Singled Out: Alaina Beach's This is How You Get to 99

Country music star Alaina Beach recently premiered her brand new video for the song "This is How You Get to 99" with The Boot and to celebrate we asked her to tell us about the inspiration for the track. Here is the story:

"This is How You Get to 99" was inspired by my 99 year-old grandmother. Every time you ask her what her secret is, she says something different. She weighed almost nothing when she was born, and her family didn't think she would survive in the first place. When asked why she thinks she lived, she says, "Because they just loved me so much." She has outlived her ten siblings, as well as most of her friends. She lost the love of her life, my grandfather, a baseball player, a professional wrestler, and the county sheriff, before I was born. She still talks about every detail of her life very clearly. She still loves her late husband.

I was talking to a good friend of mine earlier this year, telling him about my grandmother, when the song idea was born. I went home and wrote a draft of simple lyrics. I wanted the song to make people feel good, to get the idea across that you do the best you can, and there isn't always a right answer. It was as much a note to myself as to anyone else. I can be a bit of a perfectionist, and I am hard on myself.

The song sends a message that life isn't going to be perfect. All you can do is cherish the good things as they come, forgive, and try to be grateful. The lyrics in the bridge honor my grandmother's strength: "Years and years you fought, fought just to get by. Now they call you, now they call you wise." She has struggled, and her experience is her strength; now she is the one we look to for guidance.

Trinidad Sanchez produced this song, and he brought to it a new sound that surprised me, one I really liked. He is extremely patient and kind, and he has a wonderful ear. I went to my vocal coach, Kim Franca, to prepare to record vocals for this song. Kim has blessed my life in so many ways, and I have her to thank for my vocal progress over the last year. I also consulted with Rick Beresford on this song. He has been my songwriting mentor and taught me how to edit a song and to be patient, which doesn't always come naturally to me.

"This is How You Get to 99" is more upbeat than my prior releases, and I think it marks a shift in my growth as a writer and singer. Despite it being sort of a turn-up-the-volume, roll-down-your-windows and "have fun" song, there is some sadness in the reality that life keeps going despite the ones you lose. My grandmother is very spiritual, and she is graceful in the way she talks about loss. I've learned so much from her about finding peace in what you cannot change. I'm grateful to her for that.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about Alaina right here!

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