In The Spotlight with Dave Woods: Lemon Cash

New Single from Lemon Cash

Ottawa brothers Cory and Jeff Papineau – together known as Lemon Cash – recently released their brand new single, “Breakup Song”, written by the duo along with fellow country artist Wes Mack and veteran lyricist/producer/musician Dan Swinimer. It’s the first release under their new recording contract with Sakamoto Music, distributed by Warner Music Canada.     

“Cory and Jeff have it all when it comes to songwriting, performing, and bringing that certain energy that ignites audiences. We can’t wait to share their music with country fans everywhere,” says Joelle May, Director of Promotions & Artist Services at Sakamoto Music.

Last year, the brothers had their busiest year to date, performing shows and at festivals across the country, including the Calgary Stampede. With their debut album on the way and a new record deal with Sakamoto Music, 2023 is shaping up to move their career forward in leaps and bounds.

For the month of July, Lemon Cash is Rogers Radio’s “One To Watch” & Stingray’s “Trending Track” for their new single.

You might be wondering how their name came about. As kids, they had a lemonade stand and called the money they made their “lemon cash”. And now you know!

Cory & Jeff are the real deal and I couldn’t be more happy for them. Check out my interview with them to get to know the brothers better…

Dave Woods: Tell us about your great new single, “Breakup Song”.

Cory: Breakup Song was our first co-write with our producer, Dan Swinimer. It was our first time meeting him in person as well, so that was great. He set up the write with the

3 of us and fellow country artist, Wes Mack. Wes joined us over the phone, so we have yet to meet him in person, but judging by how the write went, we’re looking forward to when that time eventually comes! Anyway, Wes had the initial idea for the start of the song, so he pitched it to us, and we all agreed there was definitely something there, so we put our heads together and finished it up.

Jeff: This was during COVID, so the writing was very interesting. We all sat 6 feet apart in Dan’s basement while Wes was on the other end on the zoom call. This song idea stood out melodically for me when Wes shared his idea, and from then on, I have to say the song pretty much wrote itself. I think it was honestly one of the better songwriting experiences I’ve had. The dynamic was perfect, we all seemed to have clicked right from the start and the next thing you know, we had a song. Who would have known it would have been a single released to radio under a label?!

DW: Congratulations on your recent signing with Sakamoto Music. What are your thoughts on this big step in your career?

Jeff: Thanks Dave. This has definitely been a very reassuring and inspiring opportunity for us. We couldn’t be more grateful to Sakamoto for believing and investing their time in us. I think this step, now, in our career, has lit an even bigger spark under our butts and with that said, I think the even harder work begins… but it is always fun hard work!

Cory: We couldn’t be happier with the team we have over at Sakamoto. They’re all wonderful people and made the decision extremely easy for us to sign with them. This is our first time signing a contract with a label, so along with the overwhelming excitement for us, it’s also a bit scary, of course; but the transparency in all the meetings and communication we’ve had with them have made us feel so comfortable and very optimistic about what the future holds for everyone involved.

The brothers are enjoying the ride

DW: What do you like most about songwriting?

Cory: To put it simply: when it goes smoothly. Songwriting can be so much fun, yet so frustrating at the same time. When you sit down to write, whether it be just yourself or with other people; the sheer joy and rush of dopamine you get when it’s just flowing so naturally, and you can write an entire song in under a half hour and genuinely like the song… is the best feeling in the world. Then there are the ones that take multiple hours…  and cue a montage of you crumpling papers and tossing them over your back into a trash can already full of other lyrics you didn’t like.

Jeff: It’s not an easy process. It definitely comes with some challenges: overthinking, thinking about if the audience is going to like it… also the recurring thought: “IS IT FOR RADIO?”. I try to remind myself, when I’m writing, to forget about those questions in the back of my mind that I tend to ask myself and to just focus on writing something that I think is good. It doesn’t have to be a hit. I think if you write a song that you would like if you heard it on the radio, or some other source – had it been another artist that wrote it – I think that’s a win at the end of the day.

DW: What is your best advice for new artists on the country scene who want to work their way up?

Cory: It’s a cliché answer, but: DON’T GIVE UP! Jeff and I have been at this for over 10 years now and, believe me, there were many times we wanted to hang it up, thinking it would never happen for us; but we stuck with it and I’m very, very glad that we did. If you love it enough and believe in yourself enough, it can and will happen for you.

Jeff: Consistency and persistence. I think if you truly love doing something and you’re doing it for all the right reasons, I think something is bound to happen. However, nothing is given to you from the start – you have to go out and attract these opportunities. If you’re going through the highs and experiencing the very lows, I think that’s kind of the science of reaching success and you have to experience those things for big things to happen. Another one that I’ve realized is to never compare yourself with what other people have going on. You are unique; everyone has their own secret recipe. I think that’s what makes this crazy music world go round.

Country boys at heart

DW: Which artists have inspired you on your music journey?

Jeff: I’m sure you heard me say this thousands of times, Dave. When I was about 10 years old, my Aunt bought me the most memorable, musical, prized possession that I still own today, and that was the Bee Gees – Greatest (double CD pack). I always loved the versatility in their music. Songs to dance to and songs to cry to. I always feel something when I listen to their music, and I truly think that’s what drew me to playing music. Still to this day, I’m discovering songs they had written for other artists and how they seem to have touched on some country songs as well. I think to me, that’s a group that can do it all and they’re the reason for the pursuit of my musical journey as a songwriter and as a performer.

Cory: Oh, there are too many to name, but I’ll try my best to narrow it down. I’m a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen, John Mayer and Bryan Adams. Their ability to write such powerful and beautiful songs – both lyrically and musically – and the way they carry themselves onstage and in interviews is just remarkable to me. As a singer, I’ve also always been fascinated by crooners and I think Michael Bublé executes that style perfectly, so he definitely is in that conversation. That said, being in the country genre, there is one artist that has a catalogue of songs that hit every category for me in terms of having one of the best live shows in country music, and that artist is… Kenny Chesney.

DW: Which artist would you like to have featured on one of your songs in the future?

Cory: Kenny Chesney

Jeff: The Bee Gees. Haha, no. It’s really hard to choose, as there are so many. I’m going to narrow it down and stay in the country lane. I truly enjoy songs with tropical blends and vibes and that paint a down-south beach picture in your mind. And for that reason, I’d love to have Kenny Chesney or Old Dominion featured on one of our songs.

DW: What’s on your dream list of accomplishments in your music career over the next 5 years?

Cory: I love this question and I don’t know if this is too ambitious, but in the next five years, I would like to have, at least 2 full albums out and would like to be an opening band for a big tour. I know Sakamoto looks after Old Dominion when they come to Canada, so… 😉

Jeff: Collaborating with artists you’ve looked up to and listened to growing up is one of the check list items. I’d also love to write a couple (to start) of number one songs or at least that land in the top 40. I think just being able to enjoy doing what you love and getting some success along the way – that’s an accomplishment in itself.