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Cassandra Coleman is making a statement with her debut single “Coming of Age.” Not only is it an honest and open detailing of her journey from rural Tennessee to signing with Warner Records, but it’s also got the Jack Antonoff seal of approval. Recorded with Antonoff and the rest of Bleachers in the iconic Electric Lady Studios, it is a beautiful introduction to Coleman’s songwriting and indie-folk sound. In between studio sessions, Coleman took time to answer all our burning questions about “Coming of Age”, growing up in Tennessee, and must have Trader Joe’s items.

OnestoWatch: You grew up in rural Tennessee, a state often associated with country, bluegrass, and Americana music. Does that influence your music at all?

Cassandra Coleman: A love for americana and bluegrass definitely runs deep in my bones. I wasraised near the Blue Ridge Mountains so I think it’s just ingrained in you at birth. If someone picks up a mandolin, I’m immediately grinning from ear to ear. But I grew up in a house that had a love for folk and rock primarily! My mother would sing James Taylor and John Denver tunes, while my dad would jam out to The Cars, Rush, YES. I believe the constant colliding of those two worlds is what brought me to what I’m making now.

The chorus’s opening lyrics are “I am not a perfect daughter / Though I’ve tried my best to be / And I am not a perfect lover / Because I’m learning to love me.” Self love is such an important thing to have, how did you begin your journey towards self love?

It sounds so cheesy, but I promise you, my journey with music is what started my path towards self love. I’ve been obsessed with singing since I was a child, but I haven’t been a writer for long. That’s a new journey for me. I came to a point where I was tired of singing other people’s music, so I started co-writing to see if someone could show me the ropes. I slowly became aware, through other writers, that I was really unkind to myself. Apparently I was constantly shooting down my own ideas before they’d even left my lips. No confidence in my intuition.

Once I was aware I did this, I realized I wasn’t only this way in writing sessions, I was this way ALL THE TIME. And though I’d love to say the next step in my journey was me saying to myself “Hey, I’m going to start loving you and working on your self esteem because you’re worthy of it!” but the truth is, I thought “If I shoot my own ideas down before I even get them out, how will I ever create something that’s truly mine? How am I ever going to write my own dang songs? Guess I’ll have to figure this out” So much to my chagrin, I started saying affirmations. I felt ridiculous for a while. I read a lot of self help books. Brené Brown. Elizabeth Gilbert. I started taking my negative thoughts captive and throwing them out, instead of ruminating on them. And it slowly started working. Through the journey of figuring out how to write a song, I learned how to start loving myself. I will always be so grateful to music for leading me to a healthier version of me. And now I can say the words that used to make me cringe. I love me. Flaws and all.

How do you face setbacks on this journey?

I have a mantra I made for myself after a particularly crushing setback.. “A closed door is not rejection, it’s protection and redirection.” It rhymes and it’s easy for me to munch on when I’m feeling anxious about how something’s going. With this outlook, nothing can go wrong. The path can only lead to the moment that is meant for me.

Working with Jack Antonoff and the rest of Bleachers on this must’ve been a bit surreal. Do you remember how you felt when you and Jack first got in contact?

I kept staring at my phone. I was typing “Jack” and “Antonoff” in the first name, last name sections in my phone’s contacts and almost laughed. I just couldn’t believe it. And then he immediately was the kind of person who sounds really nice through text. Plenty of exclamation points and hearting messages. I was so relieved. And then we met up in LA and I just knew he was meant to be a part of my life. Wasn’t sure in what way at that point, but I was content even if it wouldn’t go past that meet up. But it did thankfully!

How did working with Jack and the rest of the band influence the song? Is the final product basically what you had in mind from the start, or did the sound grow and change once you were in the studio?

I hadn’t considered putting horns on it! Jack had Evan and Zem come in and lay whatever felt right and I immediately loved where their instincts took them. The horns added this beautiful, soft soundscape to the verses.. and then they start to feel like heart flutters and by the end it just adds this amazing, intense but dreamy energy. Overall the song stayed very true to what I’d had in mind from the start. A soft build throughout the entire song. A walk to a run. The drums in the outro just took it to another world. I love them so much. It makes me immediately want to go play it live and spill my guts out on the mic.

Who are some of your other dream collaborations?

If we’re talking other artists.. Sam Fender, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, AURORA, Hozier, Lord Huron, Coldplay, The Killers, Young the Giant

Part of your journey to where you are now in your career was your struggle with confidence versus arrogance. How do you balance these two emotions?

For a while I thought these words were synonymous, but I kinda see them as opposites now. To me, arrogance is inflation and exaggeration, a desire to be, or appear, more valuable than others. It’s a lack of self awareness and general awareness that every human holds the same value. Confidence is being grounded, knowing your worth, but also your limitations. A confident person doesn’t value themselves higher than others, they just know their value and what they bring to the table. That’s belief. Self belief. They are self aware and it’s powerful.

You’re playing several festivals this summer. What’s your approach to crafting a setlist for an event like that?

So excited. My first festivals! To craft the setlist we just choose the songs that are the most fun to play!

Up until recently you were working at Trader Joe’s. What are your top three TJ’s items?

#1 orange chicken!!!!

#2 coffee bean hold the cone

#3 lemony arugula basil salad kit

Who are your Ones To Watch?

Alec Shaw, Golden Blue, Fritz Hager