The C2C Sit Down with Lanie Gardner
Lanie Gardner first captured the country world’s attention with her viral TikTok cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’, but she’s since proven that she’s far more than just a viral sensation. With her unique blend of classic country storytelling and now a more rock-leaning edge, she’s quickly carving out her own space in the genre. Now, she’s back with her brand-new single ‘Buzzkill.’
We caught up with Lanie to chat about the inspiration behind ‘Buzzkill,’ what fans can expect from her highly anticipated sophomore album, and the excitement of playing her first-ever international shows in the UK, Rotterdam, and Berlin. From songwriting to stepping onto global stages, Lanie shares her journey, her vision, and what’s next for her in 2025.
Hey Lanie. Thanks for taking the time.
Hey. No problem, happy to be talking with you.
Are you in Nashville right now? It's looking like it's nicer weather than it is here right now.
Yeah, I'm in Nashville. It is; it's very sunny today, which I didn't think we were gonna get it, but it's, uh, it's starting to get warm up in the 60s, 70s. We're starting to get some some nice weather here.
I'm hoping you bring some of that good weather with you from next weekend onwards, for C2C.
Hopefully.
So how's 2025 treating you so far?
It's been good. It's been really, quite incredible. But this year just, you know, by the end of it, I think I'm going to be tired, but in a great way, because we're going to be doing a lot this year. So I'm putting out an album and going on some cool tours and meeting some cool people. I’m so excited.
That's cool, and that’s building off of a pretty good year last year already; your music video for ‘Six Feet Deep’ became a short film and made it into Tribeca. That doesn’t happen every day – how did it feel to get into the Tribeca Film Festival, that's a pretty crazy achievement.
Well, I appreciate that. But yeah, it was incredible. Ryan Hood was the Director, and my manager, Jonathan Craig, really just took the music video and and took the idea of it and brought it to life. And it was just, it was incredible, the creativeness of all of them together, they’re a powerhouse.
And that was in the summer, but then in the October you released your debut album - how did you find the response to that?
I was really pleased by it. I think the album was definitely meant to be something that introduced me as a person and as an artist, and just to see that people appreciated the the way I wrote was rewarding and confidence building. It helped me understand my fans more too.
I read that you're the sole writer on what you're the sole writer on that album, and that when you write, you like to write lyrics by yourself. What is your process? Or how do you think that's that's why you are strongest when you do it like by yourself?
I think I can be the most real with writing by myself and with that, I think everybody when they start co-writing - I didn't start out writing by co-writing - so it kind of was an unnatural thing to me. And I think there's writers anxiety and everything, and you kind of lose some of the things that you want to say, sometimes, just by trying to to live up to the expectation or whatever that someone else has for you. But, yeah, I really like, I prefer writing by myself, I think.
And you started writing short stories and poems first before writing songs, is that right?
I did. I did. I started writing poems and stories. I really enjoyed writing it when I was, I was in elementary school, and then I would, I liked singing too. So I just started singing random words, and I don't know, it just kind of all just grouped together, and now I'm a songwriter and singer.
Do you still write stories and poems now, or has songwriting sort of taken over a bit for now?
Yeah, I really do. I love writing poetic songs. It just seems the most colourful to me. And some of those songs get to see the light of day, and some of them I just kind of keep in my notebook just for me whenever I need them. So it's a range of just a coping mechanism and what I feel is probably relatable to other people that could help somebody, or if it's just a song for me.
And you never know, like what you write now, you might not use now, but you might use years down the line. It might find a place.
100%. 100%
I must admit, I wasn't familiar with your music until the Twisters Soundtrack; you had a really great song on that album (Chasing the Wind), and I was like – excuse the ignorance on my part - I was like, who the hell is Lanie Gardner? I need to know because this song is incredible. I loved it. How did that come about, being on that album? You're in really good company on that album.
Thank you. It was awesome. I mean, just being recognised with those artists was just, you know, a dream come true. And I didn't write the song on Twisters, but they felt that they needed a good, strong, you know, female voice. And I think they originally pitched it to Miranda Lambert, and she didn't take it. And of course, anything pitched to Miranda Lambert, I will do [laughs] so. So I took the song and we gave it a shot, and it wound up on the movie by the grace of God.
