Exclusive Interview With Susie Cousins

March 11, 2025

Exclusive Interview With Susie Cousins

Susie Cousins doesn’t just write songs—she carves out space for real emotion, honesty, and strength. With her new single, Revelation, she channels her narrative power through the fusion of classic elegance and rock intensity. Working alongside producer Les Nuby, she converts personal liberation into an empowering, rebellion ballad. But Revelation is only a song in name, though. It's anannouncement. As she prepares to release her debut full-length album Hotel Estelle and take the stage at the Woodlawn Theater, we spoke with her about the art of reinvention, the power of vulnerability, and what it means to be a woman in music.

1. "Revelation" is described as an emotional exorcism. Was there a particular instance that kickstarted the creation of this song, or did it develop over time?

“Revelation” is based on the realization that I was in a situation that was unhealthy for me. I could no longer mask the feeling that I was suffering, and I literally saw that play out in front of me on screen. I decided at that moment to take back my agency and my privacy, and not to allow my fear of change to decide how I lived my life.

2. The line "This revelation won’t be televised" is a very strong statement. Is this song more about personal liberation or something bigger? Is storytelling activism for you?

This song is absolutely about personal liberation and I hope anyone needing that freedom could relate to it. I believe as an artist that I have a duty to tell my truth and use whatever platform I have to encourage others to do the same. I have learned that to tap into my best work I have to be really vulnerable and willing to share the parts of myself that are not pretty or perfect. I would hope that people, especially women, can see that being authentic and true to oneself is more important than being likeable.

3. Your music mixes rock and classical. How does your background in classical music influence your songwriting? Do you feel more freedom when both styles are combined? Or do you feel freer with one more than the other?

My training is classical but I have always loved rock and pop music. For a long time I tried to put those two musical worlds in separate boxes. In classical music importance is placed on polish and perfection, while the rock world values the rough, real and raw. When I realized those worlds could actually complement each other, I began to write in a completely different way.

I love writing for strings and choirs; I love complicated chord progressions and beautiful melodies. But those things alone can’t convey everything I want to get across. A heavy and distorted guitar, driving bass and drums–those add the elements that I need to express depth of emotion. The realization that I don’t have to choose one style or the other is what made me feel free to write in my own unique way.

4. You’ve described your upcoming album Hotel Estelle as “driving from a funeral to a graduation.” What was the emotional story behind it? Did working on this album help you move forward?

I recently came out of a dark period in my life, a lot of change that came with a lot of loss. I do feel like when you move through grief it is a sort of graduation when it no longer consumes your every moment. Music has always been how I process emotions so these songs carry all of that, and writing them helped me move through pain and also celebrate the new and wonderful things happening for me. I think songwriters all want to believe that they can reach someone going through similar experiences, and my hope is that anyone going through loss or grief can know that they are not alone.

5. You recorded your voice for Revelation in your son’s closet. How did the DIY environment affect the sound? What are the advantages and disadvantages of such a setup?

Recording vocals in the studio made me feel a bit stifled and less authentic. Kind of like the feeling of singing in the shower, I wanted the freedom to be able to experiment vocally and not be afraid of sounding imperfect. One of my sons is off at college so I set up a makeshift booth in his closet with my laptop, mic, and audio interface. That gave me such a fun space to really let loose and have fun playing with the lead and background vocals. I comped my own vocals as well so that I really had what I felt were my best takes. I then sent everything to my producer and he mixed it all beautifully. I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to recording vocals in a studio!

6. Your album release show features an all-female band supporting Girls Rock Bham. Can you explain why it was that important to you? Have you personally faced challenges as a woman in music? Do you see progress being made in the industry?

Women are still so underrepresented in the music industry, despite being every bit as capable in all aspects of music making. I have absolutely faced challenges as a woman in music. Just for one example, I once was directing a musical event, and a band member began to ask his questions to one of the other instrumentalists who was standing beside me, assuming he must be in charge.

Women have a unique perspective and voice that deserves to be amplified in a world that often tells us to take a seat and not make waves or noise. Girls Rock is a non-profit that empowers young girls and gender-expansive youth through the experience of writing and performing music. I chose nearly all female band members, because I wanted the young people we serve to see themselves reflected on stage and believe they can and should be up there too!

7. You and Les Nuby have worked together on a lot of different projects? In your opinion what makes your collaboration work? How did his rock background influence Revelation?

Les is an outstanding producer and I often say he can read my mind. We’ve done some soundtracks together as well as singles, EPs and now this album. Having a producer who also writes and performs opens up so many possibilities. I come to him with rough demos that are usually just piano and vocals, and then together we decide what the production should be.

He is multi-talented and plays drums, bass and guitar exceedingly well. He usually gets out the kit first and then once we agree on the drum treatment, the rest begins to fall in place. For many of this album’s songs, I then took the rough band mix and then added strings that I wrote on top of those. Then he’d add guitar solos and then I’d do vocals last. We ended up having a fun back-and-forth and it really worked so well. I can’t imagine recording with anyone else!

8. If you could play Revelation for any artist, past or present, who would truly get it? Why?

Hands down it would be Alanis Morisette. She had such a huge influence on me during my formative years as a musician and songwriter. Her writing is so creative and she has never been afraid to tackle topics or challenges from her own life that others would say are too heavy or too much. She was the first female artist I can remember hearing an “angry” song from, and that changed the way I viewed music as an outlet for processing my own emotions. As a mother, and an advocate for female empowerment and mental health, she has always been ahead of her time and is such a great role model for all women.