There are breakup songs that bite, and then there are breakup songs like "Loser," that…well, literally hit someone where the sun does not shine.
Some meaning may have been lost in translation, or maybe we weren't as direct as she is in the song, but Emily Kinney doesn't quite get why we thought her parents might've had a bad reaction to this lyric from the tune off the 33-year-old's new album, Oh, Jonathan.
How does it feel to have a small dick
Cause by now I've seen others
I got a tall, dark millionaire man
With smart skills under the covers
"What makes you think my parents had a bad reaction to it??," Kinney wrote in an email interview when asked about which one of her parents called first to ask about the song. She said that her mom expressed that she liked the album, but that her folks don't really comment on her music.
"My dad hasn’t said anything about the album. I don’t know if he has listened to it or not. He probably hasn’t," Kinney added.
On Wednesday, Kinney, who also plays Beth Greene on The Walking Dead, will have Ruth Eckerd Hall's Murray Theatre listening to her songs from Oh, Jonathan, her breezy album of vulnerable, minimalist pop music where other lyrics explore the concepts of lost youth and unrequited love.
Kinney Alabama songwriter Paul McDonald (who is also her bandmate in another band called the Sweetheart Deal) to open on this show as part of a 40-date tour in support of the album. Read our full Q&A and get more information on the show below.
Emily Kinney w/Paul McDonald. Wed. Sept. 26, 8 p.m. 22.50 & up. Murray Theatre at Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen Booth Rd., Clearwater. rutheckerdhall.com.
I gotta know, who called you first after hearing the lyrics on “Loser” Jean or Vaughn? Did you regret not throwing it away after your parents reacted to it, the song did kind of complete part of the album for you, right?
My parents don’t really comment on my music except for that they like it or are planning to see a show. My dad hasn’t said anything about the album. I don’t know if he has listened to it or not. He probably hasn’t. My mom said she likes the album. They said they are planning to come see a show. They have not said anything about the song Loser. What makes you think my parents had a bad reaction to it?? I feel like the song is one of my bests and yes, it completes part of the story on the album.
Just to stay on the song for a while, you’ve mentioned that oftentimes songs are more about the person who wrote it. What’s your approach to mental health, and creating a healthy headspace, especially considering the worlds you live in (acting, music)?
I think exercise and surrounding yourself with the right people, good friends is very important. I also go to therapy and like to read self improvement type books, which I do think helps, but also I’m an actor and I’m just interested in how our brains and emotions work. I also find listening to music be very soothing and writing to be very cathartic, so making music is definitely a way I keep myself mentally healthy.
Forty dates is a long tour. Often in acting a script is given to you, and you have a specific task as an actor to bring it to the screen or stage, serve the story. That takes a lot of effort. How do you power up for a tour considering the fatigue that comes with being a successful actor, or is the fact that you’re touring behind your own work and words enough to charge you up?
I think because of my history working in theatre… where you do eight shows a week, I’m especially equipped to handle tour!! You learn to be really careful with your voice and pace yourself. But yeah, I’m always kind of tired from traveling so much, which is why I’m super into anything that combats fatigue like vitamins, green juice, exercise and being healthy. I also think having the wrong people around you on a tour can be draining. I have to find ways to spend a little time to myself everyday to recharge.
Oh, Jonathan’s title is obviously built around the idea of one relationship which had a significant impact on you. Could you talk about the conversation you have to have with an ex- or current significant other when you start to think about publicly releasing songs about them?
I didn’t have a conversation about the album with my ex. I don’t really feel like I need permission from anyone to write a song or create an album. I really don’t think it caused him any kind of discomfort. I honestly don’t think he cares.
You’ve been putting out music for almost 10 years now. You’ve played different people on screen, but how do you think Emily Kinney the songwriter has changed, character-wise, songwriter-wise, since Blue Toothbrush? You’re big on words, and Oh, Jonathan is stripped back to let the lyrics shine —what else do you want to learn/accomplish as a songwriter?
I think I’ve learned more about how to make a record and more about what options I have in terms of sounds. I feel like lyrics will always be first for me. I write a lot about what I'm going through at the moment, so if you listen close you can see the stories and backdrops change as I get older, move to L.A., etc.
Oh, Jonathan has a water theme. You going to the beach while you’re here?
I would love to!!! But not sure what the schedule will allow.
Paul’s on this tour, so we can expect some Sweetheart Deal songs, right?
This is a tour to promote my solo music and new album so I am mostly focused on performing those songs. But who knows, maybe we will sing a Sweetheart Deal song near the end of the set. I haven’t decided yet. This is definitely a show more about singing Oh, Jonathan songs. And Paul’s fans can expect him to play a lot of songs from his new album as well.
This article appears in Sep 20-27, 2018.