{"id":20583,"date":"2022-03-24T08:24:43","date_gmt":"2022-03-24T15:24:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/?p=20583"},"modified":"2022-03-24T08:24:43","modified_gmt":"2022-03-24T15:24:43","slug":"drake-white-web-exclusive-interview-power-of-a-woman-video-feature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/2022\/03\/drake-white-web-exclusive-interview-power-of-a-woman-video-feature\/","title":{"rendered":"DRAKE WHITE &#8211; Web-Exclusive Interview &#038; &#8220;Power of a Woman&#8221; Video Feature"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4><strong>Web-Exclusive Interview &amp; Video Feature<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Musician: <strong>DRAKE WHITE<\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3>Video: \u201c<strong>Power of a Woman<\/strong>\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Drake White - Power of a Woman (Official Music Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/L6mXsi9YzOA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1><strong>SINGER-SONGWRITER DRAKE WHITE \u201cOPTIMYSTIC\u201d COSMIC COWBOY\u2019S SECOND STUDIO RELEASE KEEPS THE GLASS HALF FULL AND SHINES LIGHT INTO THE DARKNESS<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Drake White\u2019s life reads\u00a0almost like a Hollywood script complete with plot twists and turns, and a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. The country singer-songwriter\u00a0grew up in Hokes\u00a0Bluff, Alabama\u00a0close to the hallowed ground of\u00a0Muscle Shoals,\u00a0where\u00a0the Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd laid down\u00a0tracks.\u00a0Five o\u2019clock shadow, shades and hat,\u00a0White\u00a0easily channels the cool factor of The Swampers, but the look can also be associated with that of a survivor. Intimately acquainted with adversity,\u00a0White\u00a0shares a\u00a0personal journey of someone who has defied the odds\u00a0with unflinching honesty and vulnerability, on\u00a0his second studio album\u00a0<em>The Optimystic,\u00a0<\/em>and in the process reveals what lies beyond the rugged, masculine exterior.<\/p>\n<p>White has shared the stage with\u00a0Luke Bryan, Eric Church and Zac Brown Band, and recently spoke\u00a0with\u00a0<em>M Music &amp; Musicians<\/em>\u00a0magazine\u00a0about\u00a0his creative process, the new album\u00a0and benefits that come with pushing through life\u2019s challenges.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-01-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20584\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-01-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-01-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-01-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Authenticity and a strong work ethic are\u00a0qualities that\u00a0become abundantly clear when first meeting Drake White.\u00a0\u201cIt Takes Time\u201d from his new\u00a0album, offers a glimpse of\u00a0the culture and mindset of White\u2019s hometown of Hokes Bluff,\u00a0Alabama. When asked about growing up there, he offers the romantic\u00a0aspiration found in a Norman Rockwell oil painting,\u00a0characterizing the small town as having a lot of pride and a lot of hard-working blue-collar Americans. He offers the local point of view,\u00a0\u201cThat part of Alabama has a slower way of life and art really grows well there\u2014in that slow soil where it takes time for a tomato to grow. Everything in this world is telling you to hurry up\u2014immediate gratification of social media or Amazon\u2019s click it and you got it at your door. That\u2019s not the way art works. That\u2019s what\u00a0Muscle Shoals\u00a0in Alabama did for me. It taught me to slow down and be in the moment, be in nature\u2014listen to the wind, to the sounds that are telling you what to do and how to do it. That conviction will never lead you astray.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reflecting further on\u00a0Muscle Shoals,\u00a0the fabled recording studio near Hokes Bluff\u00a0which has birthed many hits, White\u00a0philosophizes,\u00a0\u201cMuscle Shoals\u2014they say it\u2019s in the water and I believe that. I believe that\u00a0music has a way of penetrating through the thickest walls.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><em>I\u2019m sure you have a song that when you listen to it, you\u2019re like yeah, that\u2019s me\u2014that\u2019s my music. That makes me feel like a young kid riding down the road in a CJ-7, with my dad\u2014hanging out.<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The country star\u2019s path earning four Top 40 singles and being named Grammy\u2019s \u201cArtist of Tomorrow\u201d began in church. White\u2019s grandfather was a preacher and his father was a choir director, making country music, soul and conviction of spirituality essential elements of his youth.<\/p>\n<p>2016\u2019s <em>Spark<\/em> was White\u2019s debut album. In Nashville, five years before the release,\u00a0it was the result of writing with a lot of great songwriters.