Welcome back to Origins, our recurring series that gives artists a space to break down everything that went into their latest release. Today, rising country artist Denitia talks through the process behind her hypnotic new single, “Don’t Let Me Go.”
There are so many people trying to make a name in Nashville, but it doesn’t take long to realize that Denitia has something special to offer. As anyone who has caught her playing at a writer’s round or as part of the CMT Next Women in Country program can confirm, the rising singer-songwriter exhibits an entrancing duality onstage. She can be grounded and vulnerable while simultaneously being confident and transportive. Like the best country music, there’s room for all of it.
Denitia is gearing up for a new project, titled Sunset Drive, out September 6th. Her new single, “Don’t Let Me Go,” follows a lamenting track, “Back to You.” The two offerings emphasize her unique voice — both in the literal sense and in terms of songwriting. Today, she provides insights into how “Don’t Let Me Go” came about, from the production process to her visual take on the track.
Watch the music video for “Don’t Let Me Go” below, and read on for Denitia’s key points that went into developing the song.
Denitia will be opening on Mickey Guyton’s tour this fall; grab tickets to see them here.
Dreamy drums:
Photo by Josh Sorenson via Pexels
I started writing this one in a sleep-deprived state, getting lost in the stirring of drums and bass, ebbing and flowing together. The drums were first on this one, which makes this song an outlier on the record in terms of vibe, as well as process. I was using a Fender Jazzmaster to drive things along and ran it through an octave pedal to create the initial demo bass.
I wanted to figure out how to make it feel aloof and emotional at the same time — to explore that duality. It felt dreamy and hypnotic to lay some airy acoustic guitars over it. The vocal came pretty quickly, and when I wrote the chorus, I knew I had something I wanted to keep. My producer came in and replayed some of the elements to make it sound better than the demo, but I’m proud that this one is a co-production and a lot of the original vibes from day one are there.