“SOMETIMES IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO DRAW OUT THE TRUTH” | THE GRAHAMS TALK FAMILY, NEW MUSIC AND UK TOUR

INTERVIEW | ALYSSA GRAHAM – THE GRAHAMS by Anne Kelly

For Alyssa and Doug Graham, the line between life and art doesn’t just blur—it disappears entirely. Since they were kids in New York, the duo known as The Grahams have been navigating the world through song, crafting a cinematic brand of Americana that feels as vast as the landscapes they traverse. But with their latest record, The Bridge, the journey has turned inward.

Fresh off a whirlwind holiday season and a marathon session in their Colorado studio, the pair sat down to discuss the “bittersweet reality” of their new single ‘Georgette,’ the shift from chasing hits to building a legacy for their daughter, and why their upcoming UK tour feels like a long-awaited homecoming. This is The Grahams at their most honest, most personal, and most powerful.

First of all, Happy New Year to you both! What did festive celebrations look like for your family?

Happy New Year to you and yours.  I feel like we are just coming up for air after being with my family for Thanksgiving then 19 people at our house for Christmas, family ski trip for new years, our daughter turned 7 on Jan. 5th and then on Jan. 6th until TODAY we have been in the studio working on new music.  It’s been a whirlwind!

Tell us about the new single ‘Georgette’? I believe it was written about your daughter?

I’m not sure if we should be more mysterious about it.  lol.  Truthfully, we wanted to write a song that sounded like her.  She is very smart and mischievous and full of energy and laughter.   Simply put, the song is about her future and who she will become and the bitter sweet reality that Doug and I (having had her older in life) will not get to see a lot of it.  I think we want to make sure she is a strong and confident woman and then we want to set her free to become Georgette.  She is a force and we know that even after we are gone she will be making a lot of noise in this lifetime.

How has becoming parents in the midst of your musical career changed the way you view the “chasing the dream” lifestyle you reflect on in the new music?

I don’t think it’s just being parents.  I think it’s experience and growth.  We were just talking about this with some of our younger friends.  You get to a point in life when you can dream and pursue without the extreme ambition or pressure.  Just last night we finished recording some new stuff in the studio here in Colorado and I was tearing up because, it’s not about the final product or the success of that product.  As you get older (and we are still of course very young) you realize it’s about the process and the moments you spend together creating.  As a parent I will say now when I/we write and make music I want Georgette to be able to listen back and be connected to us through the songs.  This is something we think about now.  It’s less about how can we make a successful record or a hit song and more about what will stand the test of time and continue to connect with our daughter in years to come.

Thinking about the ‘The Bridge’ as a complete work, how do you feel this album differs from anything you’ve done before?

Hands down it is the most personal album we have made.  We went very, very deep into personal wells and found out a lot about ourselves.  In the past we have tended to be more voyeuristic.  In working with some wonderful songwriters at 3Sirens we were about to turn inward and write about ourselves more honestly.  Sometimes it takes a village to draw out the truth.  We sing about our love affair more clearly, we sing about my mother and her illness, we sing about our fears and hopes for our child and we sing about our upbringing, and how New York specifically defined us as humans, lovers and musicians.  It’s very real this album and we are so proud of it.

Apart from ‘Georgette’, do you have any other favourite songs on this record?

That’s always a hard question.  For me I think the defining song is ‘Only New York’, and it’s one of my favorites. However, I would have to say the process of writing and performing ‘The One Who Remembers‘ will haunt me forever.  Therefore, I would say that song has had the most impact on me.  

Doug would probably say, ‘Maybe This Song’.  He has always struggled to write the perfect love song for me.  Since we were kids he has written and rewritten these amazing love songs, but in ‘Maybe This Song’ he talks about the process and the struggle to say what he wants to say.  I think this song really captured something for both of us. There is never going to be the perfect love song and there are never words to truly explain the love we share.  ‘Maybe This Song’ is about that search. 

Just over a year ago, your recording studio 3sirens released the powerful compilation Every Possible Way in support fo Everytown For Gun Safety. Can you tell me more about this project and why it was important to get involved?

In 2023, everyone in Nashville watched in horror as the events of the Covenant School shooting unfolded.  That school is 2 miles from our home in Nashville.  We had, at the time, a 4 year old.  Gun violence in our country is despicable.  Our gun laws, or lack there of, are despicable.  As artists we are always looking for ways to contribute meaningfully to causes we believe in.  Stopping gun violence is a big one.  We decided to enlist a bunch of our friends and fellow artists who shared our concern for the future. It was not a hard ask.  Most of the artists were incredibly enthusiastic about being part of this cause.  With Dan Molad (Lucius) at the helm we focused on 90’s music that had a message.  The result is stunning and has hopefully sparked more awareness of the gun violence epidemic in our country.  

Not long until you return to the UK on tour, what can people expect from these shows?

We are so excited!  Seriously!  We haven’t been back to the UK for touring since 2022 and that was still a strange time in the music world post COVID.  We have more fun touring the UK than anywhere else! The audiences are genuine and present and they like to come talk to us after the show and leave with vinyl!  We are thrilled to perform from our new album, “The Bridge,” our most personal album to date and of course we’ll always throw in some oldies and maybe some surprises.  Our full five piece band is coming and we’re bringing new SWAG and vinyl!  The enthusiasm and energy will be off the charts!

Do you have any favourite towns or cities over here to perform in?

We are very much looking forward to returning to Bath.  We are all history buffs.  Some of the smaller towns are our favorites.  We’ve spent a lot of time doing the “Rural Touring” circuit in the past so we look forward to the small, intimate and bucolic towns throughout England as much as the bigger cities.  

As a tourist, where would you like to visit whilst in the country?

Our daughter has been with us several times to London but not since she was 3.  I want to get her on the London Eye.  Actually, I promised her.  Also, Doug and I always look forward to going to the Tate Modern.  

Finally, if you could go on tour with anybody in the world, who would that be and why?

I mean the easy answer is my band.  It doesn’t get any better than touring with the love of your life and your best friends and confidants.  I think I’m past the wants.  What we have is so special and unusual. At this point we just want to enjoy that luxury. Ok, but if I have to answer, obviously Neil Young.

The Grahams will return to the UK in March and you can buy your tickets HERE.