Nora Collins Releases ‘Plain Jane’ With Vince Gill, From ‘Strings’ EP

Nora Collins just released a new single, “Plain Jane,” which includes one of country music’s biggest icons, Vince Gill on background vocals. The rising star enlisted the help of Gill, who characteristically poured his heart and soul into the pensive tune.

“Vince came in that morning and he was really cool,” Collins recalled to PopCulture.com. “I got to watch him learn the harmony and just from watching him and listening to him do that, I had to hold back tears. I looked up the ceiling and blinked a lot ’cause I didn’t want to cry in front of him. It was one of those pinch me moments that’s like, ‘How did I get here? This is so cool and I’m so lucky.’”

Collins goes on to share how he made the “special song” even “more special” to her.

“It’s just an honor to have him on there. He’s one of the most iconic voices in country music, and that was a bucket list day for me for sure. It’s nice to check that one off.”

Collins took plenty of notes from Gill, who made sure every note he sang on the track was flawless.

“I remember asking him to sing harmonies on a certain line in the song. I was like, ‘Do you think you could come in right there?’” recounted Collins. “He said, ‘As a songwriter, that’s the best line of the song, don’t let me ruin it.’ I just thought that was so cool. He took his time in the booth. He was just like, ‘I can beat it. Give it to me again.’ He really tried … He took his time and that really impacted me. I’m so grateful for that. He was kind and funny, and just such a cool day. A day I will always remember.”

The song is from a new EP, Strings, out on Friday, Nov. 2, with renowned producer Marshall Altman at the helm.

“It’s been a lot of fun working with him,” Collins said. “He’s someone that I admire a lot, and it’s been really fun to learn from him and just get to sit in the studio with him and bounce ideas off of him. He wanted to know what I wanted and wanted my input. If I didn’t like something, he’s like, ‘Be vocal about it. Let’s fight. I want to fight with you over this ’cause that means we’re both really passionate and fighting for the best version of every song.’”

“Plain Jane” was fueled by Collins’ own feelings of insecurity, which she masterfully turned into the brutally honest track.

“I remember a lot about that day that I wrote that song,” Collins said. “I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, wasn’t feeling confident in myself, was unsure about that my career choice – Nashville’s a tough town. In all honesty, I felt very plain. I feel like we all get caught up in Instagram and seeing everyone’s highlight reel, and everyone looks so perfect and pretty on Instagram. I just remember scrolling through Instagram that morning just being like, ‘I couldn’t be more plain. All these girls seem to have their identities figured out and their style, they have a brand.’ I felt like I didn’t know what mine was yet.”

She goes on to share how she remembers what she wore that day — jeans and a plaid shirt — and how she felt inspired during the car ride to write “Plain Jane” that morning.

“I brought it to my co-writers, Jason Blaine and Emily Landis, and they just really helped me write what was on my heart that day. The song, ever every time I play it, it just serves as a reminder to me every time that we are all on our own journey and everyone makes mistakes, and everyone feels like they’re not good enough at one point or another in their life,” Collins said. “Just to have faith and know that God has a plan and that in the end, everything really does end up being okay.”

“Plain Jane” is one of six songs on the EP, with Collins co-writing all of them, reflecting her own unique influences and inspirations.

“Every song has its own thing to it,” Collins explained. “I think that you’ll really hear a lot of my influences throughout the EP. There was a time in high school where all I listened to was Patsy Cline, and I think you hear that in some of the more groovier tracks like ‘Who Knows Who.’ Then also things in today’s music that I really love, like Camila Cabello. I think there’s a little bit of that flavor in some of the songs.”

Revealing that Miranda Lambert is a “big influence” of hers, Collins says fans and listeners might hear a little bit of that in her music.

“It’s very me, this EP, and it showcases all the different sides of me. I’m just really excited for people to hear the music.”

Purchase Strings at her official website..

Photo Credit: Acacia Evans