Author(s)

• 

  Sweetlove

  Thrive

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  As told to Elisabeth Parks and The Country Note: Sweetlove has found her own refuge in songwriting after years of helping others showcase theirs. She sang backup vocals for Grammy-nominated and Tony award-winning artists, paying dues on huge stages. The daughter of a preacher and a teacher, she grew up in California’s Simi Valley and experienced music as a natural part of life––not as a pursuit or a practice, but an extension of just being. Now, after living in West Hollywood for the last 15 years, Sweetlove has drawn from her time sharing stages with superstars and that resonant voice that readied worshippers for interpreting tongues to create something that is entirely, beautifully hers. And from that voice comes a re-imagining of a collection of songs she wrote after losing three people very close to her in 2018, all to mental illness: her new EP Goodnight, Lover (Stripped). Produced by Wes Hutchinson (Grammy-nominated/HBO/CBS), Goodnight, Lover (Stripped) puts Sweetlove’s twin devotions to her earthy pop and the people she loves on magnificent display. “I think the stories behind these songs are almost what’s most important,” says Sweetlove. She sighs. It’s a heavy sigh––the kind that makes the person listening suddenly feel their own chest tighten. Sweetlove knows what she’s just said isn’t what a singer-songwriter would typically say about her new EP. But Goodnight, Lover (Stripped) ––the EP in question––was born out a tsunami of grief and pain that, while relatable, raw, and quintessentially human, isn’t typical. Sweetlove says, “The events leading up to it, and the writing of these songs for this record changed my life. I’ve always put my full heart into my songs, but this record felt like it was made from pieces of my bones. I absolutely adore the original record, and always will, but when covid hit and everything ground to a stop, we decided to revisit all of these songs as they were written – with just me and an instrument. My good friend and producer Wes Hutchinson and I spent hours and days re-imagining each song so that the aching truth of each one rang out. After losing three people that I adored to mental illness all in one year, this album is an exploration of that grief, a journey of finding your way back … and a call for us to save each other by helping each other feel less alone. I’m really proud of this collection of songs, I hope it speaks to others too, and I hope it will open up new avenues of conversation around mental illness, supporting each other through it, and making effective resources more widely available.” Listening to Goodnight, Lover, a truth emerges: Sweetlove isn’t merely working through her own hurt. She is singing these songs to the ones she still misses, addressing them with tenderness and love. She is writing songs for film and television around these themes, and she is interested in the potential of music therapy to assist others––from veterans with PTSD to those dealing with loss––and she hopes these songs can be a balm to anyone who hears them.