(This interview was lightly edited for clarity and length)

Are you currently in Massachusetts right now?

No, I’m not. I’m on a set of a television show in LA. I work as a vocal coach on the Masked Singer television show also in my spare time.

So, you’re still working with helping other people like with their singing as you prepare to go on tour?

Yes. And so many different jobs. It’s very fun.

I read about how you balance a lot of trying to make sure you’re helping other people with their singing talents as well with trying to balance what you do. How’s that going for you?

It is wild. It’s a lot. It takes a lot of deep breaths, a lot of balance. I’m a mom also, so there’s many elements. But I think in our industry if you are able to work within whatever facet you can, it keeps you balanced. I love to be on stage, I love to be performing but I also love to be behind the scenes and kind of take a break from that.

How do you transition into starting to do shows again like is it a mental thing, do you have to do anything physical?

I think I really have listened to my gut and I am one of those people that when next time I know it’s time and I feel that urge this universal push to be like, okay, I’m ready, I’m doing it. I try to listen to whatever’s out there. Usually if there is a strong pull for me to either, whether it’s like writing or performing, I go to that road first. And then there’s a lot of other times where I’m like, I don’t know.

So you’re working at The Masked Singer as a coach. Do you feel like right now you want to do longer tours or are you just planning on doing the amount of shows you’re doing right now?

Yeah, I mean there was, there was never a plan to slow down. There was never a plan to be a coach. That kind of all happened in COVID. And this has been such a wonderful side hustle for me. I like to give back, but the goal and the dream is always to be touring, playing music and writing new music. We’re working on an album now as we’re touring and really kicking up the shows again, and I haven’t toured like this since COVID. I’m so excited to be back and especially starting on the East Coast, which is where I’m from.

What has changed with having to tour now post-COVID?

I think everybody sort of struggled during that time. It’s a little less you feel a like passenger princess, a little more working girl. I think touring and playing shows is a privilege and I feel so excited and so grateful to be able to do that.

It’s a little harder on the artist and that’s ok, you know. We get plenty of perks and treated really well for the most part. And so it’s just part of the journey. I’m kind of very whatever about it right now. Whatever it is I’m going to do is because once I’m on the stage and singing the songs I’ve worked so hard to write and put out, it’s what I have to do. So, I’m making it worth it.

How do you see the change for your typical day happening once you go on tour?

Well, I don’t have children with me, so that is a huge shift because normally my focus is on the three of them. So this will be a nice shift to be able to focus on myself and my work.

When you go on tour, are you still working with the same team that you usually work with on a daily basis, or do you have new people around?

I have an incredible band, Stefan Hovsepian, Shelly Scar and Drew McKeon, who have traveled with me everywhere. I’ve known Drew since high school, before high school, and Shelly and Stefan forever. They’ve been a part of my project for so long now, so we’re a little band fam.

It’s my name, but like I always am saying “we” because we are such a unit. So, I write with them. I record with them. I tour with them. I play shows with them. I do life with them. They’re such an amazing crew of musicians and people, so I feel very fortunate for that.

So, that means you worked with them on your newest EP.

Yeah, I wrote and produced with the whole EP with both Drew and Stefan, who are on tour with me in the band.

Are you promoting this EP with this new tour or is it a mix of different things?

It’s a mix of things, but yes, we’re definitely pushing the EP and that’s our main focus for people to hear that and hear the new music and get it out there.

Something that I saw about the EP is that when you were writing it, you said it kind of came at a time where you weren’t sure anymore whether or not you wanted to continue with making like your own music or how your relationship with music was going to turn out. How is it like going out of that mindset to be fully into music?

It’s been amazing. The spark was sparked and the fire has been blazing since. I feel a very openness around my creativity and my songwriting. I was kind of dormant for a little while and kind of unsure. I think we all went through such a weird time during COVID and it sort of broke it all down for me. And now I think since it’s sort of built back up. I’m feeling much more connected to my creativity, my art and much less connected to it in the ego sense. I’m just doing it so whatever comes out, whatever I’m thinking, whatever I’m feeling I just write it down and see what happens. A lot of my artist friends have been super supportive. And are just like, just do it, just keep writing keep writing the songs it doesn’t have to be every single one is what you use. But every single one is worth putting onto paper or recording. So I’m really just loving the creative process and feel very open. I think songwriting is such a channel, so I’m very open to that.

Do you think you’re in a better mode of writing because you’re less focused on how people will receive it and more focused on what’s working?

Yes, I don’t care at all. Well, of course I care. But you know what I mean? I’m trusting that what is coming through me is what is supposed to be.

With that mindset, was the spark feel more spontaneous. Or do you think there were some intentional steps that help you get to this point?

I think there’s always intention, but I think trusting the spontaneity of it keeps it consistent almost. You know, it’s like if I’m really trusting every time I have an idea to write it down or to record it. It makes the work come faster and it gives me, I guess it gives me the okay to just continue and keep going. Also like it’s much easier to make music these days, you could do it on your iPhone. It’s easy to have that idea. So much of the EP was I woke up in the middle of the night and had an idea in my head and just sang it into a voice memo and then took that to the band and that is how that process went.

