Cortney Tidwell comes from a country music background: her mother, Connie Eaton, had a brief brush with fame in the 1970s, and her father, like Tidwell’s husband (and co-producer) Todd, works in one of Nashville’s prestigious Music Row establishments. Growing up in the heart of Music City she spent her childhood years in her bedroom, avoiding the painful breakup of her parents’ marriage by listening to a wide variety of music, headphones clamped to her ears.

“It seems there’s a shortage of girls in my life. It began when I was a child: I was obsessed with music, and rock and roll’s bombarded with boys, but girls weren’t fussed over it so much. So I positioned myself with the boys. They played instruments and talked about rock and roll, and all I wanted to talk about was music. It’s still the same today, boys everywhere I look. I even gave birth to two of them.”  Cortney Tidwell

Questions

What is the biggest inspiration for your music?
Heartbreaks and babies crying.

How and when did you get into making music?
Born into a musical family, I really didn’t have much choice ;)

What are your 5 favourite albums of all time?
Joni Mitchell- Blue
Kate Bush- Hounds of Love
Depeche Mode- Black Celebration
John Coltrane- Giant Steps
Brenda Lee- Brenda Lee

What do you associate with Berlin?
Beautiful darkness

What’s your favourite place in your town?
Robert’s Western World

If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?
Paint

What was the last record you bought?
Janelle Monae

Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Emmy Lou Harris

What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?
First European show ever performed in Berlin.

How important is technology to your creative process?
Not very…

Do you have siblings and how do they feel about your career?
I do have a sister. And she is very supportive. Although she got the rockstar name. Her name is Velvet. Really. Her name is Velvet. ;)

Our Favourites:

Watusii

Son and moon

Oh, suicide

Links: Soundcloud |  cityslang.com/cortney-tidwell/