Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
Singer-songwriter Caroline Jones has taken anything but the traditional route to her music career. The multi-instrumentalist has been enriching the country scene with her unique, independent spirit for years, weaving through an array of styles and career-defining milestones. Beginning her journey with classical training in opera, Jones found her sweet spot in pop-infused country and has since solidified her place in country with her steadfast mindset and talent to boot.
Jones’ achievements are an ever-growing listicle of career-defining moments like singing with Dolly Parton, opening for notorious acts like Eagles, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, and Carrie Underwood, and working alongside her mentor, Jimmy Buffett. After years of supporting them on tour, Jones reached a new milestone by officially joining the multi-platinum GRAMMY-Award winning Zac Brown Band in 2022 as a full-time band member, making her the first and only female — a feat that exhibits Jones’ tenacity and ability to break barriers.
Jones’ third studio album, Homesite, out October 20, provides an insightful look into what the world has shifted to look like in recent times. Music Existence sat down with the artist ahead of her album launch and discussed the whirlwind year she has had as a busy touring artist, soon-to-be mother, and illustrious go-getter.
On her new record, Jones explores the changes of course her life has steered her in, including her current pregnancy, life on the road, and both personal and career milestones. Reveling in her own power, the 11-track record shimmers with her strength and resilience as an independent female artist in the competitive world that is country music, and emphasizes Jones’ indelible spirit.
“The past two years I’ve been writing a lot, I’ve been growing a lot as a musician, as a touring musician, touring with the Zac Brown Band, and developing a lot as a person as well,” she told us. “My biggest goal of it [Homesite] was honestly getting out as much music as possible and making as much music as possible during this time of intense growth for me.”
As with her debut album, Bare Feet, and sophomore album, Antipodes, Jones co-produced Homesite alongside Nashville industry veterans Ric Wake (Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston) and Brandon Hood (Rascal Flats, Sam Hunt). Owning her narrative, Jones independently wrote the majority of the songs and performed the majority of the instruments on the album.
The release’s first single, “Million Little Bandaids,” tapped collaboration with her partners in the Zac Brown Band. Co-produced by Brown himself, the track features quintessential harmonies from Zac, Clay Cook, Jimmy De Martini and John Driskell Hopkins. The track radiates with their tight musicianship and camaraderie that only bandmates who spend as much time on the road as they do can ascertain. Joining what could be considered as “the boy’s club,” Zac Brown Band welcomed Jones, their first and only female member, in with open arms and that familiarity shines through on the record. Proving Jones is a team player and revered in the community, additional guest features include Zac Brown Band, Vince Gill, Joe Bonamassa, and Alyssa Bonagura, just to name a few.
On joining the critically acclaimed Zac Brown Band, Jones shows deep appreciation. “I still pinch myself. It’s very surreal to be apart of a collective of musicians of their caliber, especially such a tight knit family,” she reflected on joining the group last year. “They’re not only an incredibly special alchemy of musicianship, they all have their own role and their own place in the band, but they’re a really tight-knit group. These are guys who have been in the trenches together for a decade and a half now and every single person in that group has earned a place and a role. So to be brought into that fold and trusted in that inner circle is a really big deal and it’s just something that is the honor of my career and my life, and to learn from them and be mentored by them is just, it’s hard to put into words what it means to me. Especially carrying the torch of being the first and only female member, it’s a little bit mind blowing.”
Prior to joining the band as an official member, Jones opened for the group on a number of tours, where she cut her teeth as a solo act and honed her performance skills that would one day find her up on stage with the collective. “Playing with them is totally different than opening for them. Playing with them, you’re in service to the music that they’re playing. Figuring out how to serve Zac’s song and how I can contribute as the 9th person on stage. Figuring out kind of what my place and what my role is and hopefully over time building something that adds to their outfit, ‘cause they certainly don’t need me, they were doing just fine without me for many, many years. So it’s just an honor and something I take really seriously,” she reflected.
Jones, who is currently 8 months pregnant with her first child, is not letting it slow her down in the slightest. Taking note from other female musicians, Jones is still dominating the stage up until the very end of her pregnancy. On being the sole woman in the Zac Brown Band and a pioneer for women empowerment (get ready to blast “Being a Woman (Is Like Being the Sun)” and “Superpower”) she notes, “It’s something that I see as a privilege and an honor. I think I just take it on with a lot of reverence and respect for whatever outfit I’m walking into and to have these opportunities, and then I just try to work my tail off.”
