Rebecca Roubion is all about striking a balance. Coloring just outside the lines. This is exactly where the Nashville, Tennessee-based songstress has made her home, and she’s inviting you in with all the confidence and longing of a siren at sea. A child of the bay, Roubion’s distinct Creole roots are a product of her time spent in New Orleans and Mobile. At times she’s a slight, speckled songbird leading you through a dream you barely knew you were having; at others, Roubion is a barely-hinged crooner, desperate to share the truths she’s tried and tested in the trenches of life and love.
Dear Rebecca, “Anywhere I Go,” according to us, is the most beautiful tribute to the father-daughter bond. Tell us about this bond.
My father (along with my mother) gave me both physical and spiritual life, teaching me to see the world through eyes of faith — a gift I’m eternally thankful for. But my father is solely responsible for tethering my soul to music. A guitarist and bassist, my dad sitting on a chair strumming his guitar for us is the cinematic backdrop of my childhood.
Still, our favorite pastime as a family is plucking and singing the classics — James Taylor, the Beatles, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Stevie Nicks. My father’s resilient self-discipline can be attributed to his German blood, his love of good food and music to his French New Orleans heritage, and his love of family to his Irish roots. He passed down all of these qualities to me, with the exception of self-discipline. That one I’m still working on!
“Anywhere I go, keep your smile in the back of my mind” is the passage that struck us most. What is this smile?
The smile of a loved one — a parent. Not only their affirmation and approval, but their true contentment and joy is life-giving. When a child knows they please their parent, they have assuredness, peace. A sense of purpose is attained, and it’s animating; you can see their face light up. The passage also refers to the memory or reminder of a parent’s unwavering love, even when they’re far away.
Is the man with whom you dance in the video your father?
Yes! It took some convincing, but reluctantly, he agreed to appear in the video with me. My dad has experienced a few heart attacks and suffers from congestive heart failure. We had at least one close call in 2008. Then, the week of my wedding, he threw a blood clot to his leg and fought the nurses tooth-and-nail to be able to walk me down the aisle!
When we were waiting in the bridal quarters, I asked him for final marital advice … He looked at me and said one word: “Persevere.” That one word encapsulates my dad. He perseveres in his great love and sacrifice for us all, and he persists through trials -= shakes the dust from his feet, keeps his head down and fights on.
What is so special about the father-daughter relationship, and how does it differ from the mother-daughter one?
The father-daughter relationship is a guardianship. A mother, as I’m learning firsthand, is a fierce protector and a fighter too, but the father is the guardian. He defends her virtue, innocence, her beauty and her gifts. He also honors his daughter. In the months since the video’s release, I’ve become a mother of a daughter, and I now get to witness my wonderful husband Chris serve in this role. It’s materializing in front of my eyes now.
Does faith inspire your music?
Always. I look at life through a lense of faith. It can’t help but bleed into every aspect of my life. Jesus is the compass I refer to for everything.
What was the inspiration behind the video?
I wanted to unfold the lifelong bond of a father and daughter’s relationship. The complete falling-in-loveness at the beginning, the teaching and patience he has as his daughter grows, his letting her go when she finds her vocation, and the care she returns for him in his old age. Ultimately, the song for me is a reflection of the father-child love we experience with God.
It’s a harkening of Jesus’ admonition to be childlike in our dependence on Him for everything. I like to picture myself throwing up my hands in immediate trust and surrender. He is a faithful Father who wants nothing more than to sweep us up in the safety of His arms.
What do you have you in the works now?
I’ve been working on a collaborative project called “Clementine” with my cowriter and coproducer Nicky Holland! It’s new and different, and I’m really excited about it. We’ve recorded a few songs and are hoping to share it with you soon!
Where can we find “Anywhere I Go” and your music?
iTunes
Spotify
And today we celebrate...