Laci Kaye Booth Opens Up About First Release Post Record Deal: ‘My Vision Now Is More Clear Than It’s Ever Been’ 

Laci Kaye Booth has finally unveiled her highly-anticipated song, “Damn Good in a Dive Bar,” which first gained attention from…

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Madeleine O’Connell

| Posted on

November 30, 2022

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10:01 am

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Laci Kaye Booth; Photo by Mike Rodway

Laci Kaye Booth has finally unveiled her highly-anticipated song, “Damn Good in a Dive Bar,” which first gained attention from fans when she posted a clip of her in her favorite dive bar to social media.

Written by Booth, Melissa Peirce, and Ben West and produced by Ben West, “Damn Good in a Dive Bar” is the first example of the new chapter that the country star is stepping into with her career, as it marks her first release since parting ways from her record label, Big Machine Label Group (BMLG).

Laci Kaye Booth – Damn Good In A Dive Bar

“I love so many people over there at BMLG. I’ve made such great relationships and friendships over there, so I’ll never say a negative word about ’em, but my vision now is more clear than it’s ever been, and it’s just a liberating feeling, having creative control over my project, and I think you can absolutely tell in these next few songs that I release,” she told Country Now, teasing that more new music is already in the works.

Booth is using her recent loss as an opportunity to reintroduce herself to her fans and start making music that speaks her truth. 

YouTube video

“In the past, I always told everybody that I wanted to be dreamy country, but I don’t feel like I ever got to really do that, really show everybody that,” the American Idol alum added. “So this stuff is actually like really dreamy country, but because of my growth and the things that I’ve been through in the last few years, it’s a little darker and it’s, I think, a little bit more alternative. And I love it cause that’s the stuff I like to listen to. Sonically, it’s very dreamy. Some of it’s very Fleetwood, some of it is very Lana del Rey and that’s the stuff that I’ve just really, really been craving to create the past three years, and I finally get to do it now.”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjoiwdspQ5X/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

In her newest song, Booth’s new-found confidence oozes through her enchanting vocals and effortless melody that resembles the true essence and charm of a dive bar. In sharing the teaser on social media, fans instantly fell in love with it and connected to the lyrics in their own ways. 

“So I made a homemade little video in my local dive bar that I go to all the time and it was very organic. I posted it, and then just the reaction I got…and I didn’t realize there’s so many girls like me that love dive bars. So that was even more fulfilling, and I was just the happiest person on the planet.”

@lacikayebooth

I wrote this song for all the girlies like me who feel their best (& hottest) in their fav dive bar 🤪💅🏼✨🖤 #countrymusic #newmusic #originalmusic

♬ original sound – Laci Kaye Booth

The inspiration for this song came from a conversation with her ex-boyfriend as they prepared for a night out. 

“I was getting ready, and he asked me, ‘where do you wanna go?’ And I said, ‘you know where I wanna go, the local dive bar.’ And he was like, ‘why do you always wanna go to a dive bar?’ I jokingly said, ‘I look damn good in the dive bar.’ As soon as I said it, I was like, ‘that’s a really cool song idea.’ So I wrote it down in my notes and then when I got in my Zoom write, I think a couple days later, I pitched it to my co-writers and they were. ‘Oh my gosh, yes.’”

Booth clearly paints the picture of this dive bar that she romanticizes throughout the song. She even name drops some regular characters that she comes across every time she steps foot inside there to give fans a real understanding of what this environment is like and why she loves it so much. 

“I really have a bartender named Brittany that knows that I like a pickle juice and vodka. She doesn’t even ask me what I want. I just walk in there and she does it for me. And there’s a guy named Dave that does karaoke and it’s just all really, really true. Which is so funny, but I wanted more than anything to make it like an anthem ’cause you know, Shania Twain has those kind of anthems and I wanted to do my own version of that.”

Laci Kaye Booth; Photo by Donn Jones, CMA

When choosing which song to release at the start of this new stage of her career, Booth not only considered what would feel best for her, but also for those who might be listening and also going through some sort of difficulty of their own. 

“I have a couple other songs lined up that kind of touch on, you know, the struggles that I’ve been through in the last couple years, but I felt like I really wanted something that made me feel good and that took me away from all the struggles and all the pain, and this song is what did that for me. So I felt like other people might need it too,” she shared.

The East Texas native got vulnerable on TikTok when she first shared the disheartening news with her audience that she would no longer be working with BMLG. Luckily, she received the same kind of overwhelming amount of support from fans that she saw from sharing this song.

“When I did the video, I put it on TikTok and announced it, every single comment was just people supporting me and showing me love and telling me that it’s gonna be okay and that this was just, you know, another door that’s gonna be opened.”

@lacikayebooth

ALEXA PLAY I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T by Webbie ✨ #indieartist #independentartist #selfcare #stressrelief #countrymusic #realtalk also pre-save damn good in a dive bar

♬ original sound – Laci Kaye Booth

People have not only been getting the chance to enjoy snippets of this song on social media, but it has also become a fan-favorite in Booth’s set list during her recent performances. 

“It is so fun to play, and I got to play it with a band this past weekend with Noah and HunterGirl on their tour, and that was just…that just made me so happy, just hearing it come to life like that.”

Laci Kaye Booth is currently on the road in support of Blanco Brown headlining tour, but she also recently played a few dates as an opener for American Idol’s Noah Thompson and HunterGirl on their co-headlining tour. Her next performance is set for December 1 in Minneapolis, MN.

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Madeleine O’Connell graduated from North Central College with a bachelors degree in Journalism and Broadcast Communications before deciding to pursue her studies further at DePaul University. There, she earned her masters degree in Digital Communication & Media Arts. O’Connell served as a freelance writer for over two years while also interning with the Academy of Country Music, SiriusXM and Circle Media and assisting with Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast. In addition to Country Now, she has been published in American Songwriter, Music Mayhem, and Holler.Country. Madeleine O’Connell is a member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.