share it with the world.
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Click here for a Eryn’s current list tour dates and keep up with her via Facebook and Twitter.