New York, NY (Top40 Charts) On January 3, Mandy Groves will release her third EP, THREE, to stream and download on all major platforms. This is also the third time she's worked with her favorite producer, Shinu.
Back in October, the singer sustained several serious injuries in a car accident that put her on bedrest for weeks, preventing her from taking acting jobs and recording music. "A month of recovery at my parents' house, put me in a different frame of mind," Mandy revealed. "I hated not working on something. I already had 'I Want U' done but it didn't feel finished or like something I wanted to drop alone."
Finally ready to hit the studio in November, while also still in a neck brace, she met with Shinu to write and record. "My vibe was different. More sad and moody and sexy, so I got there with the intention to make something like that. My voice was also much healthier while I was recovering than when I was in the band and I had time to heal from the wringer it was put through in the band; loud instruments, bad sound/ low monitors, exhaustion, having to sing around cigarette smoke, etc...so I knew I wanted to really sing, show my range and my true voice."
As with every other project they've done together, the duo made some magic happen in a mere matter of hours. "We got started and it just fell together," Mandy said. "I knew I wanted to make something with feeling and emotion. I wrote the lyrics to 'Done With Me' that night and recorded it."
After realizing that both songs she wrote had 3 word titles, the singer found some direction for the project. "I was like, 'let's make one more song-- 3 songs with 3 word titles. Then I realized it would be my 3rd EP and we had the whole concept down. 3 is a very meaningful number to me and it holds a lot of power in my life. It represents change and creativity, a unique ability to express yourself and follow your destiny, among other things. I've been guided by 3s in many tough situations and on many new paths. I feel like with this EP I'm finally finding my true sound and expressing really relatable feelings."
Days before the car accident, the singer learned that she was terminated from her position as lead singer of Wash Park Band. "I was fired from the cover band I devoted 4 years of my life to. Essentially because of my growing acting career and solo music, they were starting to phase me out, both in my role in the band (by secretly auditioning and hiring my replacement) and in the way they treated me until they finally let me go. Like many young women before me in the band, I was hired for my potential and treated differently once I tried to reach it."
Within days after being let go, the singer was driving in the very early hours of the morning after leaving the studio and fell asleep at the wheel. She hit a guardrail going 70 mph on the highway, totaled her vehicle, and sustained several injuries. "I moved in with my parents for a month following the accident and they took care of me day and night. I felt like I was missing out on so much and falling behind [on my work]. I really wanted to take that trauma and turn it into something positive. That's why this EP means so much to me. I feel like I am finally settling into who I am as an artist and adversity only fuels my drive."
"This EP really feels like a continuation of 'Blame'," the singer shared, referring to her second EP released in May. "It feels like closure in a sense and a new start. Now I can devote all of my energy towards my music and my acting."
