With her signature blond locks flying as she headbangs through a guitar solo, singer Grace Potter is in her own element when she's performing.
Known for her powerhouse chords and wide range, the free-spirited frontwoman says nothing really stops her when she's onstage, whether she's opening for the likes of the Rolling Stones or playing her own headlining show.
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For 13 years, she has written, recorded and toured with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, but for the first time in her professional career she is stepping out on her own with a solo record.
"All of the music I was writing and the material that was coming out of me was very broad and personal. When I started really honing in on what sounds I wanted on the record, it was more of a hi-fi, progressive, modern sound," Potter said in a recent phone interview.
"It didn't make a whole lot of sense to slap the Nocturnals label on something that was clearly my own doing and my own identity coming to life."
The album, titled Midnight, came out in August, hot on the heels of the Rolling Stones' recent Zip Code tour, where Potter was given the once-in-a-lifetime chance to tour with the legendary band as their opener, including at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Potter is currently on the road promoting her solo record; she'll be in Dallas on Friday, playing at the South Side Ballroom.
You can hear the passion and determination in her voice throughout the energetic record, which doesn't disappoint, with its loud, bold choruses on tracks like "Alive Tonight" and "Look What We've Become."
Much like her musical style, Potter is refreshingly colorful on the phone, explaining how much of a burden it was to perfect the recording process.
"The studio has always felt like brain surgery to me ... it's slow and methodical. That's why this record was such a revelation for me, because I actually learned how to be in the studio and how to enjoy it."
