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1. Hi Cassandra, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
Thank you so much for having me! I’ve been excited, a little nervous, and really grateful. These songs are personal, so there’s something vulnerable about finally letting them go and hoping people can connect with them.
2. What was happening in your life when you realized these “in-between” spaces were becoming the heart of this EP?
I was deeply lost and so hurt. I was wrestling with the black and white of what is right and what is wrong. If actions or emotions don’t fit neatly into one of these categories, where does that leave us? I was trying to make sense of things that didn’t come with clear answers, especially in relationships and in the way I understood myself. You can love someone and still feel hurt. You can be grateful for your life and still struggle. I think so much of life happens in the grey, but we often feel pressure to decide exactly what something means or how we should feel about it. These songs gave me room to be honest about having more than one feeling at a time.
3. What inspired “Where’s the Grey,” and did you know from the beginning that it would become the opening statement for the EP?
It came from questioning why everything has to be so black and white. I wanted room for understanding, for changing your mind, and for admitting that you don’t have everything figured out. “Where’s the Grey” really holds the question at the heart of this project. As an opening song, it invites people into that space before they hear the more personal stories that follow. I did not know it would open the EP until after I had finished recording. It just felt right.
4. What was it like trusting Matt Patrick with such personal material?
The songwriting process is incredibly personal, so trust is vital. What I appreciate about Matt is his ability to refine a song without losing what made it meaningful in the first place. With this project, the emotion needed room to breathe. Having someone help shape the songs while respecting that was really important to me. He is an amazing human, and I am grateful for him.
5. What do those stripped-back beginnings reveal about the emotional core of your songwriting?
For me, a song has to make me feel something in its simplest form. Before there’s a full arrangement, there’s a lyric, a melody, and whatever feeling made me sit down to write. Those beginnings can be vulnerable because you hear everything so clearly. I think they reveal how much my songwriting comes from wanting to understand something or say something I’m having trouble expressing. The production can grow from there, but I want that original feeling to stay.
6. What did your daughter hear in “Save Me” that perhaps you needed to hear yourself?
She heard hope and an ache to be seen. That little voice inside that shields your heart from exposure. This song is the cornerstone of the entire project. At the time, I felt like quitting, but she pushed me to finish this song. She would play the early version in its rawest form over and over. She connected to it in the same way I did. She believed in the song, but she also believed in me. This was the push I needed to keep going.
7. Did writing “Friend” so quickly feel like an emotional release, and did it give you closure?
Yes, it felt like a release. I was fueled by intense pain, anger, and confusion. Being ghosted by anyone makes it difficult to find closure. When it’s someone so deeply integrated into your life, it’s hard to find your way through.
This was the first song I wrote entirely in my home studio. I sat down, and it came out like a flood. I don’t think it gave me closure, but it gave me an outlet and helped me take a huge step toward peace.
8. Was there a particular song that was the most difficult to write or record?
This is a difficult question because I am torn between two songs: “Shut Up and Listen” and “Save Me.”
“Shut Up and Listen” conveys strength. This is my declaration song. It shows my journey from wanting to be heard to realizing that I need to be the one who listens and acts. It’s important to stand up for yourself, even when you still feel weak.
“Save Me” brought up a lot of vulnerable emotions for me. I was tearful in the studio throughout the process. It is a plea, an expression of desperation, a cry for help—but it’s hidden in secrecy, so you are crying out to yourself.
9. How did “So Hey” evolve in the studio, and what made Jason Hafer the right person to help expand it?
Jason is a great friend and the perfect person for this song. “So Hey” began with guitar and a really stripped-down demo. He was able to find the perfect groove, creating this really fun indie-pop energy. I love that it brings a different feeling to the project. Having worked with Jason on Steps, there was already a shared musical history to build on. The arrangement gave it room to grow while keeping the feeling of the original at its center.
10. Has making The Grey changed the way you understand the experiences or relationships that inspired it?
I think writing gives you a chance to hear yourself more clearly. Sometimes I don’t fully understand what I’m feeling until I’ve put it into a song. Then, when I come back to it, I can hear another layer or see the experience with a little more compassion. Making The Grey gave me space to sit with things instead of rushing to resolve them. Not everything becomes clear, but being able to name a feeling can make it easier to carry.
11. What do you hope listeners take away, and what makes you most hopeful about this new chapter?
I hope people feel less alone in whatever they’re working through. You don’t have to have everything figured out to be worthy of love, grace, or a new beginning. You can be struggling and still have hope. Nothing is ever just one thing, and that’s really the heart of The Grey for me. What makes me most hopeful is the possibility of connection—knowing that something personal I’ve written might help someone feel understood. That means so much to me.
Website: https://cassandracolemusic.com/
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/cassandracole.me
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassandracole.me/
YouYube:https://www.youtube.com/@CassandraColeMusic
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/1lcP2Yxj1OcpILnuMbHacC?si=1pWSfRclTLSQ7fx63jlLDw&nd=1&dlsi=5ffc63eae1e44fee
Apple Music:https://music.apple.com/us/artist/cassandra-cole/1346845196
