Lexie Hayden Breaks Down “Relit Cigarette” with Phil Vassar

Slowly driving home the sound and motion of her upcoming EP—and follow up to 2017 debut The Drive—country singer-songwriter Lexie Hayden dives into her songwriting process and offers a stripped back, acoustic version of her second single “Relit Cigartette” on the set of the Phil Vassar TV series “Songs from the Cellar.”

The weekly series, which kicked off January 2020, is the Vassar’s own take on a “Live From Daryl’s House,” showcasing artists across the spectrum in intimate performances from inside his home cellar. The series has already featured country singer-songwriter CAM and Hunter Hayes, writer Jeffrey Steele, singer Jessie James Decker, STYX guitarist Tommy Shaw, and Peter Frampton, who performed “Do You Feel Like I Do” and talked about playing the big arena shows versus smaller, acoustic sets.

Vassar, known for his work with Alan Jackson, Jo Dee Messina, and Tim McGraw, even took “Songs from the Cellar” to Vegas, where he was joined by comedian Carrot Top and former Heavy Weight Champion Mike Tyson, who sat down at the piano.

Performing alongside Vassar on keyboard, Hayden broke down “Relit Cigarette,” co-written and produced by co-writer Derek George (Chase Bryant, Joe Nichols) on acoustic, and discussed her evolution as a writer since moving to Nashville more than four years ago on the most recent episode.

“When I look at songs I wrote when I first moved here, I feel like a completely different person,” Hayden tells Vassar on the show. “I can’t even listen to them.”

Hayden tells American Songwriter that Vassar has been an incredible mentor and friend since she moved to Nashville. “From taking me out on the road in 2017 and giving me my first tour bus experience to bringing me on ‘Songs The Cellar,’ he has always supported me and challenged me in the best ways possible,” she says. “I feel so lucky to know him and call him a friend.”