Knox Chats Collaborating with Charlotte Sands on “We’re Not In Love Anymore”, Touring with Nightly, and More

It’s not often you find a song that pushes you in the feels right from the first note, but Knox’s new single with Charlotte Sands, “We’re Not In Love Anymore” does just that, pulling on your heart strings with the opening melody and instruments alone. With the incredible vocals and harmonies found throughout the song from both artists, this single is a piece of art that anyone with a broken heart can find solace in.

Following his debut EP and a lineup of singles from the beginning of the year, the Nashville-based singer has been on a roll with hit after hit and “We’re Not In Love Anymore” is no different. The brilliant song from Knox spotlights his diverse range in the music scene, and underlines his capacity to create new and exciting music for anyone and everyone to latch onto. On the single’s debut day, Knox sat down with Backward Noise to reflect on the behind-the-scenes of making “We’re Not In Love Anymore,” and touch on what’s in store for the upcoming months of the rising artist!

BN: Today is the official release date of the single! How’re you feeling? How has the morning been?

Knox: The morning has gone amazing! I feel like the last couple songs we pushed extremely hard on social media, like trying to get viral videos and stuff. We did pretty much none of that this go-around, and it’s doing the same numbers as the past two that had viral moments. It’s cool to see that-- it shows that you have real fans that are listening to every new thing that is coming out. It surpassed the number of streams I thought it would do today, and it’s like 10 o’clock. It’s been a pretty good morning for sure!

BN: You mentioned that a lot of your songs have been promoted on TikTok, and I definitely think you’ve hit a lot of new fans especially with “Not The 1975.” I feel like that song was on everyone’s for you page at some point! But with that reaching a lot of new people, how does it feel to have that broader audience when it comes to your newer stuff?

Knox: I mean, I feel like that’s kind of the goal for every one of our songs. Every song we put out, we try to do something different than the last one. I want new people that do discover me, to feel like there’s something for everybody. I feel like there’s super pop songs, and we have a song that’s coming out soon that’s like a full-blown pop song; some people are going to hate it and some people are going to be like, ‘This isn’t the Knox that I like’ or whatever, and then other people are going to think it’s probably the best song that we have. I like getting out of the comfort zone and really just trying to reach everybody, so when anybody looks me up on Spotify or Apple Music there’s something there that they’re going to like for sure.

BN: I was going to ask about that! I feel like a lot of your music recently has been all over the board when it comes to the actual genre that you’re in. So, is there a specific genre you try to aim for? Or is there something you fall into more often than not, like what’s your whole process when it comes to picking a genre for your music?

Knox: To be honest, I don’t really pick a genre or have a genre. My goal, like my endgame, is to kind of have the Ed Sheeran effect or like Justin Bieber where it doesn’t matter what the production of a song sounds like, it’s more the voice and the songwriting that kind of gives it the feel. But you know, I do love good old-fashioned, early 2000’s rock. So, I love having real drums and big electric guitars and solos on it. I think that’s like super fun, but at the end of the day, I don’t want to pigeon-hole myself into anything at all. I really want the voice and the songwriting to be the main focus, and it doesn’t really matter what the production sounds like so much as long as it’s there.

BN: Okay, give me the rundown on “We’re Not In Love Anymore.” Where did the creative inspiration behind the single stem from? What was the process like behind the scenes?

Knox: That was the second song me and Charlotte worked on! We’ve written another song together that is just me singing it, but she and I wrote it together. So, we came into the session that day --it was our second time-- and we wanted to make something that sounded like “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls. We were like, ‘Let’s make something that you can play in like Nissan Stadium in Nashville,’ something that’s super epic. The lyrics were just-- it was all kind of just filler. We were like, ‘What sounds like something timeless?’ We wanted to do “We’re Not In Love Anymore” because we felt like everybody goes through something like that; everybody falls out of love at some point in their life. We wanted to make something that was going to last forever in a way. Anyways, it was supposed to be just me singing the song, and then we had written it and Charlotte was like, ‘Yo, let me sing the second verse.’ I’m like a Charlotte Sands fangirl! Even though she’s a friend of mine, I was a fan first and will always be a die-hard fan. And so, when she wanted to sing it I was like, ‘Are you serious? Please, please sing on this!’ Then we sat on it for awhile, it wasn’t supposed to come out for almost like a year. But she wanted it out, so it all just played itself out which is pretty cool!

