On this episode of The Fred Minnick Show, singer-songwriter Bailey Bryan joins Fred for conversation and whiskey sipping. Bryan, who was named an “Artist of Tomorrow” at the 2016 Grammys, drops her new album Fresh Start this week, and that was a big part of the conversation. They also rapped about surviving the covid pandemic, staying creative in the face of uncertainty, her first song, her evolving influences, learning about bourbon, sipping whiskey from a bowl and plenty more. Enjoy!

Whiskeys tasted:

• Kuiper Belt 8 Year Kentucky Bourbon (4:03)
• Westland American Single Malt 2015 Barrel Pick (18:44)
• Wyoming Whiskey National Parks Limited Edition Bourbon (31:49)

EPISODE SUMMARY

Fred and Bailey talk about a wide variety of things, such as:

• The first order of business was to talk about Bailey’s new album Fresh Start, which drops May 7. She said the album is about “life, love and the pursuit of confidence.”
• The second order of business was to get to drinking, starting with Fred giving Bailey his tutorial on bourbon sipping. The first whiskey they tasted was a new one to the market: Kuiper Belt.
• Bailey talks about how she first knew she was going to be a musician. It includes her being 4 years old and singing the first song she ever wrote, “Pickles in the Forest.”
• The 23-year-old started playing guitar at age 12, and for the next three or four years she “just wanted to be Taylor Swift.”
• They talk about the fact that musical genres have opened up in recent years, so that performers aren’t pressured into “fitting into a box.”
• One of Bailey’s bourbons got shifted from her glass into a bowl. Hey, she didn’t want to waste good whiskey.
• Fred re-ruins Chipotle for Bailey.
• Bailey accidentally drinks the Westland a little too quickly. Oops.
• They talk coffee and lavender for a couple of minutes, relating to Bailey’s growing up near Seattle.
• Bailey talks about the transition of moving from the Pacific Northwest to Nashville and the things she misses – like the beach.
• They go into pairing whiskeys with Bailey Bryan songs.
• Kuiper Belt ends up being Bailey’s favorite – she also learns she is not a fan of peaty whiskey.
• They circle back to talking about Fresh Start, the title track and the concept behind the album. She goes into how 2020 shaped the album, and her writing style, creatively, as well as what she has learned: that life is a series of fresh starts.

QUOTABLES

Bailey on becoming a singer-songwriter: “I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to do music. It’s the only thing I’m super good at and enjoy … I always have written songs and made up dances, and made my parents and my friends watch them. I’ve always liked attention, and that bodes well for me as an artist.”