That's a strong record, start to finish, but that is one of my favourites on that. The second I heard it, I was like, I love this.
Thank you. It was fun to sing, for sure, it's fun to sing live, too.
And sonically, it's a little bit different, that song, than your debut album, [‘A songwriter's Diary,’] - it's obvious that you're a storyteller, and that really comes across in the lyrics on that record.
No totally, the Twisters song ‘Chasing the Wind,’ it was definitely out of my comfort zone, for sure. And I did start out singing those softer songs because I just don't think I'd grown into my voice just yet, or really had the confidence to sing more rocky songs. And when I sang - I think it was my it was one of the first rock songs I ever sang - it's called Six Feet Deep. In the studio, I just remember thinking, holy cow, like it was first time I'd sang it all the way through. And that's when I realised I may have had a voice for for rock and some of those bigger songs, but I don't think I, I don't think I could have done that as a as a youngster back in the day [laughs].
Do you think that will be sort of the direction that you take now, with your sophomore album, how much of that has been recorded or written so far?
For the next album, it's definitely in there. For the next album, we've got some rock, we've got some, you know, modern country. We've got a little bit of pop influence in there. We got some, you know, bluegrass and harmonicas and banjos and mandolins and synths and eight oh eights, all of it. And we just, I really wanted to kind of push the boundary of the country genre and hopefully be able to encourage maybe others to do the same. Because it's just so much fun to be able to do whatever you want, write whatever you want, seeing whatever you want go through the eras of your own artistry. So that's what I plan on doing.
Do you have an idea of when that'll be out this year, or is it still sort of to be decided?
Yeah, we're hoping to put it out in the summer, so it could be a nice little summer jam for everybody.
We caught up with Lanie to chat about the inspiration behind ‘Buzzkill,’ what fans can expect from her highly anticipated sophomore album, and the excitement of playing her first-ever international shows in the UK, Rotterdam, and Berlin. From songwriting to stepping onto global stages, Lanie shares her journey, her vision, and what’s next for her in 2025.
Hey Lanie. Thanks for taking the time.
Hey. No problem, happy to be talking with you.
Are you in Nashville right now? It's looking like it's nicer weather than it is here right now.
Yeah, I'm in Nashville. It is; it's very sunny today, which I didn't think we were gonna get it, but it's, uh, it's starting to get warm up in the 60s, 70s. We're starting to get some some nice weather here.
I'm hoping you bring some of that good weather with you from next weekend onwards, for C2C.
Hopefully.
So how's 2025 treating you so far?
It's been good. It's been really, quite incredible. But this year just, you know, by the end of it, I think I'm going to be tired, but in a great way, because we're going to be doing a lot this year. So I'm putting out an album and going on some cool tours and meeting some cool people. I’m so excited.
That's cool, and that’s building off of a pretty good year last year already; your music video for ‘Six Feet Deep’ became a short film and made it into Tribeca. That doesn’t happen every day – how did it feel to get into the Tribeca Film Festival, that's a pretty crazy achievement.
Well, I appreciate that. But yeah, it was incredible. Ryan Hood was the Director, and my manager, Jonathan Craig, really just took the music video and and took the idea of it and brought it to life. And it was just, it was incredible, the creativeness of all of them together, they’re a powerhouse.
And that was in the summer, but then in the October you released your debut album - how did you find the response to that?
I was really pleased by it. I think the album was definitely meant to be something that introduced me as a person and as an artist, and just to see that people appreciated the the way I wrote was rewarding and confidence building. It helped me understand my fans more too.
I read that you're the sole writer on what you're the sole writer on that album, and that when you write, you like to write lyrics by yourself. What is your process? Or how do you think that's that's why you are strongest when you do it like by yourself?
I think I can be the most real with writing by myself and with that, I think everybody when they start co-writing - I didn't start out writing by co-writing - so it kind of was an unnatural thing to me. And I think there's writers anxiety and everything, and you kind of lose some of the things that you want to say, sometimes, just by trying to to live up to the expectation or whatever that someone else has for you. But, yeah, I really like, I prefer writing by myself, I think.
