Today (5/19), Columbia Records NY/Sony Music Nashville artist-songwriter Alana Springsteen exposes her deepest insecurities in “chameleon.” An infinitely relatable look at her tendency to change herself to fit in, the stark but spellbinding track is the latest release from TWENTY SOMETHING: Figuring It Out (available July 14) – the second installment of her three-part debut album TWENTY SOMETHING. Listen to “chameleon” and check out the visualizer.
Like all of Springsteen’s forthcoming TWENTY SOMETHING, “chameleon” emerged from a period of intense and often-painful self-reflection for the 22-year-old Virginia Beach, VA, native – a process that’s provided “the beginnings of a blueprint to help me live life on my own terms,” as she puts it. Co-written by Springsteen, Sasha Alex Sloan, and King Henry (LANY, Morgan Wallen), the song takes its title from a nickname Springsteen’s mother bestowed upon her, due to her phenomenal ability to adapt to any social situation. But while Springsteen acknowledges that her changeability can sometimes be a superpower, “chameleon” shines a light on the darker side of hiding your true self from the world.
“My debut album, TWENTY SOMETHING, came together through the work and self-reflection I’ve been doing over the past few years. Amid getting to know myself, I’ve spent time thinking about the role I've played in my failed relationships. What I realized is that I was looking everywhere but inward for the validation and love I thought I needed. When you give someone that much power over you, it’s very easy to become whoever they need you to be and to lose sight of who you truly are. That’s what ‘chameleon’ is about,” shares Springsteen. “I’ve always been really good at turning myself into whatever made me feel most validated in any given moment. After all, if I become a version of myself they’ll want, they won’t have a chance to reject the real me – what could be worse than that? That was a really hard truth to admit. Through writing ‘chameleon,’ I learned how to love myself in ways I’ve always looked to others to love me in the past. I can tell you the freedom that comes along with that is exhilarating. I’m so grateful to Sasha [Alex Sloan] and King Henry for digging deep with me. It takes real courage to get this brutally honest and I’m thankful they were willing to go there. And to Paul [DiGiovanni] for co-producing this one with me. It’s hard to make a track feel vulnerable and spicy at the same time, but I think we nailed it.”
Built on an exquisitely raw performance from Springsteen, “chameleon” begins with a bit of all-too-real confession that sets the tone for the entire track: “I don’t drink but if you pour me a shot / I’ll throw it back faster than / You can say Mississippi.” As the slow-burning song unfolds, Springsteen opens up about her people-pleasing habits and struggle with authentic self-expression, threading her lyrics with so many brutally self-aware observations: “I’d rather lie than be lonely / And I hate to admit / That my defense mechanism / Is never really letting you know me.” Co-produced by Paul DiGiovanni (Luke Bryan, Mitchell Tenpenny) and Springsteen, “chameleon” sets that storytelling to a dreamlike backdrop of sprawling guitar tones and softly shimmering textures, magnifying the emotional power of her aching vocal work. But despite its heavy-hearted mood, “chameleon” ultimately inspires the one-of-a-kind catharsis that comes with feeling truly seen and understood – a rare and essential quality that defines so much of Springsteen’s music.
Comprised of six soul-baring songs, TWENTY SOMETHING: Figuring It Out captures what Springsteen refers to as the “moments of realization that help us see ourselves, which in turn, helps us see the world.” Spotlighted off the collection is the recently released title track, an intimately detailed account of the nonstop emotional roller coaster of life in your 20s, co-written by Springsteen, Liz Rose, AJ Pruis, and Trannie Anderson. Since premiering last month, “twenty something” has been featured by Entertainment Tonight, ET Canada, and CMT, among others, with Holler praising it as “an anthem for those caught in the often confusing limbo between being a teenager and a fully-fledged adult” and noting that Springsteen is “establishing herself as one of the most exciting new artists to emerge out of Nashville's contemporary, pop-infused sound.” Pre-save/pre-add TWENTY SOMETHING: Figuring It Out here.
Co-produced by Springsteen (who also plays acoustic and electric guitar all throughout the album), TWENTY SOMETHING is a landmark project cementing her status as one of the most vital new voices in Country music. Springsteen introduced the album earlier this year with its first installment, TWENTY SOMETHING: Messing It Up – an irresistibly resonant document of all the mistakes and misadventures of her early adulthood. Released in March, Messing It Up includes such eclectic tracks as “you don’t deserve a country song” (hailed by Billboard as having “all the bite”), “shoulder to cry on” (a song that “perfectly exhibits Springsteen's ability to craft artful twists into her vulnerable songwriting,” according to Holler), and “goodbye looks good on you (feat. Mitchell Tenpenny)” (American Songwriter’s “Pick of the Day” and spotted across high-profile roundups for E! News, CMT, and more).
Next set to appear at CMA Fest 2023, fans can also catch Springsteen on the road this summer with Luke Bryan. For a full list of tour dates and ticketing information, please visit AlanaSpringsteen.com.
