Feature: Ainsley Costello Decodes “THEREGOESMY!”
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind "THEREGOESMY!" and the story it tells?
Absolutely! At the time that I wrote this, I was pretty much exclusively listening to the up-tempo dance synth pop world, trying to stretch not only my writing muscles but my listening ears too. I love this song because it feels like such a time capsule and open book, you can absolutely hear the artists I was inspired by at that time like Robyn, Lights, and Carly Rae Jepsen.
For me, this song is my “oh sh*t I’m in love and didn’t expect that” song, about that sinking feeling you get when you are beginning to realize that you’re falling in love even when you STRONGLY planned against it. Everything I write has a bit of sarcasm to it and I feel like this song just screams “REALLY? I HAVE TO FALL IN LOVE NOW? THIS WAS NOT ON THE ITENERARY FOR TODAY!”
Were there any challenges or breakthrough moments during the songwriting process for this song?
There are a couple funny things that happened during the writing of this song. First, it was the first time I'd ever written with Bri and Sam. I always get nervous for the first time I write with anyone, even though most of the time it turns out fine, and this session but no exception.
But the really funny thing about this song, is that I brought in this idea as a breakup song, it originally being “there goes that”, like you’d just spent a good amount of time and energy thinking that a relationship was going to work and then having to quickly shift the headspace to “there goes a good thing but oh well got to move on”. Then when we started taking the song apart, the track Sam had started to make around it was so fun and bubblegum and dancy, that Bri and I knew it had to be a love song.
What impact do you hope "THEREGOESMY!" will have on your audience?
If anything, I hope it will show my audience that I have some range. This is a very different song for me both sonically and lyrically, because I usually tend to write more introspective songs about growing up with a rock edge. But as artists, what are we if we’re not constantly evolving and challenging ourselves? This song is my “don’t take everything too seriously” song, as well as a reminder to myself that it’s okay to step outside the box of what you normally do every once in a while. Artists aren’t meant to just do and be good at one thing, unlike the industry tells us. I wanted to indulge this dance pop itch I’ve always had crawling around in the back of my mind, and maybe by doing that it’ll show listeners that they can step outside their norm in their own ways/lives.
What do you find most rewarding about co-writing with others?
I love co-writing because it challenges you to leave your ego at the door and do what’s best for the song. Cowriting (with the right people) really helps me get out of my own head too, to get a metaphorical change of scenery and have your natural instincts for a song be pushed and questioned. I find co-writing rewarding because I always feel like I walk out of a session, good or bad, a better writer. I’m a firm believer that you’re never going to get any better if you only work by yourself and refuse to see how other people approach their craft. There is so much to be learned from working with other people, and the sooner you can embrace that, the better.
How do you balance the artistic aspects of your music with the business side of the industry?
I’m really lucky that I have a good team around me that encourages me to live mostly in that creative realm. But even when I’m writing and being creative, I’m always thinking about what makes popular songs today popular, and how I can replicate it in my own way, whether it be taking inspiration from certain drum beats or chord changes, to thinking about how a song will perform live and how an audience will resonate with it. I was also very lucky to have the opportunity to graduate from Berklee College of Music when I was 19 with a music business degree, so I always have a foundation of that knowledge that I acquired at school which is a wonderful backbone to have.