Nashville-based, Canadian-born singer-songwriter, Peter Raffoul writes music from the heart. While he has been embracing his stream-of-consciousness style of songwriting since he was a teenager growing up in an artistic household, he just made his stunning debut last year with the release of his debut EP, Songs from House in Blue. Comprised of six vulnerable, honest and incredibly relatable tracks, the EP effortlessly set the groundwork for Peter Raffoul’s future. Now, he is embarking on a new journey in 2023, with three new singles under his belt so far this year and much more planned on the horizon.
Honesty is at the forefront of everything that Raffoul writes, which in turn finds him staring down at some of the uglier sides of life in some of his music, but he does so with a sense of grace, understanding and relatability that has already resonated with fans. Whether it’s on his powerful track, “Fucked Up Together”, bittersweet cuts like “Missing You” and “Thought You Should Know” or even his newest song, “Book Club”, Raffoul constantly finds himself embracing the uncomfortable and reminding listeners that it’s alright to not have it all figured out, that they can be happy and sad at the same time, and he’ll be there to provide the soundtrack. With “Book Club” out now, we caught up with Peter Raffoul to talk about his exciting 2022, new music and plans for the future. Read more below.
Prelude Press: You made your debut last year with your EP, Songs from House in Blue and have released a handful of new singles so far this year! For someone who might be hearing you for the first time, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Peter Raffoul: I’m a guy from a small town in Southern Ontario, Canada, who moved to Nashville to make music. I just try to make music that is unapologetically me and hope that listeners can identify with it and connect to it in their own way.
You come from an incredibly musical household – how has it impacted the music that inspires you and the music you write today?
I grew up in a very artistic family, they’ve always influenced my creativity and always put an emphasis on being myself. So when it came to making my own stuff, I knew that as long as what I was making was true to who I am and how I feel, that it would be the right stuff. The same goes for music that I like listening to, I always gravitate towards artists who seem honest in what they put out.
With Songs from House in Blue being the first collection of music that many listeners will hear from you, was there anything in particular that you set out to accomplish when working on it?
That first EP felt like it had been in the works for a long time, there were so many things I wanted to say and because I had never released any music before, I finally had the chance to do that. There’s a lot of subjects in there that are a big part of my life, and I think that they’re things that everyone has gone through at some point, and I just hope listeners can relate.
Sonically, was there anything you were excited to try or experiment with on the EP?
I was very determined to not make this EP feel too perfect and polished. I don’t think that people are, and I don’t think music is supposed to be either. The producers who I worked with (Henry Brill and Owen Lewis, who are amazing collaborators and even better friends) were happy to create this way with me. Some songs are completely live takes, and others have mistakes all over them. But that’s exactly what I was hoping for.
Lyrically, a lot of your music touches on the imperfect or difficult parts of life. What do you hope that fans take away from your music?
With the songs of mine that touch on imperfect or difficult parts of life, I just hope fans and listeners find some comfort in knowing that they’re not the only ones who feel that way. And I hope that makes them feel seen.
So far this year, you’ve released “Missing You”, “Thought You Should Know” and most recently “Book Club”. What has been the highlight of your year so far?
The highlight of the year so far for me has been playing those songs for people in rooms all over the country. Touring has always been super important to me, so to finally be doing it feels really amazing.
Can you tell us a little bit about “Book Club”? What inspired it?
Book Club started in a laundry room of a hotel in Seattle. I was on tour and had visited a book store earlier that day. When I was waiting for my clothes to dry I pulled out my guitar and started to mess around, one of the lines I kept saying was “if you wrote books I would start a book club” I thought it was kinda unique. To me, it was a new way of communicating a universal feeling. I brought the idea to a co-write in Nashville with a friend named Tony Esterly, and by the end of the session we had the song.
What was the most exciting or rewarding part of working on the newest single?
The most exciting part of working on the newest song was the way we decided to record it. We tracked guitar and vocals live together to keep the song feeling as organic as possible.
Looking toward the rest of 2023, do you have any other big plans or goals for the year?
As for as the rest of the year goes, I’m mostly hoping to tour more and continue to release music along the way.
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