And you started writing short stories and poems first before writing songs, is that right?
I did. I did. I started writing poems and stories. I really enjoyed writing it when I was, I was in elementary school, and then I would, I liked singing too. So I just started singing random words, and I don't know, it just kind of all just grouped together, and now I'm a songwriter and singer.
Do you still write stories and poems now, or has songwriting sort of taken over a bit for now?
Yeah, I really do. I love writing poetic songs. It just seems the most colourful to me. And some of those songs get to see the light of day, and some of them I just kind of keep in my notebook just for me whenever I need them. So it's a range of just a coping mechanism and what I feel is probably relatable to other people that could help somebody, or if it's just a song for me.
And you never know, like what you write now, you might not use now, but you might use years down the line. It might find a place.
100%. 100%
I must admit, I wasn't familiar with your music until the Twisters Soundtrack; you had a really great song on that album (Chasing the Wind), and I was like – excuse the ignorance on my part - I was like, who the hell is Lanie Gardner? I need to know because this song is incredible. I loved it. How did that come about, being on that album? You're in really good company on that album.
Thank you. It was awesome. I mean, just being recognised with those artists was just, you know, a dream come true. And I didn't write the song on Twisters, but they felt that they needed a good, strong, you know, female voice. And I think they originally pitched it to Miranda Lambert, and she didn't take it. And of course, anything pitched to Miranda Lambert, I will do [laughs] so. So I took the song and we gave it a shot, and it wound up on the movie by the grace of God.
That's a strong record, start to finish, but that is one of my favourites on that. The second I heard it, I was like, I love this.
Thank you. It was fun to sing, for sure, it's fun to sing live, too.
And sonically, it's a little bit different, that song, than your debut album, [‘A songwriter's Diary,’] - it's obvious that you're a storyteller, and that really comes across in the lyrics on that record.
No totally, the Twisters song ‘Chasing the Wind,’ it was definitely out of my comfort zone, for sure. And I did start out singing those softer songs because I just don't think I'd grown into my voice just yet, or really had the confidence to sing more rocky songs. And when I sang - I think it was my it was one of the first rock songs I ever sang - it's called Six Feet Deep. In the studio, I just remember thinking, holy cow, like it was first time I'd sang it all the way through. And that's when I realised I may have had a voice for for rock and some of those bigger songs, but I don't think I, I don't think I could have done that as a as a youngster back in the day [laughs].
Do you think that will be sort of the direction that you take now, with your sophomore album, how much of that has been recorded or written so far?
For the next album, it's definitely in there. For the next album, we've got some rock, we've got some, you know, modern country. We've got a little bit of pop influence in there. We got some, you know, bluegrass and harmonicas and banjos and mandolins and synths and eight oh eights, all of it. And we just, I really wanted to kind of push the boundary of the country genre and hopefully be able to encourage maybe others to do the same. Because it's just so much fun to be able to do whatever you want, write whatever you want, seeing whatever you want go through the eras of your own artistry. So that's what I plan on doing.
Do you have an idea of when that'll be out this year, or is it still sort of to be decided?
Yeah, we're hoping to put it out in the summer, so it could be a nice little summer jam for everybody.
And you said you're going to be touring a lot this year – is there anything you can talk about yet, what are you excited about?
Yeah, we're doing Stagecoach, which is going to be really exciting. And then we're doing C2C, um, I think we've got, you know, Tortuga, Carolina Music Festival. That's the ones that are coming to my to my head right now. There's probably more that I'm forgetting that I'm going to kick myself later for not mentioning, but it’s exciting. Exciting times this year.
I mean, especially Stagecoach, that's a that's a big deal.
Oh yeah, I'm scared, but I'm so ready to do it. I love outdoor shows - those seem to bring the most amount of energy and good vibes. I just, I like being outside in the sun for one, so it just, it automatically, just makes me feel better to put on a show like that.
100% Country music is always better when it's outdoors, preferably in the sunshine.
It's where it belongs. You know, it's right there on a boat somewhere, or out on a beach or, I guess in this case, in the middle of the desert [laughs].