\u00a0White describes it as pushing\u00a0that rebellious side of where Muscle\u00a0Shoals meets\u00a0Nashville,\u00a0without too much polish, opting for a more real and authentic approach. He cites authenticity as the reason why the album has done well in\u00a0the U.S. and other\u00a0parts of the world.\u00a0<em>Spark<\/em>\u00a0came with\u00a0challenges but it is also where White embraced the\u00a0creative tension ethos. He recalls the recording sessions,\u00a0\u201cIt seems like forever ago and I love that record. The challenges are the push and pull. Creative tension is good.\u00a0Anytime you\u2019re with a financier, that\u2019s what a label is\u2014a financier (the label hopes of making money on the back end)\u2014that creative tension exists because of where I\u2019m from, my life and my path. Music is so subjective; art is subjective. If it\u2019s right, there\u2019s a good creative tension there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-02-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20585\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-02-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-02-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-02-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Pieces<\/em>, a\u00a0five song EP,<em>\u00a0<\/em>followed two years later in 2018, pairing White with Grammy-nominated songwriter\u00a0and producer Busbee, who had hits with\u00a0Maren Morris\u00a0and\u00a0Keith Urban. Busbee passed away\u00a0in 2019, due to brain cancer. While a\u00a0lot of artists would feel the pressure or possibly be pressured\u00a0by the label to turn out a full-length follow-up after the debut release or a carbon copy of its material,\u00a0White continued to travel his path of being true to himself. The presence of White\u2019s wife, Alex,\u00a0can be felt on\u00a0<em>Pieces<\/em>.\u00a0White elaborates on their romance,\u00a0the timbre of his voice rich with a Southern gentleman\u2019s charm, \u201cAlex and I have known each other since we are about 16 or 17. She went to a neighboring high school outside of Alabama where I grew up. We were just really good friends. I moved to Nashville and graduated from college in Auburn and was back for the holidays. We met up, had fun, enjoyed each other\u2019s company and started hanging out. We dated for seven years before we got married. We dated a long time and made sure that it was right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Alex\u00a0is an artisan chef and event planner. Together, in 2020, the husband-and-wife team opened Whitewood Hollow,\u00a0a space for events, weddings and photo shoots in Whites Creek, Tennessee. He connects the dots for the inspiration that led to its creation, \u201cAs far as Whitewood Hollow, Alex\u00a0was a kindergarten teacher before, in another life. When she moved up here, that\u2019s what she was doing and we just had the conversation. For anyone who knows me, you\u2019re always going to have the conversation of what would you do if you could do anything. I ask a lot of people that. I asked Alex that before we got married. She said she loved to cook,\u00a0to serve and create moments in people\u2019s lives that give them hope and wow them with food. She\u2019s a product of her grandmother\u2019s kitchen, where she learned to cook. She\u2019s an incredible talent.<\/p>\n<p>We built this barn because I was a builder early on. I\u2019ve built barns, and built things, lived in them and worked as an engineer with a commercial construction outfit. I wanted to build a barn out here where I could rehearse and jam. We could make our kind of Levon Helm meets\u00a0<em>Live from Daryl\u2019s House\u00a0<\/em>type\u00a0of situation, where we bring people in and have experiences with music and food. Whitewood Hollow was born.\u00a0I bought the property. It\u2019s our dream\u2014a magical place. I\u2019m a good ole boy at heart. If I\u2019m not playing music, I\u2019m on a tractor, shooting a bow or chasing a deer. I have plenty of opportunity here. I\u2019m always working the land. It\u2019s a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>White references the connection between art and academics, and how personal experiences helped shape him,\u00a0\u201cThe value of music education in our schools is incredible. I actually went to D.C. and advocated for music programs in our schools because music is math, music is science. Music enriches you, helps you learn and digest. A lot of people in rural Alabama or wherever\u2014they may not have an opportunity to express their musical abilities. Where I\u2019m from, it is baseball, football, basketball or bust\u2014you don\u2019t get an opportunity unless there\u2019s something else. I encourage people to follow that. It was huge for me to be raised in church\u2014where music was all over the place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One of White\u2019s many endearing qualities is to tell it like it is without being pretentious. When asked to give\u00a0advice to a young person pursuing a career in music, White\u00a0says, \u201cThere\u2019s not a quick road\u2014everybody has a different path. Kids have many social media outlets telling them left, right or center, or if they\u2019re good or bad. But you need to follow your gut, and that takes work and knowing who you are. For me in 1973, the Allman Brothers\u2019 <em>Eat a Peach<\/em> record made me feel a certain way. I\u2019m sure you have a song that when you listen to it, you\u2019re like, \u2018Yeah, that\u2019s me\u2014that\u2019s <em>my<\/em> music.