Gather round, my fellow music lovers, as there is something special I want to share with you all today. It’s truly an honor to present to you the amazing Mitchell Broodley, a country musician from South Carolina who is based in Vermont, the place that’s taught him so much about himself and created a sound in his music that is as real as it gets. Not only is Mitchell Broodley incredibly talented at creating music, but what really sets him apart is his ability to write, sing, and craft songs that feel like a personal letter from one person to another. It is the true experiences that serve as the source of his inspiration because he knows how to skillfully derive them from the fabric of love, from the strength of the family ties, and from the personal determination to survive no matter what happens around us. I love the way he works in particular because of his amazing ability to transform “imperfect” moments into the universal experience that brings us together. And here is the song he recently released on June 3rd under the title “Different’s Where I Wanna Be”. As usual, it is everything that makes you listen to him again and again and appreciate his art. Mitchell can definitely find the right words to reach our hearts, and that’s why I am happy to share my impressions with you.
This song does not start with a bang, but rather starts softly. The melody in the opening is beautifully composed and so mesmerizing that you would be tempted to call it an invitation rather than just an introduction. The bars at the start do not create any sort of loudness or performance, but rather carry a kind of quieting effect that takes your attention away. No sooner than the start of the melody, Mitchell starts his vocals, and trust me, once you hear him, you will be left breathless. This man’s voice is one of the best things I’ve ever heard. There is a certain way he speaks that touches your heart deeply.
In essence, “Different’s Where I Wanna Be” is an audacious breakaway from the synthetic sheen of contemporary romance. Love is continuously presented to us in the form of a perfected, crystal-clear image, as seen on television shows like Love Island and The Bachelor, where love becomes an idealized construct based around aesthetics and the perfect moment captured. It is all too tempting for one to get caught up in such an enticing yet unrealistic fantasy of the ideal relationship; however, Mitchell Broodley is here to show us the real deal of what love truly is all about. Love, true love, cannot be defined through those perfect and glossy moments that everyone sees, but through the beauty in the struggles and the strength to be fully seen. In this particular piece, there is an understanding that great relationships work precisely because the individuals in question are not afraid to admit how different they really are from one another. Without the audience, without social media, and in the silence of a room, it is not a show you want to put on, but rather someone who knows you for everything you are, all your imperfections, and still loves you because of them. That is precisely what Mitchell expresses in his lyrics, where he shows us that true love means appreciating a person for who they truly are without any expectations, no matter how difficult that can get sometimes. He poses a question to us that gets right to the heart of the matter. Once the cameras have stopped filming, the phones are safely packed away, and the lights go out to leave you in darkness, what will be left over? We strive for these superficial achievements, chasing the perfect selfie, the perfectly lit kiss, but when the silence of a space envelops you, what your heart longs for is not to be left with something that will boost your social status. What it longs for is a witness, someone who understands the geography of your imperfections and stays with you despite them. The lyrics of Mitchell act as a place of refuge for all of us who have grown tired of the pursuit of the impossible ideal, encouraging us to acknowledge that the thing we crave most strongly cannot be found within another’s perfection, but in their imperfect humanity.
There is a sense of quiet sanctity about Mitchell’s technique that translates seamlessly into his songs. It takes place in the haven of his personal recording studio at home, far after his kids are fast asleep. It is through those few hours of peace that he meticulously constructs his songs, brick by brick, imbuing each one with the warm storytelling style of traditional country music while also applying the more refined techniques of contemporary production. You can hear it in the way the song sounds, with a level of focused artistry that can only be achieved when an artist isn’t just trying to create a piece of music, but weaving in the rhythm of his life into every chord that plays. However, it is important to note that the song did not begin as a country song. The creation of the song started as an inspiration from the R&B genre and then slowly progressed as I composed each segment of the track from my home studio in Vermont. I created the unique riff by manipulating and reworking the recorded portions of music until it became the song that we see today. It was only after the song was in its mixing phase that I exclaimed, “Whoa, this is a duet, pause the mixing!” upon receiving the draft from Mixer Austin Stanley. I found Brittany Ray as a fan of her track “Future Me”.
It is much more than just a song or an earworm. It is a deep reflection on the reality of living, which comes from an artist who gets it. Mitchell Broodley is urging people not to chase after the meaningless aesthetics of love, the grid, the couple goals, and all of that, and to begin glorying in the moments that are free of any sort of superficiality and are spent in the company of the one person who loves you exactly as you love her or him. I feel grateful to Mitchell for this deeply grounding advice; instead of constantly trying to impress everyone around them about their perfect life, people should focus on getting to know someone, feeling understood by them, and simply falling in love with them. I am completely smitten by this song, and it will be staying in my playlists forever. Saying that I am excited about the opportunity to work with Mitchell in the future would be an understatement.
Stream “Different’s Where I Wanna Be” on Spotify
Follow Mitchell Broodley here and his socials: Instagram, TikTok