And you're on the night Jelly Roll headlines, and you've toured with him before so that should be cool to reunite.
Yes, yes, he's awesome. He's a good friend of mine, and he's just a great human being and very supportive of newer, younger artists. So. He's awesome.
Will you be there just on your night, or will you be staying for for more of the festival? Will you get to see more of it?
I’m hoping the whole time. I loved it last year. It's first time I went, and we had so much fun, just as a consumer of music. And so, yeah, it was just such a good time. I would recommend it to anybody to go. Just be prepared to walk. There's a lot of walking, and there's a lot of dust and heat and sweating, but it's so much fun. It's your typical festival
Yeah, we're doing Stagecoach, which is going to be really exciting. And then we're doing C2C, um, I think we've got, you know, Tortuga, Carolina Music Festival. That's the ones that are coming to my to my head right now. There's probably more that I'm forgetting that I'm going to kick myself later for not mentioning, but it’s exciting. Exciting times this year.
I mean, especially Stagecoach, that's a that's a big deal.
Oh yeah, I'm scared, but I'm so ready to do it. I love outdoor shows - those seem to bring the most amount of energy and good vibes. I just, I like being outside in the sun for one, so it just, it automatically, just makes me feel better to put on a show like that.
100% Country music is always better when it's outdoors, preferably in the sunshine.
It's where it belongs. You know, it's right there on a boat somewhere, or out on a beach or, I guess in this case, in the middle of the desert [laughs].
And you're on the night Jelly Roll headlines, and you've toured with him before so that should be cool to reunite.
Yes, yes, he's awesome. He's a good friend of mine, and he's just a great human being and very supportive of newer, younger artists. So. He's awesome.
Will you be there just on your night, or will you be staying for for more of the festival? Will you get to see more of it?
I’m hoping the whole time. I loved it last year. It's first time I went, and we had so much fun, just as a consumer of music. And so, yeah, it was just such a good time. I would recommend it to anybody to go. Just be prepared to walk. There's a lot of walking, and there's a lot of dust and heat and sweating, but it's so much fun. It's your typical festival
You've released your latest single, ‘Buzzkill’ last month, which again, is a different sound. It sort of seems like ‘Chasing the Wind’ was a little bit of a bridge between ‘A Songwriters Diary’ and then ‘Buzzkill’ now. How did that come about? Like, was it an, was it an intentional choice to introduce the new music with this kind of sound?
Yeah, so with ‘Buzzkill,’ I think what kind of pushed it a little bit more. And definitely what we wanted on the album was the eight oh, eights in there, and the big kick that's that's in there. You know, you don't usually hear that country music, but the producer that was on it - Chris Ganoudis - he really just took the track and bumped it up. He knows who I am as an artist, and I've worked with him a lot. And I said, ‘Man, I just want to do something different in this in this genre.’ And he took it and ran with it. And obviously it's a sarcastic tone. It's not your typical love song, hate song, heartbreak song, and I wanted it to be that way. I didn't think it would be global by any means, or that it would do so well on radio and be able to get to y'alls ears or whatever. And, yeah, it just, it was a great experience. I think we teased it on TikTok first, and it kind of raised his hand from there and not went mega viral, but it did do well. So that was why we chose that song to be one of the singles before the big album.
Going back to C2C, we’re super excited to have you on the line-up this year, not just in the UK but in Rotterdam and Berlin too. Have you been to either of those cities before?
No, I have not. I'm so excited. I've never been. I think the furthest away I've been was Frankfurt and Heidelberg in Germany, so I haven't been. I went to Canada once too, but that's about it.
I went to Rotterdam and Berlin for the first time last year, and you’re gonna love it. The fans are so into it, the venues are really awesome too.
I've heard, I've heard the fans there are fantastic, and they definitely bring the energy, which is always great for us as performers.
We do. A lot of the international artists I speak to, they're always surprised by how into it the UK and European fans get, like they're not just gonna know your singles. It's gonna be the deep cuts, your YouTube covers, speaking of which - Fleetwood Mac. I mean, that one would be hard to miss. That blew up and went everywhere. How did that feel?
