When JoLivi went into a session to write her single, “Crooked Crown,” all she knew about the song was that it had to had a specific guitar lick she had thought up in her head. “I came in with a guitar hook I wanted to use, the one’s that’s on Crooked Crown now,” she said in an interview recently. That guitar lick led to the creation of her new single, “Crooked Crown,” that is bound to be one of her most successful songs yet.
JoLivi recently made the transition from writing and singing pop music to country music, and this song is a part of that transition. The catchy, but very country melody of the song was inspired by the Dylan Schneider song, “Two Black X’s.” “I don’t even know if it even resembles it,” JoLivi said, “but when I heard that song I got the inspiration to want to do a song like that, or with that kind of melody and that kind of hook.”
She wrote the song with her musical director Mark McKee, who also produced the track. The theme of the song is empowerment, and JoLivi says she thinks that anyone going through troubles in life can relate to “Crooked Crown.”
“I think all women wear crowns because they’re beautiful and amazing and you just gotta fix it when you take a fall,” she explained. She drew inspiration from watching her friends go through hard times, but also from her own life. “Sometimes I think people underestimate how strong they are as individuals,” JoLivi said. “Instead of being weak, you actually can survive most things, even if you don’t think you can.”
She wrote the song with her musical director Mark McKee, who also produced the track. The theme of the song is empowerment, and JoLivi says she thinks that anyone going through troubles in life can relate to “Crooked Crown.”
“I think all women wear crowns because they’re beautiful and amazing and you just gotta fix it when you take a fall,” she explained. She drew inspiration from watching her friends go through hard times, but also from her own life. “Sometimes I think people underestimate how strong they are as individuals,” JoLivi said. “Instead of being weak, you actually can survive most things, even if you don’t think you can.”
“I think people underestimate how strong they are...instead of being weak, you can actually survive most things, even if you don’t think you can.” — JoLivi
JoLivi released “Crooked Crown” as a single because she loves the vibe of it. “I love the way it makes me feel, I love the reaction I’ve gotten from people who’ve listened to it,” she said. “I think it’s relatable. It’s a topic that’s been used in songs, but not in the sense of ‘Crooked crown.’” Like all great country music, JoLivi was able to craft a song that talks about something that people can relate to, but in a new and different way.
The transition from writing pop music to songs like this one was a definite transition for JoLivi, but she said that she loves writing country music. It wasn’t an out of the blue shift for her, as she said she grew up on country music. “I always listened to country music growing up, but when I went to college, I started to get really into country.” But JoLivi doesn’t regret singing pop music. “I definitely loved it, I was able to get a lot out of it,” she said. “But I wanted to write stories.”
The difference in writing pop music and country music is a distinct one. JoLivi says it’s all in the honesty of the lyric. “In the world of pop, I was much more metaphorical,” she said. “I wasn’t saying things how they were. With country music, I get to lay it all out.”
Despite what she initially thought, writing country music is not easier for her. “It’s definitely harder to find something that can be relatable to everyone,” she said. But the simplicity and honesty of the genre makes the difficulty worth it for her. “In country music, you can really just get down to the nitty gritty and just tell it how it is,” JoLivi said. “I feel happy when I listen to country music.”
The transition from writing pop music to songs like this one was a definite transition for JoLivi, but she said that she loves writing country music. It wasn’t an out of the blue shift for her, as she said she grew up on country music. “I always listened to country music growing up, but when I went to college, I started to get really into country.” But JoLivi doesn’t regret singing pop music. “I definitely loved it, I was able to get a lot out of it,” she said. “But I wanted to write stories.”
The difference in writing pop music and country music is a distinct one. JoLivi says it’s all in the honesty of the lyric. “In the world of pop, I was much more metaphorical,” she said. “I wasn’t saying things how they were. With country music, I get to lay it all out.”
Despite what she initially thought, writing country music is not easier for her. “It’s definitely harder to find something that can be relatable to everyone,” she said. But the simplicity and honesty of the genre makes the difficulty worth it for her. “In country music, you can really just get down to the nitty gritty and just tell it how it is,” JoLivi said. “I feel happy when I listen to country music.”
Watch the official video for “Crooked Crown” below and purchase it on iTunes.