\u2019 That makes me feel like a young kid riding down the road in a CJ-7, with my dad\u2014hanging out. I just feel great. So, you take that sound and you say, \u2018OK.\u00a0I want to make music that I love.\u2019 Then learn music, travel, talk to people,\u00a0be empathetic,\u00a0put yourself in uncomfortable situations, not dangerous situations but don\u2019t be afraid to push the limit of talking to somebody\u2014asking for advice.\u00a0If you see Zac Brown or Mick Jagger, say \u2018Hey, I\u2019m an aspiring musician. Is there any advice you can give? I\u2019d love to meet with you. Who knows where that might lead? Have the courage to talk with people you look up to and gather knowledge of people you know. Just know who you are, go out there and make music that makes you happy\u2014makes you turn it up and evoke a feeling. You\u2019ll get \u2018no\u2019 100 times to every one \u2018yes.\u2019 You\u2019ve got to push through those no\u2019s with a smile\u2014and keep going. For songwriters, you\u2019ll write 100 songs and maybe two or three are good\u2014or maybe you write three in a row that are good. For me, it\u2019s muscle memory. Don\u2019t be discouraged. Just do what you love to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-07-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20590\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-07-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"990\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-07-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-07-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-07-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen-300x450.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Simple Life\u201d\u00a0released in 2013 is one of four\u00a0Top 40 single\u00a0hits for White. He describes his creative process and his take on singles: \u201cWhen I\u2019m writing, I write where I\u2019m at in that day. I have an idea, I write it down, and we chase after it. For a single or a hit, there are lots of people who like that challenge. \u2018Today, we\u2019ll sit down and write a hit for Kenny Chesney,\u2019 and they can do that\u2014and they do that very well.\u00a0I go out and experience life. I live in the moment without my phone attached to my forehead. I soak it in and write about my perception, my perspective from where I stand. I try to bring authenticity to it. This is my truth\u2014this is the way I see it. I don\u2019t overthink it.\u00a0When we pick singles, I go, \u2018this needs to be the single, let\u2019s put it out.\u2019 Being independent makes it easy. Whatever I think we need to put out,\u00a0we put out. It\u2019s a good place to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2019,\u00a0White was diagnosed\u00a0with\u00a0AVM, a tangle of abnormal blood vessels, connecting arteries and veins in the brain.\u00a0In August of that year, the condition threatened to derail the momentum gained by the new artist\u2014when he suffered a stroke\u00a0and collapsed on stage. Doctors didn\u2019t have encouraging news. Their prognosis was Drake\u00a0White<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>might never\u00a0perform again. After multiple procedures and countless hours of therapy,\u00a0White\u00a0regained the use of his left side, and\u00a0pulled off\u00a0something only seen in movies. Alex, who\u00a0was part of the\u00a0healing process, also faced health issues during this time.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-05-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20588\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-05-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-05-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-05-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Looking back on the darkness,\u00a0White shares the view through his lens\u2014what lessons he learned, and how prayer and faith in God helped him reach the light at the end of the tunnel\u2014elements that are injected into\u00a0his new album, <em>The Optimystic<\/em>. \u201cI don\u2019t think you can live through a near death experience without channeling it into your art. If\u00a0you don\u2019t, you\u2019re doing yourself a great disservice. It taught me to be vulnerable, I wasn\u2019t invincible, life was precious, people around me were precious, and music was healing\u2014ultimately healing, like real life healing. Then I can do whatever I want to do. You can do whatever you put your mind to. If you can face being paralyzed and still keep an optimistic attitude\u2014going through that battle between your ears\u2014me winning that battle is what I\u2019m most proud of. It taught me that family and people around me are power. Who I had around me and the people who\u00a0helped get\u00a0me back up on my feet, got me