Cassadee Pope spent the last two years creating a project that she said, âreveals more about me and my story than anything Iâve ever released in the past.â
Writing a single song â without a full-length record in mind -- snowballed the album-making process. Pope ultimately built her 12-track record, Hereditary, on a journey that brought her back to rock music. She chose the title after a period of self-reflection, including a personal journey of evaluating how her music aligned with her values and the work sheâs done to research her family history.
âSo much stuff gets passed down to us that we donât even realize,â Pope said during a recent conversation with iHeartRadio. âAnd the idea of us being who we are because of the things weâve gone through, but also the things that our loved ones have gone through before we were even here is so powerful.â
As Pope looks ahead to a chapter in her music unlike any other, sheâs also taking a moment to pay tribute to an artist who helped launch her career. Blake Shelton will be honored at the 27th annual Power of Love gala on Friday (May 10), hosted at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Keep Memory Alive announced the star-studded lineup of the fundraising event last month, including Pope, Jay Allen, Colbie Caillat, Kristin Chenoweth, Andy Grammer, Mickey Guyton and Gary LeVox. The philanthropic event supports the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and its efforts to support those affected by Alzheimerâs, Parkinsonâs and Huntingtonâs disease, multiple system atrophy and multiple sclerosis.
Pope won The Voice on the showâs third season, competing on Team Blake, Shelton âis such a huge reason Iâm here and why Iâve gotten to this point in my career,â Pope said as she looked ahead to Fridayâs gala. âI know so many of the performers that are gonna be there that he helped out in their careers. Itâs just a really cool opportunity for all of us to get to tell a story about him, tell other people how heâs changed our lives. Heâs always just been such a supporter of everyone thatâs been on the show, and people off the show, too. Heâs a big advocate for artists, especially up and coming artists, so itâs always nice to get to let the person know whoâs helped you so much that you still are appreciative.â
âMy stuffâs always personal, but this feels very revealing because Iâm talking a lot about mental health and a lot about my struggles with my mental health, my setbacks, what makes me who I am. So, I think people get to know me a lot better on this record,â Pope told iHeartRadio of Hereditary. One of her favorite songs on the upcoming record, she noted, is âMore To Me,â a song she wrote with songwriter friend Ali Tamposi in L.A. âThree of Usâ is another track Pope pointed out for its vulnerability with a subject matter sheâs never spoken about publicly, and powerful lyrics. Itâs one of Popeâs latest songs to release, following âPeople That I Love Leave,â her revamped rock version of âWasted All These Tearsâ to mark the singleâs 10-year anniversary, and more. She aims to reimagine other country songs in a rock styling when she hits the road on her headlining tour this summer.Â
âItâs been really fun to see fans that were fans of my old band, Hey Monday, come back into the picture and say, âweâre so happy that youâre coming back to the genre,â âweâve missed you.â All the stuff is fun to see,â Pope said. âAnd then thereâs some country fans who have stuck around who have said âI donât really listen to this kind of music, but Iâm a fan of you and Iâm sticking around,â which is something you always wanna hear, because I remember going into country music after doing Hey Monday, and a certain number of rock fans were like âyou made me like country music, I never listened to it until you.â I feel like thatâs happening again but in reverse, which is really cool to see.â
Hereditary is due on July 12.
July 11 - Anaheim, California - Chain Reaction~
July 12 - Los Angeles, California - The Peppermint Club~
July 13 - Mesa, Arizona - Nile Underground~
July 14 â Flagstaff, AZ â Pop Punk Summer Camp FestivalÂ
July 19 - Knoxville, Tennessee- Open Chord*
July 21 - Indianapolis, Indiana - Turntable*
July 22 -Louisville Kentucky - Headliners Music Hall*
July 23 - Albany, New York - Empire Live*
July 24 - Syracuse, New York - Funk âN Waffles*
July 26 - Virginia Beach, Virginia - Elevation 27*
July 27 - Durham, North Carolina - Motorco Music Hall*
July 29 - Charleston, South Carolina - Music Farm*
July 30 - Jacksonville, Florida - Underbelly*
July 31 - West Palm Beach, Florida - Respectable Street*
~Foxies openingÂ
*Natalia Taylar opening / Foxies direct supportÂ