Tenille Townes: Truth, Freedom, and Finding Her Way Back

On this episode of The Bandwich Tapes, I sit down with singer and songwriter Tenille Townes for a conversation about truth, freedom, and the long road back to yourself. I’ve admired Tenille’s writing and singing for a long time, and one of the first things I tell her in this conversation is simple: when she sings, I believe her. That kind of authenticity sits at the center of everything we talk about.

We spend a lot of time on her new independent album and what it means to release music on her own terms. Tenille shares how the record began in a deeply personal way—just her, a guitar, and a room at home, trying to find the truth in the songs again after stepping away from the major label system. What started as demos turned into the record itself, and in that process she found something bigger than a new batch of songs. She found her voice again.

One of the most powerful parts of this conversation is our discussion of “Enabling,” a song that speaks directly to love, boundaries, self-abandonment, and the complicated emotional patterns we carry through relationships. Tenille talks about writing it after a real-life moment that forced her to look honestly at her own habits—especially the way people-pleasing can blur into losing yourself. It’s one of those songs that says something difficult with incredible clarity.

We also talk about what independence has given her creatively. Tenille describes this season as a return to the fearless spirit she had when she first moved to Nashville—a feeling of having everything to prove, nothing to lose, and joy at the center of the process. That freedom shows up not only in the songs, but in the way she’s choosing to release and share the record now.

Along the way, we get into her early love of music, the voices and records that shaped her, growing up in the wide-open landscape of Grande Prairie, Alberta, the courage it took to send a CD to Bryan Adams and ask him to sing on a song, and the incredible heart behind her long-running Big Hearts for Big Kids fundraiser. This is a conversation about songwriting, healing, home, and having the nerve to leap when something matters.

Key Takeaways

• Authenticity is everything — when Tenille sings, the emotional truth of the song comes through immediately.
• Independence can bring creative freedom — releasing this record on her own terms helped her reconnect with her artistic instincts.
• Sometimes the demo is the record — simple guitar-and-vocal recordings became the emotional core of this project.
• “Enabling” is about more than one relationship — it also reflects patterns of self-abandonment and people-pleasing.
• Home shapes the writing — the open skies and emotional landscape of northern Alberta remain part of her creative fingerprint.
• Taking the shot matters — whether calling a promoter at age 10 or mailing a CD to Bryan Adams, Tenille keeps acting on bold instincts.
• Music can be a force for real change — her Big Hearts for Big Kids work shows how songs and community can directly support people in need.

Music from the Episode

• Ordinary Love Song - Tenille Townes
• Enabling - Tenille Townes
• The Acrobat - Tenille Townes with Lori McKenna
• The Thing That Wrecks You - Tenille Townes & Bryan Adams

About the Podcast

The Bandwich Tapes is a podcast hosted by Brad Williams, featuring conversations with musicians, composers, producers, and creative thinkers about their musical journeys. Each episode explores the stories, influences, and experiences that shape a life in music—one conversation at a time.

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