back moving. That was huge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have to win that battle between your ears\u2014every day. It taught me that I\u2019m a songwriter\u2014I\u2019m an artist. It taught me empathy for other people out there struggling. It taught me that everybody has a story, and everybody has troubles. I thought I knew that but now listening to people\u2019s stories, and being so open with mine (even having a TED talk about it), helped me. When you open up like that, you start shining light into the darkness, and you can feel that. It taught me everything. It completely changed my perspective on vulnerability. When people are vulnerable\u2014they\u2019re not weak, they\u2019re strong. People say be careful not to preach. Well, the world needs to be preached to by people who have been through this stuff\u2014not in a condescending way\u2014not like \u2018this is the way you need to do it.\u2019 They said I wasn\u2019t going to walk again. They said I wasn\u2019t going to get on stage again. I had my doubts but I knew from the get go that was not true\u2014that I would be on stage again, that I would get back up there. It was challenged every day, every single day something came up\u2014I was dropped by my label, dropped by management\u2014you fall, you literally fall, your insurance falls through.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-03-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20586\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-03-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"990\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-03-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-03-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-03-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen-300x450.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter insurance fell through,\u00a0my wife got an auto immune disorder. We were both sitting there and had to call my mom\u2014at 36\u2014call my mom and mother-in-law. I needed help to wash my clothes\u2014I went back to this childhood feeling of helplessness. We got on our knees and prayed to be healed and to keep breathing, and we prayed for music. I prayed for health and vitality. We prayed our way out of it. We came out victors, as cheesy as that sounds. That gives me the authority now to speak my truth. I did it\u2014we did it. Alex taught me how to walk again, she helped with all that. The nurturers and the people out there that help people get through stuff like this, they need as much praise as the actual person that went through it, if not more because she had to be extremely strong. I was not easy to deal with for a lot of this process. It was the hardest thing I\u2019ve ever done and the greatest thing I\u2019ve ever done. I\u2019m very proud of it. I\u2019m glad it happened\u2014and I would do it again. I don\u2019t want to do it again in this lifetime,\u00a0but if God asked me \u2018Would you go through that again?\u2019 Yeah, I would\u2014because ultimately it made me be a better person, a better musician, a better writer, a more empathetic husband, a better husband, a better follower of Jesus\u2014just a better person.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After conquering the health issues related to AVM, the\u00a0COVID-19\u00a0pandemic in\u00a0March of 2020 presented\u00a0White with yet another challenge\u2014when live entertainment industry was shut down, hindering a lot of artists from\u00a0connecting with fans.\u00a0White rose\u00a0to the occasion with his weekly\u00a0<em>Wednesday Night Therapy<\/em>\u00a0livestream shows,\u00a0which\u00a0satisfied his\u00a0creative need during lockdown. The series also laid some of the foundation for\u00a0<em>The Optimystic,<\/em>\u00a0providing a vehicle to try out new material.\u00a0White\u00a0talks about that era, his fans and the benefits that accompany struggles, \u201cThe\u00a0best part was getting feedback from fans, thousands of them popping up on my screen. I was able to do it very close to where I live and walk out there, use my vision\u00a0of the barn as a gathering place to do something weekly. We did that\u201480 weeks in a row. I know a lot of artists did live broadcasts, and it\u2019s not a comparison but I don\u2019t know if any of them did 80 weeks in a row. We did it every Wednesday, and it grew to this thing. It gave us something to look forward to. It was for the fan. That\u2019s when I realized, if you start with a fan and work backwards, you can\u2019t go wrong. You can have people drop you, tell you not to do it, say \u2018every week is too much\u2014you\u2019re going to wear people out.\u2019 That\u2019s what my management at the time was saying. We don\u2019t want to wear people out. Well, I went with my gut\u2014to do it every week because it satisfied this yearning. I don\u2019t play music because I need to\u2014I play music because I have to. It is just like breathing. I would do this even if I didn\u2019t get paid. If I wasn\u2019t Drake White, I would do it. It\u2019s a lifeline for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-06-The-Optimystic-album-cover-art.