When you were doing that process was there a specific sound you were going for or were you just more focused on the words?

You know the first song that I wrote was “Meant for Me,” which had that kind of Brandi Carlile Americana feel. My band sort of reminds me of that because I have so much harmony and so many singers, and that’s always been the vibe since I wrote “The Who We Are” record, which was like the first major record that I put out. You know, I always feel like that world is the most supportive of my vocal of my songwriting. And so once I wrote “Meant for Me.” I was like okay we’re staying in that lane. This is definitely an Americana, there’s always a little soul mixed in, sprinkled in there because of how I sing. But it’s definitely more of an Americana feel.

Since you’re more comfortable with this genre, do you think moving forward that’s what do you think is going to be the best motivating factor to help spark that creativity?

I think it seems to always be the place where I feel the most confident in my writing and where what comes the most naturally. All of my heroes are, you know, Joni Mitchell, Patty Griffin and Linda Ronstadt. And vocalists that lean into Bonnie Raitt, vocalists that lean into that genre. I’m not getting any younger. I definitely don’t see the pop princess on my radar and this is an ageless category of music and it’s very much celebrated in the community. And I think it’s where I belong.

I really do feel like Americana is a big genre in itself right now, especially with alternative.

It’s a great place to be and it is always where even if I wrote a pop song or an R&B song, people would say I sounded country. There was just a time where I was like, ok, you could only hear that so lean into that to that genre. I’ll always, I will always bend vocally. I love to explore but I think that I’m comfortable where I’m at.

Now that you’ve this found this comfortability, do you feel like your definition of how you see yourself as an artist has changed along with that?

I think I embraced it differently than I did before.

Moving forward what do you want people to get out of your music at this current stage?

I was just talking to a friend of mine and he gave me the idea to kind of label it. If you were going to write exactly who you are as an artist what would those words be? I feel like I’ve kind of walked into we were laughing that it’s kind of like rebel stage. I always want to send the message of self-empowerment and growth. There’s always a message of finding the right love or letting go of the old. There’s always a message of taking care of or parenting. or, you know, stuff like that. I feel like I have very specific things that I want to write about and sing about right now. Before I was kind of more all over the place and I think I’m kind of trying to funnel that into if I am somebody’s favorite artist what are they coming to me to hear and understand.

When you put the EP out, did you get some responses back about how people were feeling in response to it?

Yeah, I mean it was, it was very positive and I think you know people could feel that I was like in a happy place. Which you know it’s not always easy to write when you’re happy. It’s a lot easier sometimes to write when you’re down or when you’re blue. So this was a really nice lifted moment and I’m sure that there will be others that are in a more somber, dark place. But I think that was the response I’m definitely in a good place in my love life and musically. It’s an uplifting for the most part. It’s a very uplifting EP.

You’re kind of being able to start in that uplifting place back on a nearly hometown show when you go back to Massachusetts. So how does that feel?

So exciting and I’m doing Gloucester and Boston now, so I’m really excited. I love Massachusetts and I’m grateful to be from there, and it’s an amazing place, all the best people come from Massachusetts.

Is it always different for you when you do a hometown show? Do you feel a lot more confident or what kind of feelings do you get?

Honestly, I’m grateful to play any show. At this point in my life and career, I really just have so much gratitude for the work. It’s like I get to do this for my job. I mean, I’m just super grateful anywhere I get to play. But obviously being in my hometown or being closer to family people that I know and feeling a little more confident about ticket sales, when you know so many people in the area, definitely relaxes me and makes me feel very at home.

 And once you’re done with that are you back at Masked Singer?

No, I’m actually gonna get into writing the next record, that’s the goal. After we do these shows, I have an LA show, [a] big LA Show, [on] Dec. 10 [that’s a] holiday show and then some other stuff at the start of the year. But I think the goal now is keep playing shows and start working on the next project.

And for that next project, do you think it may be another EP, an album, where are you at right now?

Think we’re going for a full album this time. So we’re already kind of halfway through writing a lot of different songs, and I definitely feel like there are a few that are on the road to going where I want to go this next time and I’m very excited about it.

How do you decide where the project lands in terms of is it going to be an album or EP? Does it depend on how many songs you write?

Luckily I’m my own boss, so kind of whatever I’m feeling. I’m very much like what is the universe saying? And I’m definitely feeling a full album this time.

Do you think there’s a lot more pressure sometimes with the full album versus an EP?

I think it’s kind of no rules anymore. I’ll probably put out a bunch of singles and put out the album. I think we’re in such an interesting age in music and in the industry where you can do so much yourself. Luckily, I have a beautiful fan base that will come to see shows, so there’s really no rules and I think that I’m very much like good with no rules. I’m good with let’s just go with the flow and see what happens.

What are some other things just going on with you or going with your career that you really want people to know about?

I want everybody to go buy “The Ride” or stream it and listen to it, understand it and enjoy it. I’m really active like on Instagram, so you can kind of see everything that I’m doing there. And you know I’m always guiding and trying to grow and help develop new young talent. I have some really exciting young artists that I’ve been working with.

Suzanne Bagia can be reached at [email protected]