Luke Caccetta’s Tough Road to Hit Song “Cue the Rain”
Sometimes it takes being vulnerable to show people who you really are. Luke Caccetta is one of those artists. Perhaps it took a long ride home from Texas to Nashville to be openly honest about who he is as an artist, the story behind his newest single “Cue the Rain,” and the truth behind genre barriers.
Needless to say, Caccetta is a fascinating person to talk with, and one we could’ve talked with for more than an hour. “You’re the first person I’ve talked with on this drive back home to Tennessee, so I have a lot of words,” he tells us on the phone. His words were insightful as he chatted about who he believed he was as an artist “I want songs that have meaning to them, not just wasted lyrics,” he tells us. “I just want people to know that they can relate to my songs, and to tell a story with my music. People listen to music because they want to dance or know they aren’t alone. The last thing I want to do is to write a song and for the music to not be there. If the music isn’t there, then why am I doing this?”
But if “Cue the Rain” is any indication to where Caccetta is going with his career, then there shouldn’t be a worry whether or not others can relate. The vivid imagery throughout the track speaks volumes of who the country newcomer is as a songwriter. Personal experiences happen, and sometimes they need to be told. “Cue the Rain” is breaking down the walls of what country music appears to be on the radio. Country music can be a party but often times it’s the exact opposite. Sometimes it takes sixty crumbled up pieces of paper to write a song that counts, and other times, it flows. But no matter the process it took to write “Cue the Rain,” the music is there and will always be there.
“The last thing I want to do is to write a song and for the music to not be there. If the music isn’t there, then why am I doing this?”
If there’s anything the country artist wants his fans to know, it’s the fact that he takes songwriting seriously. “If I don’t feel like my heart is being torn out from the song, then their heart won’t be torn out from the song. Time is extremely valuable, and every day that we get to experience is a gift from God, so for someone to want to listen to a song is an investment,” he says. “It’s an investment into their life, and I don’t want to waste their time. There is so much time spent in making sure that my listeners will be able to connect.”
It’s interesting that Caccetta would release “Cue the Rain” as the lead single for his next project but it’s not surprising. It’s exactly how he wants to portray himself as an artist and songwriter. Why would listening to such a heartbreaking track that many can relate to be a bad thing? It’s not. It’s an important direction for country music to take and the most important part? Personal experience. “”Cue the Rain” is a story about a relationship I was in where in the beginning things couldn’t get any better, and then, slowly but surely, we started to realize the things we both wanted in life and where we wanted our lives to go weren’t parallel to each other,” he reflects. “We started to grow apart very quickly. We were living together at the time, and when we broke up, her dad came to help me move out. We both got outside the door as we were moving, and the minute we opened the door it began pouring rain. The minute I thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did.”
“The relationship was like a firework. It was climbing up in anticipation to burst into this beautiful thing and then, in a blink of an eye all the lights are gone. There’s no follow up to what just happened. It’s just over,” he tells us. “The song is about a firework kind of love that was and then it wasn’t. It’s very personal”.
Fireworks are captivating just like songs but the beautiful thing about songs is that they stick around. The song doesn’t end after the lights go out. It has an impact that stays with someone for the rest of their lives. That’s when it becomes the most beautiful firework show anyone could ever see. Caccetta knows the long-lasting effects on music, and he knows that “Cue the Rain” is that firework for so many who have needed it most. “I wrote the song with Trent Jeffcoat. He’s an intelligent writer who gets to the heart of things, and this write was our first only one together. I told him about this idea I had for the song that is now “Cue the Rain,” and after I presented the idea, the song flowed effortlessly. It was a natural process, and still, to this day, it’s my favorite song I’ve ever written”.
“The relationship was like a firework. It was climbing up in anticipation to burst into this beautiful thing and then, in a blink of an eye all the lights are gone. There’s no follow up to what just happened. It’s just over,”
If you ever have the chance to get t know Caccetta, you can tell the importance of personal stories and relationships in his life. It makes us appreciate him all the more as he continues on this musical journey. “I only want to play arenas if I’m connecting with my audience,” he tells us with a steady passion in his voice. But not only does he want to connect, he doesn’t want to categorize his music either. “I don’t want to put my music in a box and say it’s just country. I want the song to go in the direction that it’s supposed to go in. When you give the song more room to breathe, you give the listener more room to breathe as well. Less is more when it comes to writing a song.”
“It shouldn’t be about a genre. It should be about connecting”.
“When you're in Nashville, you want to make sure you sound country in some way. There’s nothing wrong with that, but why does it matter? Whatever it sounds like, that’s what people are going to call it. You just have to let the song be what it is. The artist doesn’t determine genre anymore. The listener does.” There’s a lot more freedom when you let the song go where it needs to go making genre barriers a thing of the past. “It shouldn’t be about a genre. It should be about connecting”.
After getting to know the country newcomer, we have confidence that whatever track comes after this is going to bring his real life experiences to a whole new level.
You can learn more about Luke Caccetta on his website and keep up with him on Twitter. Stream “Cue the Rain” now on Apple Music.
