See Cam’s Urgent ‘Mayday’ on ‘Ellen’

Cam sent out a distress signal last Friday from the stage of the Ellen DeGeneres Show to introduce her romance-equals-a-stormy-sea metaphor-heavy new single “Mayday.” The steady-rocking tune, all about a woman who’s desperate to be rescued from a waterlogged relationship yet finding she can’t quite abandon ship, is one of the many highlights of the singer’s outstanding debut LP Untamed, released in December. 

“Mayday” was co-written by Cam with Tyler Johnson, who had a hand in co-writing eight of the album’s tracks. “As the water fills this sinking ship I know we have to leave, too,” she sings, although the tune’s easygoing rhythm isn’t anywhere near as urgent as the song’s foreboding message. The Grammy-nominated singer also courts natural disaster in Rolling Stone Country‘s best of 2015 tune “Burning House” and its fiery video. That tune was also written with Johnson along with Jeff Bhasker, two of the producers behind Untamed, the sound of which was inspired by a couple of country’s current superstars.

“I really admire Eric Church and what he and [producer] Jay Joyce do, and Tyler and I and Jeff listened a lot to what they’d done. I still have Chief in my car,” Cam tells Rolling Stone Country of the 2011 LP that took Church’s career to a whole new level. “I think he’s super inspiring in that he makes music he wants to make. . . I also really admire Zac Brown Band and the way they have built this family around what they do. That’s really important to me.”

“Mayday” is the third single from Untamed and will be officially released to radio on February 16th. “Burning House” has since been certified platinum. Cam is currently on the road with Brad Paisley and Eric Paslay.