Courtney Govan
Singer/songwriter Courtney Govan recently released one of the best songs I’ve ever heard. It’s called “your opinion” and it’s perfect. It’s honestly been hard for me to find GOOD songs lately but this one has been on repeat. What a song ! Timeless. The topic, the melodies, the vocals, the production, the songwriting; everything is on point. I really hope this song will get the attention it deserves.
”your opinion” is now available everywhere. Go stream it !
Hi Courtney, how are you? What's your story?
I'm 29. I'm a Capricorn. I'm obsessed with music. I've been singing pretty much my whole life! My parents have always told me that to their joy and my sister's embarrassment, I would never shut up. I felt, as most kids do, that no one understood me. I slowly started writing poetry and little streams of consciousness. It kind of turned into songwriting. I remember writing ‘I love you’ songs and ‘I'm sorry’ songs to my parents.
What did you grow up listening to?
We had a very eclectic music taste growing up. I remember a lot of B52s, Rock Lobster, the American Idol queens and kings, like Kelly Clarkson. I honestly kind of attest my belt and my range to growing up on Kelly and Demi.
When did you start writing songs? What made you want to write in the first place?
I have memories of always writing poetry and songs for my parents. I remember I would write late at night, but the one writing experience that really struck me was in college. I was feeling really unhappy because I was really lonely and isolated. I remember being in one of the practice rooms and I wrote a song called Shadow. I showed one of my professors and she said, ‘You wrote that? That's a very good song,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, what is this validation sparking inside me?’ It was really cool to have something that felt raw and deep for me, not just to be praised, but to connect with someone else. Since then, my foundation has always been ‘I want to help people find words and feel seen in what I write.’ I don't care if it's hyper-specific because it can be for someone.
Do you remember the first song you've ever written? As a songwriter, what lessons have you learned since then?
There's an ambiguous song about a boy that I wrote on the guitar. I don't play guitar anymore. I have a vault of songs that will never see the light of day. Songwriting is like giving my diary to people 1000%.
When did you know you could sing? Growing up, what were your favorite records to sing along to?
I feel like I already touched on this, but it was a lot of Kelly, Demi. I've always been known as ‘Courtney The Singer’ and over the last two years I haven't been releasing music because I thought, ‘Who the fuck am I? Who am I without music? What if I just wake up one day and lose my voice?’ It's getting harder and harder to sing the way that I'm used to. There's nothing wrong with that, but I’ve had to find myself outside of music. I was always the girl associated with music. I've always been able to sing, but I'm also so many more things.
When did you realize you had to become an artist and release your original music?
I write to heal myself. I knew I needed to be an artist when I could no longer let everything else around me tell me who I was and what to do. I knew I wanted to be an artist when I felt like I was giving words to really specific things that there wasn't a voice to yet. I don't like pigeonholing myself as a specific kind of artist for a specific kind of person. But on social media, I realized really fast that I was becoming someone, even if it was just to a small part of the internet that messaged me and told me I'm who they needed when they were my age.
"your opinion" is your latest single - what's the story/inspiration behind this song?
There's a lot about “your opinion” that is very universal and also very personal. The origin of the song is because I got called a narcissist for the first time by someone I really cared about and they're no longer in my life. That became a catalyst for me to remember my mom's advice to me: other people's opinion of you is none of your business. I added to that with my therapist: other people's opinion of you is none of your business as long as you're doing everything you can to be a good and kind person. It was a lot of reminding myself I am not fake; I am not a bad person; I'm allowed to make mistakes; I'm allowed to have conversations and I deserve respect and decency from those who say they love me. That took 2 years. I'm still working on it, but “your opinion” was born to remind myself that if I let other people's opinion of me define who I am, I might not like myself.
Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this single? When did you start working on it? Who helped you create it?
I was having a really crappy bout of writer's block; it had been a year since I even tried to write anything. I was hanging out with my friend and said, ‘Ok, she has a piano; let me see what happens.’ I wrote the first half into the chorus and then sat with that for a year. I posted it online and never looked back. Now I'm dropping it two years later. Then, I went into production with one of my dear friends, Brett Paddock. He's known for doing a lot of Ryan Neelen stuff, and many other artists, including Nicolena Bozzo and Taylor Bickett. Then I got it mastered by Gabby, who’s in New York, and got it mixed by Brandon Eunice, who's in Canada, so “your opinion” just went on a whole little road trip. As the song got older and I grew with it, I had to redo the [vocals]. So, I went in February of 2024 and changed all of them. They're fresh, they're new, they're me, and they're hot. One of my best friends, and also an artist that I'm so unbelievably blown away by, Anthony Gargiula, did the background vocals and the arranging with me. He is on the track as well. I really sat with it, did a lot of zoom mixing in person, a lot of commuting back and forth, and I'm really happy with how it came out.
What did you feel when recording "your opinion"?
Really overwhelmed. I don't cry the easiest. I feel my emotions very physically versus externally, so I get really flustered and my chest tightens, which is really fucking hard when you're singing. I think there's a certain level of dissonance when I'm recording. I have to trick my brain a bit, but there's also moments where I allow myself to fully feel. That’s when I experiment. The experimentation, 9 times out of 10, is what ends up on the track, but we like to get it all down.
What's your favorite lyric on this song?
The lyric ‘What really is a narcissist? I don't think they'd have to process this’ is my favorite because the whole fucking song is about being called a narcissist. I was literally going through an identity spiral and then realized, ‘wait, I don't think a narcissist would ever believe that this could be true.’
What do you want people to feel when listening to this single? What message do you want to deliver?
I just want people to feel comfortable in their skin. I want people to stop chastising themselves for every little mistake, every little hair that's not in the right spot, or if their blush is too peached. I just want people to breathe because that's what I'm working on too. I want people to live in their choices with confidence even though someone's always gonna hate it.
Could you list a few records that influenced the music you are making today?
I'm very adamant about not listening to music when I'm creating. The opposite of what I sing and write is what I listen to at the gym so that it doesn't feel like work is at home, but I've been really into Griff’s stuff like “Last Night's Mascara.” That's kind of the direction I'm interested in leaning towards. With “your opinion” specifically, I genuinely don't have tracks in my head. I knew when it felt right. Brett has such a strong vision, and a strong understanding of working with artists. It's really interesting to have a producer who genuinely understands that. I went in and said, ‘I would like a ballad and I want it to feel a bit cinematic.’
What does singing make you feel?
It depends on the day. Sometimes, I’m really stressed and annoyed, but when I hit what you could call a ‘singer's high,’ I really lock in and feel like nothing can touch me.
Besides music, what are you passionate about?
I love photography. I'm training for a half marathon, so I’m nauseatingly addicted to running. I just started making sourdough. I love shopping and retail therapy. My Chihuahua. His name is Charles Timone and he's 12. He's the love of my life.
In your opinion, what would make the world a BETTER place?
I think patience would make the world a much easier place to exist in. People just need to chill and slow down.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
I think not taking myself so seriously, but also taking myself seriously enough that I demand the respect I deserve. People don't get to walk all over me just because I'm a very nice person. Being nice doesn't mean that everyone's available and open to it. I've had to learn how to protect my peace. That's been the biggest theme of my life. I don't try to mold myself to fit who I'm around anymore. I know how deeply I love and care, and I know I can find others who also love and care that deeply. That and patience.
What can we expect to hear/see next?
Wouldn't we all like to know? I think what's next for me is to enjoy all the work I've done in the last two years, and the next song will make itself known when it's ready.
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