Rebecca McCartney’s single ‘Behind Closed Doors’ is a song about accepting yourself for who you are, even when others around you are not able to value you. With delicately intricate vocals and engaging lyrics, she addresses an unfortunate relationship with a sense of cheer, narrating the inability of her partner to treat her with the respect and acknowledgement that everyone deserves. There is a clear sense of underlying confusion, most prevalent in the chorus when she claims, “You only love me when the doors are closed / Only are with me when nobody knows.” It is an emotional musing on self-worth, an attempt to help people appreciate themselves without adopting a forlorn tone. Instead, the message is to own who you are, dance and celebrate, and become stronger by moving on. It is impossible to not place yourself in her shoes and relate to her story.
The New-York based artist has been surrounded by music all her life. Picking up various influences and studying music in college, she has found a way to fuse multiple styles to create her unique sound. Looking forward to her upcoming EP ‘How You Feel’ which promises to build on her singles, we thought it would be a great opportunity to interact with Rebecca to find out more about her journey and thoughts.
Here’s what happened.
FNE: Behind Closed Doors sounds like a song that is not limited by styles or genres. How would you describe it?
RM: Yeah, that’s definitely how I feel about the song, too! I like to think of it as a mix of indie rock, R&B, and soul-singer-songwriter, all with a jazzy undertone. So lots going on.
FNE: The song is about a serious matter, but the music is almost groovy and relaxing. The unlikely blend sounds amazing. How did you come up with the idea of combining these two opposing aspects of the song?
RM: The song started with me using my guitar as a stand-in bass, because I was hearing the hook (“you only love me when the doors are closed” part) with a pretty strong and exposed bassline underneath. So I used my E string to come up with something with a good groove, and built the rest of the song around it. The lyrics were always about this kinda unfortunate situation, but I realized through writing it that the song didn’t have to take on a pitiful feel. I wound up leaving this relationship once I felt I wasn’t getting the respect I needed, and I wanted the vibe of the song to reflect that empowerment and celebration. I think the balance of the serious and light that you speak to is reflective of the way I felt in this relationship: it was a less than ideal situation, but I was never without my power or my joy.
FNE: You were raised by a family of musicians and around classical music. How big a part did that play in the way that you make and write your music now?
RM: Oh, a huge part. There’s the aspect of music theory and training that I got from my upbringing that still informs the way I write and practice and perform, but I think much more importantly, growing up in a family of musicians and in that community showed me how much energy and life can come from sharing music with others. With an audience, with collaborators, teachers, students: it’s how you connect with people. And having a roadmap for that from a young age was priceless.
FNE: You have an engagement with so many different genres of music and your work reflects that. Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
RM: Thank you, I appreciate that. I’m a huge fan of old school R&B acts like D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, and a bunch of the newer artists pushing the genre, like Thundercat, Robert Glasper, Lianne La Havas. Then there’s the more singer-songwriter side of me, who loves Joni Mitchell, Laura Marling, James Taylor. And of course the artists I can’t really pin down, like Sylvan Esso or Hiatus Kaiyote. A total mix.
FNE: Behind Closed Doors seems like a very relatable song. What is your process of songwriting? Do you rely on your own experiences primarily to write your songs?
RM: All my songs definitely start with my own experiences or those of friends, and then I think each song develops its own character and perspective beyond me. One of the songs coming out later from the EP, it’s called “For Avery, in June,” that one’s about a friend. But I’m always writing from some level of my own experiences, and songwriting is my tool for processing those emotions. Most of my songs start with my jumbled thoughts and a couple of repetitive chords on piano or guitar. Then I build out from there, with a lot of voice memos as I go.
FNE: How much of an impact has COVID had on your career? Has it changed the way that you approach creating your music?
RM: The pandemic has definitely stopped me from performing live as much as I’d like, and it’s moved a lot more promotional work into digital spaces, which I’m still getting comfortable with. I’ve also done a lot less co-writing than I’m used to, and my songs haven’t gotten to live their second lives yet in the way that songs performed live usually take on new grooves and new feelings. But that just means it’s all yet to come. On another hand, my friend Jakob and I released an indie-folk album at the beginning of quarantine (March 2020) called Garden Party, that we didn’t get to promote at all, so that was a big hit to our plans.
FNE: What are some of the challenges that you have faced in the music industry, especially after you began your solo career? How do you prepare yourself to deal with them?
RM: I’m lucky to have a lot of things going for me: a supportive family, a place in NY, some friends also navigating the industry, but I definitely still feel really lonely a lot of the time. Like, I have long to-do lists and lofty goals but I have no idea what to do every day. Haha. So I think the biggest challenge so far has been trying to create some sort of plan or roadmap for myself to start gaining traction, and balancing the business side with the creative side (of being an independent artist). I’m still working on it. You have to really hustle in this city and this industry, and sometimes I doubt myself. But every time I get to sit down and play with other people, or play my music for others, I get the feeling again that I can do it and I have to do it. Playing music is my favorite thing in the world.
FNE: What’s next for you as an artist?
RM: Figuring out all of the above. Just kidding — but only half kidding. I’m working on putting a band together, and also getting some merch out there! You can follow along on my social media and my website for all the updates.