Ron Pope Speaks on the Release of His Heart-Wrenching Album: Inside Voices

Singer, songwriter, and musical prowess Ron Pope astounds audiences with his touching new album Inside Voices. Blending raw emotion, powerful storytelling, and a voice that resonates at abysmal depths, he weaves intricate melodic tapestries, evoking rivers of emotion within the hearts of listeners. Mastering a multitude of musical elements and vocal range, Pope is back with another ear-grasping bind of songs.

Hailing from the vibrant city of Nashville, Tennessee, Pope has emerged as a true force in the world of indie folk and rock. Rising to fame in 2007 with viral sensation A Drop In The Ocean, Pope is recognized for his profound songwriting abilities. Born in Georgia and once based in New York, his mesmerizing words, authentic piano melodies, and warming guitar rifts have spanned across the entire U.S.  Pope is also the co-founder of the family-owned record label, Brooklyn Basement Records, with his wife Blair Clark.

From an early age, Pope proved to be musically inclined, singing in his church’s choir and writing melodies in his spare time. In high school, he took part in a small band while simultaneously engaging in sports. As he went on to college, baseball resided at the center of his life, storing music in a box to be opened later. However, once receiving a career-ending injury, Pope transferred to New York University to cultivate his musical talents. There, music became his world, where he participated in songwriting circles and a local band until eventually going solo.  

Creating music for 20 years, Pope is now stirring hearts from the musical hub of Nashville with Inside Voices, released June 2. The album gives listeners a glimpse at the raw, heartfelt, and soul-churning sequence of events in Pope’s most recent life struggles. After experiencing the emotional turmoil of pregnancy loss and an ectopic pregnancy that almost cost Pope’s wife her life, Pope was inches away from a devastating reality. 

Shaken by this emotional rollercoaster of events and propelled by his love of his family, he paused the regular around-the-clock studio grind. “My relationship to my family is at the center of all things. It is the core of my life,” said Pope. On that notion, Pope, his wife, child, and a few friends packed up their belonging to head to Laurel on the Peconic Bay. In the midst of chaos, families came together to laugh, relax, and soak in sun, thus giving rise to Inside Voices.  

“Where my wife and I were at emotionally, in the age that my daughter was when we decided to make inside voices, it just didn't feel right to me to go away and not be able to participate in their lives,” said Pope reflecting on his decision. “That's why we decided that it would be of real value to us to make the record in a house with all of us being together,”

During the songwriting process, Pope wrote a whopping total of 75 songs, narrowing down the list to just 10 tracks, with one deluxe bonus. Side by side with longtime friend and artist Paul Hammer, the two worked tirelessly to create a body of work emitting echoes of the toughest times in Pope’s life. 

Body Language, through its intricate meaning, simultaneously embodies a reflection of Pope’s initial writing process after his absence. In this moment, watching his wife and friends beam smiles and laughs across the room, Pope noted their seamless interactions. Basking in his wife’s presence, the lyrics began to flow. He notes the song as “one of the most important songs” he has ever written, after navigating through a dark depression and finally finding light on the other side. 

When discussing the album, Pope specifically notes the lack of drums on the album. According to him, he wanted to showcase these moments in a stripped, intimate way, emphasizing their profound meanings. Simultaneously, Pope and Hammer could not hold tumultuous jam sessions, as his daughter lay asleep a few doors down.

“I touched every single part of this so intimately.,” said Pope. “ It's the most involved that I have ever been in anything because Paul and I played almost every part of this ourselves, in a little room together. So every note, I put my hands on I wrote every word, every chord, and I wrote all of these songs 100% myself. It's the first time I have done that in a decade. This was a statement that I wanted to make by myself. And so I did.”

While recording the album, another tragedy struck his life, with both of his grandparents passing almost within a week of each other. His relationship with them ran deep, with his grandfather and grandmother being his best friend and soundboard, speaking to them virtually every day on the phone. 

In his song and music video for The Real Thing, Pope exhibits a physical representation of what losing someone so dear feels like. The video portrays Pope and his family gathering for a meal, smiling, laughing, and even toasting to the occasion. Suddenly, Pope finds himself alone at the dinner table, angry and confused, emphasizing the wave of emotion following the loss of a loved one. 

In contrast to these emotions, Pope decided to add a cover of Louis Armstrong’s What A Wonderful World. Although experiencing life’s greatest blusters, Pope built a new perspective for himself. “I can't be angry because they have so much good in my life. I want to be appreciative of those things, said Pope. “I think that it's easy to be a glass half empty. But it's work to be a glass-half-full person, to look at the good in your life and say, ‘the world is great, life is good, we're all going to be all right’. That's what I'm trying to do every day. That’s how you get to a wonderful world.” 

From front to back, Inside Voices illustrates an insightful, authentic, and cavernous depiction of the pitfalls and treasures of life. Through his intricate lyricism and gentle musical elements, Pope inaugurates a thought-provoking gem for listeners to cherish. Teetering between sorrow and joy, Pope has left fans with a beautiful album, along with a piece of advice-

“For anybody that's trying to make it in the arts, be the best version of yourself, follow the muse, and don't chase a trend.”

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To learn more about Ron Pope, please see the following web resources:

• Webpage
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• Bandsintown
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• Soundcloud