Taking a chance on your music is not always the easiest thing to do even if you’ve been writing and playing for a while. For Los Angeles based musician, Temme Scott, it took a while to feel confident in her writing abilities, but she’s here with a new single titled “Understudy” that not only further establishes her writing chops, it also addresses her journey to get to where she has in music and as a person.
While “Understudy” is her latest single, it was written at an earlier time and came from a place of insecurity. Performing it over the past year and now with its official release, the song has grown to become a message of resilience, a reminder to Scott that she is not am imposter or understudy in her own music community.
“Understudy” is, in the most basic sense, about feeling like a lousy musician, Scott said. “I wrote it while recording my first ever EP; it was my first experience of being constantly surrounded by accomplished musicians who seemed to always know what they were doing, and it made me feel like a fake. I questioned whether or not I knew much about “making music” and if there was really such thing as “knowing” what you’re doing when it comes to creative expression. The whole experience of feeling phony forced me to focus in on why I started writing songs in the first place.”
Slow and melodic, “Understudy” attacks Scott’s feelings of not being an adequate musician. She lays out personal tendencies and inner battles between herself honestly and fearlessly. Scott’s single leaves no stone unturned in her mind, revealing every vulnerability and frustration with conviction and reflection. From the lyrics to the song’s tight production that leads with Scott’s emotional vocals, the song ebbs and flows with punctuations of passion.
“Why do I do this to me. I’m like the understudy. I don’t trust anybody. And I, God I want to play the lead … ” sings Scott.
Originally from Baltimore, Scott grew up immersed in nature from the nearby ski slopes to the frequent camping trips her family took. A rich childhood experience and propensity to absorb her surroundings, Scott’s music retains an emotional prowess and ability to write from a place of sensitivity and poignancy. The fact that she’s been dabbling with and writing music since she was 15 cements a dedication to her art and has resulted in consistent growth for Scott.
From writing music to founding the monthly series, Silverhouse Songs to highlight a curated list of artists, Scott continues to dive to deeper depths in the music community.
“Understudy’ is the last single Scott will release before the debut of her first album, ‘Trust You, Trust You,’ out later this year and co-produced by Jim Fairchild (Modest Mouse, Grandaddy), Jamie Sierota (Echosmith), Grant Milliken, and Joel Manduke.
For more on Temme Scott, make sure to catch up with her on social media or visit her website.