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20589\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-06-The-Optimystic-album-cover-art.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-06-The-Optimystic-album-cover-art.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-06-The-Optimystic-album-cover-art-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-06-The-Optimystic-album-cover-art-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018Hurts the Healing\u2019 is a song on the new record about that pain and going through all that stuff. Music is healing\u2014music is the reason why. When all were struggling, going through isolation, the least we could do was jump in and be consistent with our playing. I wrote a lot, played the new songs, looked up on the screen and people would react\u2014that\u2019s how we built the record. If you can develop the mindset that it\u2019s not about you, and get out of that victim mindset, you can develop the strength to push\u00a0through and be proud that it\u2019s hard because something\u2019s on the other side that is really good. It\u2019s like that whether it\u2019s a stroke or a song. I\u2019m not saying everything has to be hard. I\u2019m saying that\u2019s just life. Life is tough and there are tough things and you just push through it with a good attitude, and you understand that it\u2019s making you tougher\u2014it\u2019s making you stronger and it\u2019s making you into your ideal self\u2014that person that you want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Along with wife\u00a0Alex,\u00a0White\u00a0is responsible for the\u00a0\u201cPower of a Woman\u201d<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>campaign, a track from the new album. The official video underscores and reemphasizes the roles of women in society.\u00a0White frames the campaign\u2019s backstory, \u201cWe\u00a0were talking around the kitchen table after the song came out. I frequent Wendell Smith\u2019s diner down the road. I just love the waitresses, the chefs, the cooks\u2014all the people who work there. I thought\u00a0about these ladies that are out there working hard, and women who are the backbone of their family. Whether it\u2019s a single mom or somebody who\u2019s providing for a family, or somebody single and out there working hard\u2014working multiple jobs to accomplish something. It\u2019s the greatest time to be a woman, or a man, for that matter. There are more outlets right now for inspired women\u2014to show their power. So we just started accepting stories. We put it out there in the public and got all these amazing stories. We knew we had something really cool here. We started highlighting women and their stories and it just took off from there.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\n<strong><em>I don\u2019t play music because I need to\u2014I play music because I have to. It is just like breathing.\u00a0I would do this if I didn\u2019t get paid. If I wasn\u2019t Drake White, I would do it. It\u2019s a lifeline for me.<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Listening to\u00a0<em>The Optimystic,<\/em><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>it\u2019s easy\u00a0to visualize\u00a0White, the co-writer of 12 of the 14 songs, with\u00a0a pen and sheet of paper,\u00a0scribbling lyrics, joining words, phrases and ideas together\u2014much like pieces of a puzzle that fit effortlessly to form a bigger picture. The album\u2019s title\u00a0is a reflection of\u00a0Drake White: artist, husband, Christian,\u00a0survivor\u2014and his outlook\u00a0on life. Pondering his wordsmith proclivities, and how the subject matter for the album is interconnected with his beliefs on the mystery of life,\u00a0White explains, \u201cI\u2019m\u00a0always looking at words and saying them backwards and forwards\u2014trying to put them with different things. I came up with the definition of the art of keeping a glass half full through life\u2019s mystery (optimism) in its simplest form\u2014and the mystic. I love that word. I love the mystery of life in every day. Nobody knows what tomorrow holds but to go through that with an optimistic attitude is truly a happy life, not fake optimism. I\u2019ve been through a stroke. I don\u2019t have to justify that anymore. To go through life with this is good. Tomorrow\u2019s going to be good\u2014that\u2019s a lot happier life\u2014that\u2019s the way I live my life. I started thinking about it in a cosmic cowboy way, in that 70s vibe that I love giving off\u2014bell-bottom country\u2014that world of the Allman Brothers, that culture, that vibe. Ultimately, it\u2019s a mix of spirituality and my religious beliefs combined with\u00a0battling stuff in this life with an optimistic attitude, through the mystery of life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Producing two\u00a0songs on the album by himself, and co-producing\u00a010 tracks\u00a0with\u00a0Jaren Johnston of the band The Cadillac Three,\u00a0White\u2019s\u00a0<em>The Optimystic<\/em>\u00a0is\u00a0a\u00a0combination of brilliant\u00a0storytelling and infectious hook-laden material\u00a0which\u00a0captures the listener, resulting in multiple replays, while revealing the\u00a0country star\u2019s more human side complete with all the frailties and vulnerabilities.