Ivey Leighton

A debut single is never just a song. It’s ten years of drafts, late-night voice memos, and learning how to trust your own taste long enough to hit release. We sit down with Tennessee pop rock recording artist Ivy Leighton to unpack the real work behind her first official drop, “Good Girl,” out September 1st, 2026. Ivy shares the moment she got serious about songwriting at 14, the mix of influences that shaped her sound (Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Paramore, Wet Leg, Radiohead), and why she keeps coming back to angry, dramatic lyrics even when she tries to write something happy. She also gets specific about craft: starting with guitar or piano chords, finding lyrics through “gibberish” melodies, pulling one-liners from her Notes app, and turning a root feeling into a fictional story that still hits hard. Then we go deep on music production and recording. Ivy walks us through capturing ideas on iPhone Voice Memos, tracking with a full band at a studio in Dunlap, Tennessee, and building vocal harmonies by experimenting in GarageBand on her phone before stepping up to the mic. We also talk mixing with nine-time Grammy winner Bob Bullock and what it feels like to hear your music come back with real punch for the first time. After the livestream, we share a major update: Jay Franze officially steps in to manage Ivy, setting the stage for bigger shows, smarter career moves, and a long release runway. Listen, follow Ivy’s journey, and if “Good Girl” hits you, share it, subscribe, and leave a review so more people can find the music. Episode Links Ivey Leighton: https://iveyleighton.com/ Bob Bullock: https://jayfranze.com/episode28/ Send us Fan Mail Support the show Links Jay Franze: https://jayfranze.com/ JFS Countdowns/Playlists: https://jayfranze.com/playlists/ Contact Contact: https://jayfranze.com/contact/ Socials Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayfranze YouTube: https://youtube.com/@jayfranze Everywhere: @jayfranze Services Services: https://jayfranze.com/services/ Books Books: https://jayfranze.com/books/ Merchandise Merchandise: https://jayfranze.com/merchandise/ Support Support: https://jayfranze.com/support/ Sponsor the Show: https://jayfranze.com/sponsor/ Shout Outs High Mountain Breezes Music: https://highmountainbreezesmusic.com/ VR Knives: https://www.facebook.com/VRKnives