WITH “WHAT I GOT”, NASHVILLE’S JUSTINE BLANCHET ACCEPTS THE SOMBER REALITY OF HER BROKEN HEART AFTER A FRACTURED RELATIONSHIP

Photography by Urban Bay Photography

Written by Justine during the aftermath of a fractured relationship, “What I Got” arrives after she was named to the Elite 50 of CBC Music’s Searchlight 2024.

Written by Blanchet, “What I Got” is the artist’s first collaboration with Nashville-based producer Ryan Rossebo (Trey Lewis, Leanne Pearson) and marks her second single of 2024. “What I Got” arrives on the heels of Blanchet being named to the Elite 50 of CBC Music’s Searchlight 2024 and the single is currently on rotation on SiriusXM’s Top of the Country. The music video was produced by Tanner and DeAnna Roman in Nashville.

Now based in Nashville, Justine is originally from the Montreal area. In her journey from Canada to Music City, she has earned over 1 million Spotify streams and YouTube views from her music – including 2019’s “Strong” (175K Spotify streams), 2021’s “Get Out of the Mud” (#4 on CBC Country/SiriusXM), 2022’s “Hard to Love” (75K Spotify streams and 150K YouTube views), and 2023’s “Heart Less” (150K YouTube views) and “Cheap Sunglasses” (added to SiriusXM’s Top of the Country) – the latter two of which were featured on both CMT.com and CMT Australia.

What’s the story behind “What I Got”?

This song was written about a relationship I was in. It was a very toxic relationship and in creating this song, I wanted it to convey the sentiment of moving on and accepting the things that happened.

How did you get together with Ryan Rossebo for this collab?

A lovely friend of mine, Leanne Pearson, connected me with him. We had a meeting before working on anything and I really loved his work already, so I was confident with my choice.

What was the creative process between you two like?

Typically, I send Ryan a simple recording of the song I’d like to record. Then, we review the structure and brainstorm on the production direction. I love to be involved in that part of the making of the song. I let Ryan take it from there and I focus on recording good vocals.

What’s the message behind this project?

I wanted this project to be a new era of music for me as well as a very open and honest message. It’s okay to leave a relationship that is not good for you and even more so when it’s toxic. The best thing to do is to move on and accept reality.

What makes country music so popular these days in your opinion?

I believe that people love the “down to earth” aspect of country music along with the storytelling. To me, country music of today feels similar to the pop music of the early 2000s. Obviously the production is different, but the songwriting feels somewhat familiar.

Who is your favorite country artist of all time?

Shania Twain, hands down.