Singer-songwriter Lera Lynn couldn’t tell anyone she was going to appear on the second season of the hit HBO series True Detective before episodes started airing earlier this year, but her music hit a resonating note in the TV series’ teaser video even before that.
A sparse guitar riff sets the backdrop for Lynn’s sultry and smooth vocals as images of series stars Vince Vaughn, Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams and Taylor Kitsch flash across the screen. Lynn had a feeling her involvement with the series would spark interest in her catalog, but she started to hear about it often.
“Even Colin Farrell said to me on set one day, ‘I’ve been getting texts from friends who saw the teaser and, though my mustache was funny, they always ask who the girl singing is,'” Lynn says.
Lynn worked alongside T. Bone Burnett for the series, giving her a stamp of approval on her style of songwriting and offering a sense of freedom to write about darker subject matter, something she feared might not fare well with listeners. It’s something she’s explored even more for an upcoming album (due out next year) and a style which can be heard on her current tour, including a stop at the Visulite Theatre on Dec. 12.
“I feel like the opportunities and possibilities are unlimited mostly because I feel like I’ve reached a more open-minded audience through the True Detective music that I don’t think I would have been able to find — not as rapidly — without that exposure,” Lynn says. “I don’t have to worry as much about trying to write music that radio isn’t going to be willing to play — any typical avenue for an artist to get exposure.”
Her upcoming album, which she says is about 80 percent finished, shows a darker and lighter side to her songwriter compared to previous releases — 2011’s Have You Met Lera Lynn and 2014’s Lying in the Sun (EP) and The Avenues — and the work done on True Detective.
Her tour, featuring a full band, is also more energetic than people who may only know her from the show might be familiar with. On the small screen, Lynn was a solo acoustic performer singing somber songs as a backdrop.
“I think (True Detective) shows a sliver of me,” Lynn says. “I don’t think any one work exemplifies an artist. It’s definitely part of what I do. What I’ve been hearing a lot from new fans is they followed me on True Detective and looked up my music and found other music and came to shows. I’m playing a character on the show, but sometimes people fail to see that. Maybe they think Colin Farrell is middle-aged and overweight with a mustache. I shaved my metaphorical mustache, too.”
Lynn says appearing on the show was nothing but a positive experience. She feels that hard work over the years is what opened the door to her discovery by Burnett. While she can’t speak for him, she can assume that he heard the right aesthetic for what he was looking for in the show.
“I don’t think he would bring in an artist that he would have to coach entirely through the process,” she says. “The whole thing feels like a natural progression to me. It’s the culmination of work, time and determination.”
She voices some frustration that she couldn’t tell anyone she was on the show because of the network’s desire to shroud the season in mystery, but once episodes started to air, it got a bit hectic in her life, at first. She was doing countless interviews with people who wanted the inside scoop on the show more than about her music.
However, all the attention has led to more ticket and album sales. While last year Lynn performed at the Evening Muse, this time around, she’s at the larger Visulite. She’s also scheduled for her first European dates outside of the UK for early next year.
As we chat, I get the sense it can all be a little overwhelming — though very exciting — for the former University of Georgia anthropology student. Wait, anthropology?
“One of the greatest and most difficult things to learn to do (in anthropology) is to dismiss your bias,” she says, noting her love of writing also drew her to the major. “You can’t study anything in anthropology with bias. It’s forced me to open my mind on a number of levels. I think it’s incredibly important for a songwriter to look at every scenario from the other side, or multiple perspectives.”
It’s something that’s informed her songwriting — living in one of the poorest counties in the Southeast while in college and now living in Nashville, surrounded by hardworking musicians.
“I didn’t think I would move to Nashville and find success,” Lynn says. “The attitude and drive and work ethic of other musicians — I wanted to be around people that are doing it for real and supporting families and paying mortgages through music. It’s really easy to lose site of the ability to make any money through music if you live in a town where no one is making money through music.”
It’s clear she’s now one of those creative people making a living with her art. “I’m really excited,” she says. “It’s been really fun to explore all kinds of sides of my creative self and go to some weird places. I love the way everything is coming together.”
This article appears in Dec 9-15, 2015.