Jones note she is about to discover another layer to her womanhood and power, and perhaps find a new meaning in her own songs. “I’m about to have a whole other perspective on the balance because I am about to have my first baby, so I’m about to have a whole other perspective on being a woman in this industry, and I’m really excited to carry that legacy. I’m even excited to be on the stage 8 months pregnant, like that is very moving to me for other people to be able to see because I know how much it meant to me to be able to see Marren Morris or Sheryl Crow or Carrie Underwood up on stage that pregnant, it gave me hope that I could do it too, that I could have both a family and a career. So I don’t think of the responsibility as a burden, but a privilege and an honor to take advantage of.”
The album’s title track, “Homesite,” is a direct reference to what Jones’ life is currently shaping up to be. Both literally and physically building her home over the course of this year, she is ready to settle down and enjoy the fruits of her labor.
“It’s a story about building a family and marriage and literally building a home and a house where we will be moving and having our child there,” she says of the song. “By extension I called the record Homesite because the whole album is about building. The primary themes of this record are grit and resilience, and it takes a lot of work to build those traits in yourself, to build character in this industry though the years and to build faith in yourself. Resilience in yourself is what it takes to build a career that is this unique and this challenging. And then building one, building a family, and continuing to build a career that I’m really proud of. This is my third record now, so I have a couple records under my belt and have a little place I’m building in the scheme of the music industry and just continuing to build.”
With all the joys involved in her achievements, there also came lows. Jones was signed to Jimmy Buffet’s label Mailboat Records in 2018 after meeting at a Hurricane Disaster Relief Benefit. She was quickly taken under his wing as a mentee and the two formed a close-knit bond that permeated through career guidance and into life-long wisdom Jones will always carry with her. Speaking of Jimmy’s untimely passing this past September, Caroline’s somber reflection of the artist radiated pure admiration.
“He was so singular, there will never be another. The most passionate creative that I think I’ve ever met. I mean, he was 75 and putting us all to shame with his work ethic, with his energy, with his zest for life, and with his passion for music and all aspects of his business. I just feel very very blessed to have been in his orbit. He will be dearly missed, but he left an indelible mark on this industry and on the world,” she reflected.
Embracing Buffett’s entrepreneurial mindset, Jones remarked on how she will carry those traits with her into her ever-growing career. “He was such a brilliant business mind, and he was able to really merge it with the authenticity of his creative soul and that is so rare, that is so hard to do, and most people just aren’t, don’t have the brilliance to be able to do that… He just had so much passion and drive and I think for a creative spirit like that, if you can stay connected to that, that never goes away and it’s very fulfilling for your entire lifetime, and he was like that right up until the end.”
Loss is not an uncommon theme in Jones’ music. Pivotal tracks like “Serendipity” and”Homesite” exemplify not only her emotional range, but her willingness to dive deep into her most personal moments. Specifically, song “Talking to Milo” provides a vulnerable glimpse into the death of her brother in law, in time with the birth of her first child.
“The more personal, the more honest, the more raw you can be, that’s your job as an artist, that’s the best music,” she said. “That song in particular is obviously very emotional and intimate to me and my story about the struggle that I had deciding to start a family with this career. It’s a conversation between me and my husband, and it also calls into guidance his deceased brother, Milo, who is name checked in the song. It’s just an example of an honest story, one of the many stories that are on this record that I’ve lived for the last few years and it’s really sweet and beautiful how many people are resonating with it and being moved by it. It gives such a purpose to challenges in your life, when you’re able to alchemize them into a song like that that can hopefully inspire someone else.”
Experiencing each spectrum of emotion in stride, Homesite embodies the true spirit of what it means to be human. Track “Normal Person” highlights these dualities, while “By Way of Sorrow” reminds you that sometimes life’s best moments are bittersweet. In its entirety, Homesite is both a warm comfort and a push outside of comfort zones all in one. Caroline Jones is consistent in all of her intricacies, allowing the resulting album to authentically reflect the crux of unfiltered human emotion.
Homesite is available everywhere now.
Caroline Jones Online: Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter (X) | Spotify | Apple Music
