From writing songs as teenagers around a campfire in New Jersey to forming a creative home in Nashville with their 3Sirens Music Group, The Grahams have spent decades crafting music side by side. That shared history now forms the emotional backbone of The Bridge, their most personal record to date.

With the Deluxe Edition of The Bridge arriving today (March 6) alongside the single “Worst Parts Of Me”, The Grahams are preparing to bring these deeply personal songs to UK audiences on their upcoming headline tour.

How did the writing process for The Bridge differ from your earlier records? 

Actually, it was a completely different process and a tremendous experience that found us digging deep into our secrets.  For our past three albums we have written just the two of us with our childhood writing partner.  We’ve been writing together since we were kids around a campfire.  For The Bridge we enlisted a few like minded songwriters from our Nashville community and we asked them to help us tell the truth.  We’ve often written songs that are very voyeuristic but for The Bridge we wanted help to access the hard stuff.  The personal stuff that we have often avoided in the past.  It was a truly cathartic and honest experience and the songs showcase that sentiment.

What prompted you to turn the lens so firmly inward this time?

We are older. We are parents. We have elderly parents. We’ve lived a lot of life.  We needed to tell our story. Our lifelong love affair with all the good, the bad, the ugly and the incredibly beautiful.  We were just ready to set ourselves free in a way.  I think with the help of our songwriter friends in Nashville we accomplished something truly beautiful and real.

When you describe this album as your most personal, what did that vulnerability look like in the studio on a practical level? 

lol.  Doug and I would go on a hike every morning.  We would then come into the studio with a story or a concept we wanted to explore.  We would share that story or feeling with our co-writers and go from there.  A great example is, The One Who Remembers. I came in after a long hike with Doug and I was very sad about my Mother (who has been my best friend) who suffers from severe Alzheimer’s.  We were all standing around the kitchen in the studio and I said, “I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about my family situation and how difficult it is.”  When they asked me to elaborate I went on to say, “My father is an addict, my husband kind of is too and my mother can’t remember my name.”  Our friends said, “thats the first line of your song.”  Then Dex played a beautiful riff on the piano and we were off.  I don’t think we could have written that song without the help of Aaron Lee Tasjan, Dex Green and Kate York.  I don’t think I would have ever been able to be that honest and that direct in a song.

On ‘Worst Parts Of Me’ how do you navigate writing about the harder truths without losing that sense of warmth?  

We have been together since we are kids.  We started writing songs together when we were 15.  I think Worst Parts Of Me is just a lighthearted look at the reality of a strong and healthy relationship.  I’m always amazed that after all the worst things are exposed, Doug can still love me and loves me more.  This song is certainly from my point of view as I think I am way more flawed than Doug.  lol.  Somehow, all the scariest things to show make our love affair stronger.  That’s really a testament to Doug and his strength as a man.  Over the three plus decades we’ve been together, nothing makes him question the strength of our relationship.  Worst Parts Of Me is playful but it’s also me be grateful and a little surprised at how we’ve made it through so much and continue to be stronger and more in love.  We are very lucky and we know that.

In what ways do you challenge each other musically now compared to when you first started?

Ah.  It’s always a fight.  Writing songs together, with others or just the two of us, is a challenge.  We push each other and frustrate each other but ultimately we make each other better.  When we first started, we would each individually write a song both lyrics and music and then kind of edit together.  Now a days, I will often write a full chord progression and melody on the piano (used to be on the guitar) and then we will work together on lyrics.  Usually me, Doug and Bryan McCann (our childhood partner). Obviously, The Bridge was different.  What hasn’t changed are the fights! We get into it. Doug will write a hook line or something that I think is crap or I’ll sing a cheesy melody that Doug will scoff at and then it’s a negotiation.  One that can take hours or months. Ultimately, we both recognize the end result is better for it.  I don’t think there has ever been a song we regret fighting over.

How has parenthood reshaped you as songwriters and the stories you feel compelled to tell through your music?

That’s easy.  Honesty.  There is something about being a parent (and I never believed this before and was annoyed at friends who would say this) that makes you less selfish and more open to imperfection.  Otherwise you won’t survive! lol.  Not just our writing, but our delivery and our shared experience has changed tremendously.  Maybe we’re not as cool or mysterious or hip but we’re certainly more honest and care a lot less about the hook and the success and a lot more about the truth and the legacy.  We want Georgette to grow up knowing who we are, where we came from and what makes our love affair so unique.  She will now get that from the music we make and leave behind.

Was there a moment The Bridge that marked a turning point for the album creatively or has the end result been the vision you thought it would be at the beginning of the project? 

I would say three songs that make up the heart of this record (not necessarily the favorites or the hits but the most impactful personally) are The One Who Remembers, Maybe This Song and Only New York.  These three songs really dig deep and tell the story of our life together.  

Is it ever difficult to translate the cozy soothing feel of your recorded music to a larger live setting? 

Actually, with this record we had the opposite experience. Usually, the studio is magic and also private and perfect and then you release it into the universe and you feel scared, anxious and judged (good or bad).  With The Bridge, it was NOT a cozy experience.  It was extremely tumultuous and emotional to get into the hard stuff.  The stuff I think we hid for so long and avoided writing about.  We actually sat on the finished record for over six months before thinking about putting it into the world. Once we let it free, that’s when the cozy soothing feeling began.  We felt welcomed and true.  It has been a great experience not hiding behind others’ stories and telling our own.  I don’t think we would ever go back.  Somehow releasing The Bridge into the world, created a bridge for us between our past and our future.

What has been your greatest creative challenge on your musical journey? 

Writing for ourselves and not writing for a hit.  Being honest about who we are and not pretending.  We are kids from Jersey who fell in love when we were children.  We got sidetracked for awhile but after the birth of our daughter and our life experience, we know who we are and that feels really good to share through our music.

What is your FAULT?

Ha.  Once my brother’s mother-in-law said to Doug, “You know your greatest flaw is how much you love Alyssa.”  We both thought that was strange but also a compliment. I think our greatest flaw and our greatest strength is our love for one another and how it comes before anything and everything.  Perhaps if we had more heartbreak in our lives we would be more successful in music.  That’s what people say, you have to suffer to make good art. If that were the case, we wouldn’t be as fulfilled or as happy and we wouldn’t trade that for anything.