\u00a0There are many great cuts on this\u00a0highly\u00a0personal album, intermingled with shades of a variety of genres.\u00a0White comes out swinging with southern rockers \u201c50 Years Too Late\u201d and\u00a0\u201cAmerican Thunder\u201d complete with\u00a0blistering guitars.\u00a0\u201cRainbow State of Mind\u201d is soulful, like Al\u00a0Green, while\u00a0\u201cPawn Shop,\u201d \u201cGiants\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cPower of a Woman\u201d provide commercially accessible pop irresistibility.\u00a0\u201cHurts the Healing,\u201d \u201cIt Takes Time,\u201d and\u00a0\u201cThe Optimystic\u201d\u00a0dive into more autobiographical territory.\u00a0\u201cCan\u2019t Have My Dog\u201d offers well-written comic relief.\u00a0\u201cLegends Never Die,\u201d \u201cAngel\u00a0Side of You,\u201d and\u00a0\u201cBest Things in Life Are Free\u201d\u00a0are the power ballads.\u00a0\u201cAmazing Grace,\u201d a nod to White\u2019s time spent in the church and possibly a thank you to his higher power, for saving both him and his music, is the perfect and appropriate choice for the closer.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-04-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20587\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-04-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-04-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-04-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Elaborating on\u00a0<em>The Optimystic<\/em>\u2019s<em>\u00a0<\/em>introspective aspects, White acknowledges, \u201cHurts\u00a0the Healing\u201d<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>is<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>probably the most vulnerable song I\u2019ve ever written. It is my personal experience of going through a tumultuous time like a stroke, infertility, Alex\u2019s battles and putting it into words. It\u2019s a very vulnerable song and every word in it is my story\u2014my truth. Songwriting does not have to be true all the time.\u00a0We\u2019re writing or making up lyrics, but that song in particular is my truth. Every single word on it is me\u2014my life and my truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Drake White is currently\u00a0on the road supporting\u00a0Whiskey Myers, through the end of March.\u00a0Next month, White will begin\u00a0the spring leg of his headline tour in support of\u00a0<em>The Optimystic<\/em>, available now.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 RODEO MARIE HANSON<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.DrakeWhite.com\">www.DrakeWhite.com<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.Facebook.com\/DrakeWhiteMusic\">www.Facebook.com\/DrakeWhiteMusic<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.Instagram.com\/drakewhitestomp\">www.Instagram.com\/drakewhitestomp<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.Twitter.com\/DrakeWhite\">www.Twitter.com\/DrakeWhite<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UChlRWnvlwJCNnJ8Jfbywr5Q\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UChlRWnvlwJCNnJ8Jfbywr5Q<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20591\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-08-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20591\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20591\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-08-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-08-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Drake-White-08-Photo-credit-Zack-Knudsen-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-20591\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">All Photos credit Zack Knudsen<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Web-Exclusive Interview &amp; Video Feature &nbsp; Musician: DRAKE WHITE Video: \u201cPower of a Woman\u201d &nbsp; &nbsp; SINGER-SONGWRITER DRAKE WHITE \u201cOPTIMYSTIC\u201d COSMIC COWBOY\u2019S SECOND STUDIO RELEASE KEEPS THE GLASS HALF FULL AND SHINES LIGHT INTO THE DARKNESS &nbsp; Drake White\u2019s life reads\u00a0almost like a Hollywood script complete with plot twists and turns, and a roller coaster [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":20595,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7725],"tags":[13586,13587,13588,7169,13589,9139,13590,13591,6580,13592,4477,13593,2944,13594,13595,13596,2740,1008,13597,13598,13599,13600,1613,3840,12394,13601,8002,13602,7566,8304,3821,7978,9043,4053,13603,13604,13243,13244,13242,11379,13605,13606,4641,13607,13608,13609,13610,13611,13612,13613,7579,13614,13615,13616,4470,4467],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20583"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20583"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20583\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20594,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20583\/revisions\/20594"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}