BN: Speaking of Charlotte Sands, I know you’ve collaborated with multiple different artists in the past, most recently Alexa Cappelli on “Backwards.” How does working with Charlotte differ? Has the production process been different, and what’s the background on working with her specifically?

Knox: It’s pretty similar to working with anybody else in terms of her process, but she’s just so good. Everything she says sounds cool, and everything she sings sounds cool! She definitely has the best vocals, like the best voice. I remember when we were recording the vocals for the song and we were doing the ad libs. She did hers, and then Danen Rector --who produced the song and is amazing by the way-- but he told me to get up to the mic. It was the first time ever where I was like, ‘I don’t want to go. I don’t want to sing right now,’ because she was that good. There’s barely any autotuning or any vocal editing on her voice at all, like it’s crazy how unbelievably talented she is and not just as a singer, but her songwriting is crazy. Some people just get it when it comes to making good songs, and she just gets it almost better than anybody I’ve ever met, which is pretty sick!

BN: Do you have a favorite memory that stands out while making the track?

Knox: Honestly, I think it’s the same with most songs that you make; the moment when you realize, ‘Holy shit, this is really good.’ When we had written the song and we had punched in the vocals, and it’s that moment when looking around the room and it’s just us three on a random Tuesday afternoon. Songs are so unexpected, and they kind of just come out of nowhere. I don’t think any of us expected to make something like this on that day, but at the end of it we were looking around and we’re like, ‘Yo, this is a smash!’ I feel like that’s the moment you live for as a songwriter, like all songwriters live for that.

BN: Like the general aha moment?

Knox: Yeah, yeah exactly!

BN: Is there anything specific you want listeners to take away from the song at all?
Knox: I mean, nothing too specific. I feel like it’s a song that I can just see you and your best friends getting in the car, and just screaming while one of your friends is crying in the passenger seat! Like I said, we were aiming to do something timeless in a way. There are certain songs of mine, “Sneakers” for example, “Sneakers” I feel like has a finite life to it because of what it’s about and whatever. Whereas this song, I feel like somebody could hear this song in 100 years and be like, ‘Oh, I relate to this still.’ I just hope people listen to it forever, I hope they listen to it for a long time!

BN: After being a part of tours with The Band Camino and Boys Like Girls, I know you’re about to go on tour with Nightly in the fall. Which song are you most excited to play live?

Knox: The song that comes out next. I get to start promoting it soon, but that’s the song I’m most excited about. First of all, it’s the first song on the setlist like the opening song. It’s my one song I remember showing to my team, and it’s the one song everyone was like, ‘Eh, we don’t really know about this.’ But I believe in it so hard, and I love it so much. I’m excited to see the reaction, because I feel like people are really going to like it. I’ve kind of had my back against the wall with this one, but I’m holding my ground! It’s so sick, I can’t tell you about it yet but it’s going to be awesome.

BN: The first song in the setlist, it has to be a powerhouse!

Knox: That’s what I’m saying. It’s the very first song right when we come out on stage, we’re going right into it!

BN: Is there any specific place or any specific thing you’re most looking forward to on tour?

Knox: Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville is a dream venue of mine, and that’s the last night of the tour. So, the fact that I get to play that venue is mind-blowing to me. I’ve seen so many shows there of my favorite artists in the world, so that’ll be really cool. And then there’s a place in Columbus, Ohio called Newport, which I actually got to play last November. Things have just gotten exponentially bigger since then, and so I’m excited to do that venue again with fans that are going to know every word. Plus I’m from Dayton, so it’s where all my friends and family are going to come to. And then New York, I just love New York City so doing that will be super fun. Being out with the Nightly guys and my friends, I just love being on the road so it’s going to be an overall ten out of ten time!

BN: “We’re Not In Love Anymore” has been a part of a string of releases over the last few months. I know you had your EP earlier in the year, and a few other singles since then. And I know you just hinted at a new single, but is there anything else you want to tease or hint at for the future?

Knox: Yes! That’s all I can say is: yes! We’re going to be talking about it all super soon, and it’s going to be awesome. I know it kind of seems all over the place right now, but there is some interconnectivity between all of these, and it will make sense!

Make sure to check out Knox’s new single, “We’re Not In Love Anymore” feat. Charlotte Sands and the official video available now!