Sam Guilbeaux

Video Premiere: Olivia Ellen Lloyd Visits With the Ghosts of Her Past on 'Shepherdstown'

West Virginia-raised singer-songwriter Olivia Ellen Lloyd wrestles with leaving home on "Shepherdstown," the latest release from Lloyd's forthcoming debut album Loose Cannon (out on February 2021).

"I know there's nothing much to do in Shepherdstown, but get the lead out of your boots/ You better stop hangin' 'round," Lloyd sings. "You outta get out and find yourself a new home/ Or you might just end up livin' with ghosts of your own."

Written about Shepherdstown, West Virginia, the Appalachian town where she was raised, the song centers on how easy it is to fall back into the rhythm of your hometown.

"This song has been written and re-written more times than I can count," Lloyd says. "I'm from the oldest town in West Virginia, and from a family that has lived in the foothills of West Virginia since before it was a state. Shepherdstown is a great place to grow up and I love it dearly, but it can be a bit of a party town, especially in your early 20s...When I moved away at eighteen, bad things started happening. People started dying; tragedy after tragedy struck. In my grief and shock, I started to wonder if I cursed myself by leaving Shepherdstown. Maybe the town was trying to pull me back — like it wasn't done with me yet...Ten years after leaving, Shepherdstown is still the only place I have ever called 'home.'"

Watch the music video for "Shepherdstown" below.

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