Brandi Carlile Ditches Columbia Records, Strikes Out on Her Own

After three studio albums and one live record with Columbia Records, out singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile is ready to go indie, according to a story published Thursday in the Seattle Times. 

When Carlile and her bandmates wrap up their tour this summer, they'll reportedly head out to Washington State's San Juan Mountains, to lock themselves in a cabin and let the creative juices flow. From that hiatus, Carlile hopes to emerge with a fresh, raw, and totally different sound than what she's built her reputation upon. 

"The vision is to go in completely unplanned and record it unrehearsed," the out, married 32-year-old musician told the Times. "And see if for the first time in our recording career we can capture some of that really spontaneous magic that happens when you don’t have to send demos to the record label to get permission to make the record."

To pursue this passion project, Carlile left Columbia Records, where she's been since first signing with the label in 2006. Carlile said the separation occurred "beautifully and amicably." Commending the Columbia team who "nurtured us and cared for us all those years," Carlile said "It was just time" to move on. 

Carlile also weighed in on being an out musician in the country scene, noting that individual artists are more accepting of gay and lesbian musicians than the homophobic reputation the genre has been painted with. 

"There are a lot of really good people making really good mainstream country music," Carlile told The Times. "I've felt completely welcome when I've spent time with Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert and Reba McEntire. These guys are really progressive. They strike me as open, loving, down-home people."

It's good to see Carlile mix it up, and live by her own mantra to "keep your heart young." 

Follow SheWired on Twitter.

Like SheWired on Facebook.