by lauren kovolenko
photo by travis latam
Enjoy the thoughtful words of singer/songwriter Peter Raffoul in this interview with him where we discuss just about everything. Hailing from Nashville, Peter brings storytelling to a whole new level with his introspective lyricism. Check him out and enjoy his answers!
You were born in Canada but are now based in Nashville. How did this come to be and how did your upbringing influence you?
Peter: “Canada will always be my home, and will always be such a large part of who I am. I’m so thankful to have grown up there. I feel like the culture of my hometown has been such an inspiration and influence on who I am as an artist. But I have found a second home in Nashville and it has been such an immersive experience musically. Like many others, music brought me here, but specifically, the reason for the move was to develop as a songwriter and an artist. It’s been amazing to call Nashville home for the past five years.”
Congratulations on your EP! What has been your favorite song to perform so far?
Peter: “Thank you! It’s tough to choose one because I think that changes from tour to tour. But most recently, it’s been ‘Call Me.’ It’s a song that I wrote alone in a hotel room, that I now get to share with people in rooms all over the country.”
What was the songwriting process like on “Book Club?”
Peter: “‘Book Club’ started in a laundry room of a Holiday Inn in Seattle. I brought my guitar to mess around while my clothes were in the washer. I had been to a book store earlier that day and when I began to mumble words, the line ‘if you wrote books I would start a book club’ kinda fell out. I thought it was weird and unique in a way. So I brought the idea to a writing session in Nashville with a friend and great collaborator named Tony Esterly, and he was down to give it a shot. We didn’t overthink it, and when the session was over we had a song.”
Do you have any major influences for your music? Who are they?
Peter: “I come from a very artistic family, and I’d say they’re my biggest inspiration. Being creative growing up was always encouraged by my parents. And my older brother Billy, who is also an artist, has been such a great influence on me.”
Being a rising musician is a difficult feat in the modern world, how have you been making yourself known?
Peter: “Just by trying to be as authentic as I can with my music and how I carry myself as an artist. I think there’s so much out there these days, but the best way to connect is by being yourself and hoping that that’s what encourages listeners and fans to come along for the ride.”
In the future, will you have a full album? Is there anyone you’d like to collaborate with?
Peter: “I’d love to have a full album released in the future, I have music in the works right now and plenty of songs that I can’t wait to share. But how they’ll be delivered is still up in the air.
It’s hard to say just one or two people who I’d like to collaborate with. Being in Nashville, I’m around so many people that have so much talent and bring so much to the table.”
Has music always been the path you wanted to take? If you weren’t making music where do you think you’d be?
Peter: “I think in a way I knew this was always what I wanted, but it took me a while to let go of everything and just jump into it. I used to be a barber and really enjoyed it. I’ll still do a haircut here and there. I guess that’s what I’d be doing if I wasn’t doing this, but there’s nothing quite like making music.”
Do your songs have personal meaning to you?
Peter: “Yes, they all do in one way or another. My favorite kind of music is stuff that makes me feel things on a real level. I always try to be true to myself in the music that I make, and I hope that people who listen to my stuff feel that, and can relate to it in their own way.”
Can we expect you to tour as a headliner soon? Where is a place you definitely want to go?
Peter: “As soon as I’m able to, I would love it. It’s a dream of mine to tour as a headliner. But it would be hard to name just one place. Anywhere that wants to hear my music, I want to go play there.”
When you aren’t creating, what are you doing?
Peter: “I try to spend my time with family and friends as much as I can when I’m not creating.”