Gloriana | OohYeah

With the release of Gloriana’s third album, THREE, Rachel Reinert and Tom and Mike Gossin have overcome challenges that have left them better bandmates, songwriters and, most importantly, friends.Gloriana’s phenomenal early success was soon followed by personal turmoil and lineup troubles. “Every time we thought it should have been a happy moment, there was something going on behind the scenes that would set us back,” Tom recalls. “We’re finally at the point where this is the first album we’ve made as the three of us,” says Rachel. “We went through a lot of personal crap, and making this album was a lot of fun. We’re in a very solid, settled, peaceful spot.”It took a while, though. Things seemed great at first. The band officially formed in 2008 and signed to independent label Emblem Records. Gloriana’s first single, “Wild at Heart,” was the year’s best-selling debut. Emblem soon partnered with Warner Music Nashville to release the group’s self-titled album and Gloriana landed a highly coveted spot on the Fearless Tour with Taylor Swift for much of 2009-10.Things really became surreal when Gloriana went on to top Lady Gaga for the fan-voted American Music Awards Breakthrough Artist of the Year. And in 2011 they found themselves on stage with Stevie Wonder and many of the world’s top stars at the White House where they celebrated the legacy of Motown with President Barack Obama. Behind the scenes, things were far from perfect. Tom likes to compare it to the travails of the fictional band Stillwater from the film “Almost Famous.” “I think most bands would have packed up and gone home if went through what we did in the first couple of years.”It started when they lost a member… on the eve of their sophomore album launch. “We’d just shot a video with four band members and now we were a trio,” Rachel says. “To us, it was the end. We didn’t know if the band would survive.”Each time Gloriana experienced a professional peak, something would happen in their personal lives to darken the experience. The next time the band caught a break, when “(Kissed You) Good Night” reached No. 2 in 2012, Tom underwent vocal surgery a short time later after pushing himself too hard. That went fine - except for the nightmarish post-operative problems. “I’m like, am I ever going to be able to sing again now that I’ve had a hit?” Tom Gossin recalls.And Reinert endured not one, but two very public breakups. “It was something Rachel never really talked about, until one day we were in a writing session much later on and I said let’s write a song about this,” Mike says. The song that poured out over the next hours is a new direction for Reinert and the band. “’Trouble’ is looking back in some ways at the version of myself I wish I was at that time,” Rachel explains. “I wish that I had the same strength that I have now in hindsight. It’s an empowerment song. It’s telling women that you don’t have to be afraid. And I think it’s also telling them if you’re in a bad situation, you either tell them to pack up their stuff and get out or you pack up your stuff and get out. If you’re in a bad relationship, if he’s cheating on you or is mentally or physically abusive, you have to get your power back.” The new album, THREE, is the first peek at music the group has recorded exclusively as a trio and truly reflects them as people and songwriters. Several songs on THREE reflect the new all-for-one approach. Album opener “Ain’t Runnin’ Outta Summer,” for instance, wasn’t born in some nondescript writer’s room.“This album process was a little different for us because we did a lot of writing and recording on the road,” Tom recalls. “This song was literally written in the back lounge of our bus with an iPad drum machine and a couple of guitars.”And “Lighters” was written with the idea that the group is connected to each and every fan in a very real way – much like Rachel, Tom and Mike have formed a bond.“It’s a song that comes from a very real place,” Rachel says of the co-write with Tom and Ross Copperman. It’s about how connected we all are, us as people. We had the intention of it being a live song. It’s about putting up your light – your lighter – and being united. No matter how hard life gets, you’ve just got to get through it and let your light shine.”“Nobody But You” is one of the few outside cuts on the album. Co-written by good friend and fellow traveler Eric Paslay, the song’s cinematic nature grabbed everyone’s attention.“It was one of those songs where as soon as we heard it we felt like we needed to record it,” Rachel says. “What drew me in to this particular recording is it has an epic feel. It’s a love song with a massive orchestra and this amazing Celtic beat.”The trio held up the release of the album to make sure “It’s On Tonight,” could be included.“Mike and I had a good writing session and came up with this one,” Tom says. “We really wanted to have a get-the-party-started song. We all knew once we heard it we had to hold the record for a second and make sure this got on it.”With a new album, troubles behind them and a strong band friendship intact, Gloriana’s true journey may have just begun. Through perseverance and tenacity, the trio has emerged better and stronger. Rachel is looking forward to a busy year of tour, “we’re so excited to hit the road and play all of these new songs for our fans across the country!”