WITH A SOUND BEYOND HER YEARS AND A DEBUT EP ON THE WAY, POP-ROCKER CASEY BISHOP RELEASES CATCHY HIT “DON’T TALK!”

As with many creative artistic endeavors, age usually implies that someone is better suited to craft a piece of writing, art or music. It makes sense — the more one lives, the more they have experience to draw on and inform their work. It’s important, though, never to discount someone just because of their youth — and in fact, sometimes, artists are born with a natural ability to sound mature and wise in spite of their relatively young age. This is certainly the case with 17-year-old Casey Bishop, who is already making a name for herself in the music world with her relatable and poignant pop rock anthems — including her latest, “Don’t Talk!”

Casey Bishop auditioned for American Idol‘s 19th season when she was just 15, immediately garnering attention from the three judges due to her diverse performances that ranged from Soundgarden to Judy Garland. Though she ended up in 4th place by the end, she rightfully gained a record deal and has been working on crafting her debut self-titled EP. Among the six tracks is her newest single, “Don’t Talk!” which was written by Bishop and punk rocker Willow Smith. Considering that Bishop has performed alongside such an eclectic mix of artists like Luke Bryan, John Fogerty, Foreigner and Brandon Boyd of Incubus, it’s no wonder that she’s adding to her list of accomplished genres with a song co-written by the reigning queen of punk. As Bishop says about the birth of the track:

“I was in the session talking about how you can meet a guy who’s sooo good looking but they just constantly say the wrong things … We were joking and throwing out examples of those moments when out of the blue, Willow [Smith] busts out with the words ‘don’t talk’ in that insane melody riff that became the main punch of the record. It was perfect and set the tone for the song. The final version of this recording is just so fun. We wanted a happy, upbeat, fun song and that’s exactly what ‘Don’t Talk!’ is.”

“Don’t Talk!” is first and foremost a banger. Bishop’s influences of Billie Eilish, Mötley Crue and even Fleetwood Mac combine with the 1990’s Lilith Fair alternative scene to create a song — and a colorful, energetic music video — that’s insanely catchy from start to finish. The song does an amazing job featuring Bishop’s wide vocal range, from the opening verse where Bishop maintains great control in keeping her voice on the sweet, soprano-y side, to the high belts and immediate low alto on the chorus’, “Don’t talk! / We can do this if you keep your mouth shut / Don’t talk! (you say too much) / If you keep goin’ I’mma leave you alone.” The track is a bonafide rock hit that sounds both like a throwback and completely of its time — especially impressive given Bishop’s youth. Yet it’s her age that in all likelihood makes her musicality stand out so much and her range so impressive. Like a modern-day Linda Ronstadt mixed with Olivia Rodrigo, Bishop sounds equally at home singing pop, rock, country, punk, alternative and everything in-between — making her one to watch for many years to come.

Casey Bishop’s debut EP, Casey Bishop, is due out on September 28 via 19 Recordings / BMG. The six-track EP will feature her latest hit single, “Don’t Talk!” which you can listen to and watch the music video for below!