Singled Out: Natalie Del Carmen's You Weren't Even Listening

Natalie Del Carmen just released a new single called "You Weren't Even Listening," and to celebrate we asked the Los Angeles music star to tell us about the track. Here is the story:

Within the depths of an old Berklee College of Music classroom amid winter, I performed a tune that I had drafted the night before to a whopping 12 people. It was that same day I received a note of feedback that made me rethink the perceptions I had around songwriting. "That was awesome, but it felt really long-winded. It'd be really cool for you to try writing something that has more space to let you think and breathe." She wasn't wrong, not in the slightest. I am often one to ramble at speed. Valid as her observation was, a subtle hand in the back, belonging to a young girl exuding quiet confidence, rose to offer a contrasting perspective: "I think it works. That's what I love about your music. It feels like we're just talking." I think I owe that young blonde girl my life.

And so, "You Weren't Even Listening" was born: a long-winded ramble and recollection about when the conversations stop and love falls through. I challenged myself to write a song that felt light-hearted (and maybe even humorous in undertone) in order to convey that one-sided feeling of monologue-ing from the heart that, at the end of the day, really ends up being a tangent to yourself. While the song recounts the ending of a relationship (and everything you probably already knew in the middle), I truly wanted the listener to feel a sense of contentment and resolve. I remember talking with a friend and telling her, "The song is about all these ways love goes wrong. It's like, they met somebody else, or something didn't work, but from the perspective of already being moved on. It's like, you can laugh about it now. It's okay that they aren't listening anymore. Life is long, if you're lucky, and life goes on."

"You Weren't Even Listening" was produced here in the valley (Los Angeles, CA) by Zack Burke. Working with him is always a good time, you can guarantee that. Making songs with him feels like a riveting conversation where he really is tuning into every idea I've ever thrown out. It's ironic to make a song like this with someone who is such a great listener. A fond memory of recording this tune was that "two kids by 25" line in the bridge where we recorded a gang vocal with just the two of us. It sounds like a group of people in the song, but that's the beauty of music production.

Writing and recording this song made me smile, and sharing it feels like coming full circle. "You Weren't Even Listening" is definitely about tuning out, but hey, maybe you'll take a listen.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more about Natalie here

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