Man, it was completely unexpected for one, and I didn't think - because I think a lot of people can go viral on something, but nothing really totally come from that - but it seemed that people watched the video, and came back for more, because my other videos started kind of skyrocketing too and I was like, what is going on here? And also people following to maybe see the rest of, you know, the journey that we're taking right now. And it was more than I could ever have imagined for it to happen that way. I think I always knew that I would start my career from social media, because I'm from such a small town, you know, a lot of people don't make it out of there if they have an impossible dream. But I somehow did, and now it's just, I try to slow down and appreciate everything that I would have when I was younger. But, yeah, it's been, I try to process it as much as I can, but it's been awesome.
Like you say, as much as you can, because, how can you process something that just goes that big, that fast?
It's crazy, but yeah, even this past year and the beginning of this year, there's been a lot of things that have been thrown at me, and I've had to take time and appreciate everything, because these are firsts still, but yeah, I'm just so grateful for everything that I've received.
You signed to BMG last summer as well. How are you finding that process now, like being being on that label and putting out this new music?
Yeah, I was a little bit nervous about going with another record label. When I first started out, the record label that I was with just didn't really understand my vision, and they didn't want to necessarily support it, especially me being in country music. But BMG, they really have let me feed into my vision and kind of guide them through a lot of what I want out of my career and my music, and they've been really great and supportive, and they love the music, which is always a bonus [laughs].
Yeah, it is, and the fans already love it over here. I mean, after Rotterdam and Berlin, you're coming over to the UK and you're playing London, Belfast and Glasgow. C2C is our longest running, one of our biggest festivals over here and you’re making your debut at all of them, playing multiple stages in London.
I'm grateful to be on it, and I'm so grateful that they allowed me to be on it, and that y'all are having me out there? Yeah, I'm probably most excited to see how the fans are during the shows. I really am. I've heard so much that you guys really again, just bring the energy, and I'm excited to see it for myself.
No, they'll definitely do that for you. Hopefully you're gonna bring some of that good weather with you, though, I think you're on one of the outside stages.
I gotta figure out what I need to bring clothes wise.
Have you figured out your set list yet?
We’re still kind of building a show because we want to make sure that it's the best show that we can put on for you guys, but we've got a pretty good idea as to the songs that we're going to include on it, so I'm excited. This is going to be probably the most thought-out show yet.
Well I'm super excited to hear it; it's been awesome to speak to you about your music ahead of your shows.
Thank you. I've enjoyed the conversation, so I appreciate you taking the time and talking to me.
Have an awesome rest of your day.
Thank you so much. I'll see you next weekend. Take care.
C2C 2025 take place at The O2 London from Friday 14 to Sunday 16 March 2025. Tickets are on sale now via www.axs.com/c2c / www.gigsandtours.com / www.ticketmaster.co.uk
To stay up to date with all the set times for the weekend be sure to download the C2C app. The app will feature stage times, artist info plus notifications about competitions and more. The official C2C app can be downloaded for free at https://C2C.lnk.to/AppiOS for iOS and https://C2C.lnk.to/AppAndroid for Android.
C2C 2025 Berlin takes place at The Uber Eats Music Hall and outside in the Uber Plaza from Friday 7th to Sunday 9th March 2025. Tickets are on sale now from https://www.eventim.de/artist/c2c-country-to-country/
Yeah, so with ‘Buzzkill,’ I think what kind of pushed it a little bit more. And definitely what we wanted on the album was the eight oh, eights in there, and the big kick that's that's in there. You know, you don't usually hear that country music, but the producer that was on it - Chris Ganoudis - he really just took the track and bumped it up. He knows who I am as an artist, and I've worked with him a lot. And I said, ‘Man, I just want to do something different in this in this genre.’ And he took it and ran with it. And obviously it's a sarcastic tone. It's not your typical love song, hate song, heartbreak song, and I wanted it to be that way. I didn't think it would be global by any means, or that it would do so well on radio and be able to get to y'alls ears or whatever. And, yeah, it just, it was a great experience. I think we teased it on TikTok first, and it kind of raised his hand from there and not went mega viral, but it did do well. So that was why we chose that song to be one of the singles before the big album.
