New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Sawyer Fredericks and Cassandra Kubinski have released "
Burn It Down". The song is the first collaboration between independent singer/songwriters
Sawyer Fredericks (winner of The Voice and multiple-time Billboard Folk chart-topper) and Cassandra Kubinski (Billboard Heatseekers-charting artist who
Billy Joel calls "transcendent"). The smoldering, rootsy track reveals the moment of transformation when someone decides to let their own life go in a blaze of glory, letting it burn to make room for reinvention. It showcases Fredericks' impassioned gritty vocals and acoustic guitar, and Kubinski's clarion, melancholy voice and piano. WEXT in Troy, NY premiered the song.
Written by Cassandra, originally as a song to pitch to "Yellowstone" (the tv show), she quickly realized she was writing her own story, her desire to let go of parts of herself and her life that no longer served her, and even to let them go violently, if necessary, in order to make room for the new. "Since writing the song, there have been so many people who are really fired up about the song's drama, passion, and message. I think we don't receive permission in our culture to rip things apart when they are not working, or to 'hard stop' and cut our losses. At least for me, there's always been this impulse to 'wait it out', and try to resolve things 'gracefully', but in nature, sometimes the wildfires scorch the earth and make room for new growth. It can be scary, and not pretty, but it clears a path to the new," Cassandra explains.
"So revisiting this song felt relevant after the pandemic, when so many are still shifting in their personal lives. And, the song clearly hasn't reached all the people who could use it, as I continue to see in the responses from fans to the song, original music video, and Sawyer and my collaborative performances."
With Cassandra and Sawyer both living in the New York Capital Region, they have many friends in common and as Cassandra was thinking about collaborators, she was interested in what their voices might sound like together and what they might create artistically. "I was drawn to his obvious love for real music played on real instruments, his songwriting chops and unique, rootsy, earthy sensibilities and voice and how he creates a genuine connection with his fans via social media and Patreon."
They met up, bringing with them possible songs to collaborate on, some previously recorded, some still in process, and "
Burn It Down" seemed to be the piece that resonated topically, vocally, and in terms of taking a brand-new approach to a previously released song. Cassandra remembers, "As we played with the song, adjusting the tempo and feel, parsing who might sing what lines, it became clear that the energy and message of the song felt authentic to both of us, and that felt important as far as a collab, to make sure anything we sang felt truthful to us both." Sawyer adds, "I was immediately drawn to this song, and felt I really could connect to the lyrics. Though it's a song about letting go and rising up stronger, I thought that can be a very painful experience too, so I had a lot of fun incorporating my sort of grit and anguish into the song."
The song was recorded at JEM Studios in
Saratoga Springs, NY with
James Mastrianni, mixing and mastering it. The single will be released with a live version and an instrumental.
Cassandra reflects, "When I originally recorded the song, I was just beginning to toy with the idea of starting over and letting everything just drop, forgetting everything I had ever done before, letting go of who I was or thought I was, so I could become who I really want to be. Years later, it's wild how much I am still learning how to do this...it does not come naturally to me. And it turns out, it's not so natural for many people, but many people resonate with the invitation, the permission, to reinvent themselves with fire rather than needing to do it slowly or gently. This new version of the song adds another dimension though...it creates this place where you can reinvent yourself with fire, and yet do it in an earthy, more tempered way, not necessarily as forceful or angry as I originally believed you had to."
Cassandra and Sawyer will be touring together this Fall. Please check their websites for additional dates.
Sawyer Fredericks and Cassandra Kubinski On Tour:
October 9, 2024 - The Iron Horse, Northampton, MA - TIX
November 3, 2024 - The Linda, Albany NY - TIX
