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Tenille Townes Explains Why BRELAND is the Perfect Duet Partner on "Shared Walls"

In "Shared Walls, Tenille Townes wanted the metaphor of the wall to communicate what it means to be a good neighbor.

With a new music video for "Shared Walls" with BRELAND, a new EP, an upcoming tour and the top nominee at the Canadian Country Music Awards, Tenille Townes is making the most of her 2022.

"It's been so great to be back out on the road and just doing the thing I really like to do," Townes said. "I'm having a great time. I'm excited for a summer and fall of live musical experiences and playing a collection of new songs."

Townes' new EP Masquerades was released in April and includes her Wrabel duet "When You Need It" as well as her collaboration with BRELAND "Shared Walls." The Canadian said she sent "Shared Walls" to BRELAND with a note reading, "Will you be my neighbor?" He sent his vocal back immediately.

"I just had goosebumps," Townes said. "He can do so much. You hear so many of these different kinds of musical talents that he has through his entire collection of music. He can do anything but hearing this more vulnerable side of his voice to me through this song was just really special."

Townes was happy the pair was able to collaborate on the music video, too.

"I definitely wanted the metaphor of the wall to be able to communicate what it means to just be a good neighbor and be there for somebody, no matter what walk of life you come from, what side or corner of the world you come from," she said. "When it all comes down to it, we feel the same things. We go through hard things, things that scare us, things that we celebrate. All of that, to me, is really important to think about when it comes to being there for one another as a human being.

Townes wrote the song over Zoom with her friends Stephen Wrabel and Eric Leva from their separate apartments during the pandemic. She views the moody mid-tempo as a time machine that transports her to a place where she feels more connected with the world that was enduring a dark time.

"We were talking about how we were all kind of stuck inside and feeling closer to our neighbors and checking in on our neighbors more in that time," she said. "And, even feeling closer to neighbors in buildings on the entire other side of the world, seeing videos of people singing in the streets in Italy and being like, 'Wow, collectively as human beings, we really are kind of all neighbors figuring out how to make it through this time in our history."

If there is a silver lining to the pandemic – Townes thinks that it is the notion of making the human race feel connected to each other. She thought BRELAND was the perfect person to bring it to life.

"He just has this joy for life and people and music that is so beautiful," she said. "I really think it just gives such a cool life to this song in such a special way. His perspective is so important in country music; it was an honor to have him be a part of this."

Next on Townes' itinerary is the Canadian Country Music Association Awards on Sept. 11 in Calgary. She is up for seven awards, including single, album, video, songwriter and entertainer of the year.

A few weeks later, the singer will launch her "Same Road Home Club Tour" in Omaha, NE, on Oct. 6.

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