Singer-songwriter Cornelia Murr shares insights into her artistic journey, the questions life poses, and her sophomore album, ‘Run to the Center.’
Cornelia Murr made her debut with the album Lake Tear of the Clouds in 2018, carving out a distinct sound that merges alternative, psychedelic, airy, and elegant styles. Her introspective and vulnerable lyrics, combined with production evoking the essence of a siren's call, marked her as an artist to watch as she emerged from London to New York.
Murr reflects that her first album felt like divine intervention, with everything aligning effortlessly. “It felt like a miracle, the forces that came together to make that record happen… I anticipated a longer journey. It’s rare for a new artist to release a full-length album,” she shares. “Things started with an explosion; I had no idea that the record would even be released, but then it was.” “My life transformed significantly after that, in positive ways.”
After gaining some momentum from her first record, the pandemic hit in 2020, halting Murr like many artists. The combination of isolation, label challenges, and personal conflicts led her into a period of confusion, forcing her to confront not only her music career but also numerous pressing life questions.
Moving to the heart of the U.S. and restoring a dilapidated home in Red Cloud, Nebraska, helped Murr find answers, resulting in her album, Run to the Center. The record, which features lyrical ingenuity, poetic reflections, and a blend of folk and pop sounds, represents Murr's warm and complete return to music.
Murr feels a sense of fate connected to her musical path, stemming from her musically inclined family. “My mom is incredibly talented,” she mentions, noting her mother’s flute contribution to the album’s second track, “Pushing East.” “It’s great collaborating with her… She adds a bit of her artistry to this record. My brother is also very musical, and nearly everyone in my family plays an instrument.”
From a young age, Murr felt destined to be a musician. “As a child, I was certain that was my path. Over the years, reality set in—it isn’t always as I imagined… but it’s always been in my sights.” She states that her first album “propelled me into a new chapter, but it became very challenging to continue on that trajectory… The forces that had come around vanished several times.” Fortunately, Murr now feels she has a solid team supporting her with this new album, saying, “For the first time, I feel like I have a proper team around me. I’m finally on more stable ground.”
Murr collaborated with musician and producer Luke Temple, known for his work with Adrienne Lenker and Hand Habits. Their connection seemed almost fated, starting when a Luke Temple song had unknowingly been left in her car. “I was so moved by it… then the next day, by coincidence, I met him while sitting on the sidewalk enjoying some fries.” At the time, Murr was 25, and Temple had heard some of her demos. They started collaborating, but life interrupted their plans until fate brought them together again. “A few years ago, we happened to be living in the same neighborhood, so we decided to finally make a record together! It felt like a completion of a cycle and a dream… working with him was so enjoyable, and I’d love to work with him again; he’s a genius.”
The duo initially worked on the record in Los Angeles, but soon Temple visited Murr in Red Cloud, where she was restoring a home in a town of 946 residents. “We began in LA, and he was so curious and ready to explore… he came to Nebraska, and we finished the record in the house when it was barely liveable,” she remembers. “We recorded in a makeshift way, which added to the significance of the process.”
Although the Red Cloud home wasn’t the artistic heart of the album, it served as a source of inspiration for Murr. Located 20 minutes from the geographic center of the U.S., “the house symbolizes the journey toward realizing your desires, which isn’t always about a physical destination. The record doesn’t focus on Nebraska or the house but reflects my life at a time when I was pulled in many directions—I wanted to leave LA but was uncertain about returning to New York.”
“Choosing where to live became a major question among other life dilemmas that felt overwhelming and urgent. It was a lonely yet empowering experience.” Having experienced an itinerant lifestyle, Murr notes, “This was the last thing I ever expected to do; I’m not really from anywhere, but it felt like the right choice in a strange way.”
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Singer-songwriter Cornelia Murr talks about her connection to her artistry, the questions that life presents, and her second album, ‘Run to the Center.’