Lindsay Ell Reveals How Covering John Mayer Inspired Her Hit ‘Criminal’ & Defined Her Sound

We caught up with Lindsay Ell EXCLUSIVELY at the CMT Awards where she dished all about being inspired by John Mayer, her fabulous friends in country music and more!

Less than a year after Lindsay Ell released her album, The Project, in May 2017, she came out with another, more unconventional record — a front to back cover of John Mayer’s album, Conitinuum, which she titled The Continuum Project. Lindsay recorded the tracks at the request of her producer, Kristian Bush, who tasked her with covering the album as she prepared to start working onThe Project a year and a half ago. Now, Lindsay has her first song, “Criminal,” making its way up the US country charts, and she credits The Continuum Project with getting her to this point.

“I wouldn’t have had the sound, I wouldn’t have been able to record “Criminal” the way it is, without doing The Continuum Project,” Lindsay told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY at the CMT Awards on June 6. “I’m so excited we were able to let fans see the journey and the process of getting there. It’s something we weren’t even going to release, so I was super excited that my label was like…yeah, why not?! The fans have been asking for it and I try to do everything I can because I love them so much and appreciate everything they do.”

Lindsay made her CMT Awards onstage debut with a performance of “Criminal” at the show, followed by a jam-packed weekend with several performances at CMA Fest. “It’s such a fun time,” she gushed. “The fans can enjoy country music, and I get to see my friends. We’re always out on the road and are never in Nashville at the same time, so we look forward to it.”

This summer, Lindsay is joining Sugarland on their Still the Same tour, while also playing music festivals throughout the country. Meanwhile, “Criminal” is continuing to climb the charts and doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon!