We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Courtney Preis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Courtney, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful (and exciting) project I’ve ever worked on was my newest album “Cabin in the Woods”. My writing team and I travel to create batches of new music. We didn’t necessarily think we would (or could) write an entire album in one writing trip, but just a few months ago, we found ourselves immersed in Woodstock, New York with endless inspiration. We rented a cabin in the woods for one week and 12 songs later, we had an entire album completed. My team and I have written SO many songs, but this project was different.

When I started putting out music, it was fully stripped down acoustic. Then, I connected with my writing team and I swung to the other side of the spectrum, pumping out solely pop, top 40 sounding tracks (still super fun). Now, with the project, I’ve met myself somewhere in a sweet spot, in the middle. It is so me; more me than I could’ve ever imagined. I guess sometimes, you have to lose yourself completely to find yourself back home.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a singer songwriter based in Topanga, CA. Never in a million years would I have thought I would be living in Topanga (a little mountain town just north of LA), as a musician. I was born and raised in a small town in New England and even then I related to music as more than just a hobby— it gave my entire life a purpose. I was introduced to yoga and meditation at a very young age, so the concept of dharma (purpose) was understood, and I knew mine was to be a creator in the music space.

I “got into” the music industry by simply continuing to follow what I loved most; music and writing music. I’ve joined many different writing teams all for different purposes. Some strictly for writing commercial music, some for other artists, and the one I’m on now, developing me (Courtney Preis), as an artist.

Over the past year, I’ve strayed away from writing music for commercials or other artists, really coming back to my own messages and brand. In January of 2022, I released an album “Cabin in the Woods”, which I am extremely proud of as a developing artist and I’m excited to say, there are many more songs coming down the pike!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Even though I always say, everyone is an artist no matter what they do in this life, I love being an artist for many reasons. One of them being that my outlet for processing emotions is songwriting and because it is my work, I get to share those feelings, emotions, and messages with the world.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I think that being in music, there is an expectation that one must climb the ladder and figure out their own path. While I do see truth in this, I have definitely had to do this and have felt very alone on my journey many times. If anything, I wish I had found music mentors early on in my career to help develop the sound and messages I’ve now discovered today. I always think, if I had a little help in the beginning, maybe I would have gotten ‘there’ quicker, but just like they say, “It’s all about the journey”.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.courtneypreis.com
• Instagram: courtneypreismusic
• Facebook: courtneypreismusic
• Youtube: courtneypreismusic
• Other: Spotify/Apple Music: Courtney Preis

Image Credits
Alex Lang