Pop singer Remi Wolf celebrates album release at Grimey’s in Nashville
Rising pop singer Remi Wolf brought some of her “big ideas” – and her even bigger voice – to Music City on Wednesday afternoon.
The singer-songwriter (and former “American Idol” contestant) welcomed the release of her sophomore album, “Big Ideas,” at Grimey’s New and Preloved Music, a record store in East Nashville.
Wolf, known for the songs “Photo ID,” “Disco Man,” and “Sexy Villain,” released her latest album on July 12.
“Big Ideas” is a 13-track collection of quirky pop songs of varying styles and genres, incorporating elements of funk, disco, indie alternative rock and even a touch of emo and dance club music.
Fans flocked to Grimey’s to spend an hour with Wolf, who performed five songs from her new album, sang one of her classics, and even answered questions from the audience.
Remi Wolf belts it out at Grimey’s Record Store
Remi Wolf and her guitarist Daisy Spencer sat on stools on the Grimey stage next to the store’s iconic purple mural.
“Wow! Great to be here, guys. You guys are absolutely amazing,” Wolf told the crowd while wearing a trucker hat and matching Adidas clothing set.
Wolf and Spencer performed stripped-down acoustic versions of their songs and began the performance with the album’s first single, “Cinderella.” Wolf told the crowd she wrote the song about “being a fairy godmother.”
While she spoke a little about each song, Wolf had the crowd at Grimey’s firmly in her grasp.
Before her song “Toro,” Wolf told the audience that she wrote it about intimacy in hotel rooms. “If you haven’t already, I highly recommend it,” she joked. “Order room service. Just treat yourself, baby.”
On her next song, “Alone in Miami,” Wolf belted and wailed on the bridge, channeling her inner emo pop star. The performance was met with the biggest applause of the show.
Wolf performed her new song “Soup,” a tune she said is about transitioning out of the honeymoon phase with a romantic partner, and closed the performance with her song “Disco Man.”
Wolf delivered a funky acoustic version of her 2021 hit and encouraged the audience to sing along – sometimes asking them to whisper, sometimes to shout.
“I feel so happy, so loved, and it’s really fun to be able to explore these songs in an acoustic setting, which I never really do,” Wolf said after her last song.
Remi Wolf answers questions from the audience about the creation process of “Big Ideas”
Following the show, Wolf answered some questions submitted in advance by the audience and went into detail about the process of creating the new album.
Wolf shared that “Big Ideas” used a lot of real instruments, as opposed to the use of digital instruments in some of her other works.
“I don’t think we used a single digital instrument on this record,” Wolf said. “It’s much more tangible. So I was lucky to be able to use so many incredible instruments.”
Wolf also managed to build a stronger community around this album, something she didn’t quite manage to do with her 2021 album “Juno.”
Overall, Wolf noted that music has always brought her community, praising her friends and fellow artists, such as frequent collaborator Jared Soloman.
“It’s like a second language to me, so I have a very, very deep connection with people who can speak it with me,” she said.
“Basically, it’s like you’re listening to my friendships.”
A viewer asked Wolf what the hardest part about making her latest album was, and she replied that it was finishing the songs on the home stretch – perfecting the smallest details.
“I experienced a lot of emotional breakdowns on this ‘Big Ideas’ album,” Wolf said.
“I was hiking and I heard it all the time. At one point I started crying and had to hide from the people who were coming – but that only lasted about two weeks.”
Remi Wolf talks about Bonnaroo and his encounter with Justin Timberlake
When a fan asked Wolf for a memorable story about recording the album, she knew exactly what to say.
She recorded the song “Wave” at Conway Recording Studios in LA. During the five days that Wolf was working in the studio, Justin Timberlake was also recording there. Wolf said the two would dance the “waltz” in the hallways, almost bumping into each other every day.
“And in ‘Wave,’ I have this one line that goes, ‘Listening to Timberlake without you doesn’t relieve the same craving,'” Wolf said.
“Baby, I don’t listen to Timberlake like that! But I had to throw that in as a little nod to this experience.”
After a short 20-minute question and answer session, Wolf’s final question was about her favorite music festival.
“Bonnaroo was probably up there,” Wolf said.
She performed in front of a huge audience at the 2023 music festival and even participated in the Super Jam together with other artists.
“I got to marry people at Bonnaroo! I was like an ordained minister for the weekend,” said Wolf. “I married about five couples and it was incredibly beautiful. I sobbed.”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” she continued. “That show was a disaster.”
Wolf said their equipment never showed up for their performance at Bonnaroo and they had to borrow all of their gear from other acts at the festival.
“At the end of the day, I’m a professional… I’ve had a lot of stage experience in my life and we somehow managed to make this happen, but it was so crazy,” she said.
Fans won’t have to wait long before Wolf is back on stage in Tennessee. She’ll be back in Nashville for a show at Marathon Music Works on October 5th.
To learn more about Remi Wolf, visit remiwolf.com.
Audrey Gibbs is a music reporter for The Tennessean. Reach her at [email protected].
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