Going back to C2C, we’re super excited to have you on the line-up this year, not just in the UK but in Rotterdam and Berlin too. Have you been to either of those cities before?
No, I have not. I'm so excited. I've never been. I think the furthest away I've been was Frankfurt and Heidelberg in Germany, so I haven't been. I went to Canada once too, but that's about it.
I went to Rotterdam and Berlin for the first time last year, and you’re gonna love it. The fans are so into it, the venues are really awesome too.
I've heard, I've heard the fans there are fantastic, and they definitely bring the energy, which is always great for us as performers.
We do. A lot of the international artists I speak to, they're always surprised by how into it the UK and European fans get, like they're not just gonna know your singles. It's gonna be the deep cuts, your YouTube covers, speaking of which - Fleetwood Mac. I mean, that one would be hard to miss. That blew up and went everywhere. How did that feel?
Man, it was completely unexpected for one, and I didn't think - because I think a lot of people can go viral on something, but nothing really totally come from that - but it seemed that people watched the video, and came back for more, because my other videos started kind of skyrocketing too and I was like, what is going on here? And also people following to maybe see the rest of, you know, the journey that we're taking right now. And it was more than I could ever have imagined for it to happen that way. I think I always knew that I would start my career from social media, because I'm from such a small town, you know, a lot of people don't make it out of there if they have an impossible dream. But I somehow did, and now it's just, I try to slow down and appreciate everything that I would have when I was younger. But, yeah, it's been, I try to process it as much as I can, but it's been awesome.
Like you say, as much as you can, because, how can you process something that just goes that big, that fast?
It's crazy, but yeah, even this past year and the beginning of this year, there's been a lot of things that have been thrown at me, and I've had to take time and appreciate everything, because these are firsts still, but yeah, I'm just so grateful for everything that I've received.
You signed to BMG last summer as well. How are you finding that process now, like being being on that label and putting out this new music?
Yeah, I was a little bit nervous about going with another record label. When I first started out, the record label that I was with just didn't really understand my vision, and they didn't want to necessarily support it, especially me being in country music. But BMG, they really have let me feed into my vision and kind of guide them through a lot of what I want out of my career and my music, and they've been really great and supportive, and they love the music, which is always a bonus [laughs].
Yeah, it is, and the fans already love it over here. I mean, after Rotterdam and Berlin, you're coming over to the UK and you're playing London, Belfast and Glasgow. C2C is our longest running, one of our biggest festivals over here and you’re making your debut at all of them, playing multiple stages in London.
I'm grateful to be on it, and I'm so grateful that they allowed me to be on it, and that y'all are having me out there? Yeah, I'm probably most excited to see how the fans are during the shows. I really am. I've heard so much that you guys really again, just bring the energy, and I'm excited to see it for myself.
No, they'll definitely do that for you. Hopefully you're gonna bring some of that good weather with you, though, I think you're on one of the outside stages.
I gotta figure out what I need to bring clothes wise.
Have you figured out your set list yet?
We’re still kind of building a show because we want to make sure that it's the best show that we can put on for you guys, but we've got a pretty good idea as to the songs that we're going to include on it, so I'm excited. This is going to be probably the most thought-out show yet.
Well I'm super excited to hear it; it's been awesome to speak to you about your music ahead of your shows.
Thank you. I've enjoyed the conversation, so I appreciate you taking the time and talking to me.
Have an awesome rest of your day.
Thank you so much. I'll see you next weekend. Take care.
C2C 2025 take place at The O2 London from Friday 14 to Sunday 16 March 2025. Tickets are on sale now via www.axs.com/c2c / www.gigsandtours.com / www.ticketmaster.co.uk
To stay up to date with all the set times for the weekend be sure to download the C2C app. The app will feature stage times, artist info plus notifications about competitions and more. The official C2C app can be downloaded for free at https://C2C.lnk.to/AppiOS for iOS and https://C2C.lnk.to/AppAndroid for Android.
C2C 2025 Berlin takes place at The Uber Eats Music Hall and outside in the Uber Plaza from Friday 7th to Sunday 9th March 2025. Tickets are on sale now from https://www.eventim.de/artist/c2c-country-to-country/
