Paul Cauthen's latest album, Room 41, documents the turbulent and drug and alcohol-fueled chapter of his life that ensued after he ended a long-term relationship and moved out of his home in Wichita Falls, Texas, spending the next two years living out of a hotel. 

During that time, Cauthen partied hard, even landing in the hospital a few times, and had quite a few dead-end relationships and one-night stands. Still, he never stopped writing songs. The result is a dynamic, unflinchingly honest album, but he never could have gotten to the finished product if it weren't for the help of his co-writers and fellow artists. 

Below, Cauthen explains how outside insight helped him create the song "Holy Ghost Fire," which he co-wrote with producer Jason Burt and Texas Gentlemen frontman Beau Bedford. 

I went through some hospital visits, just pushing myself to the end, you know, pushing myself to the max. Did bathing in all that despair and darkness help me musically? I don't think so. It's just what happens. I was on my route to get it done either way, you know?

And I wrapped myself up with a bunch of good people that are great artists as well, that helped me -- like Beau Bedford, Jason Burt, Austin Jenkins and Matt Pence. Those guys are just solid, all-around guys.

For example, Jason Burt would just see how I was acting, and so he brought a lot of hooks and some songs to me that I wrote. In "Holy Ghost Fire," I had a Cadillac, so he [wrote the lyric] "I got a sweet little baddie / And she's rollin' in the Caddy with me." That part.

I would go and just date girls, go and date so many. I was just trying to be whatever I could be that wasn't my old self, and it ended up just being a frenzy. [My co-writers] would bring a bunch of good light to what I was trying to decipher in my own art. They just helped me all-around in the creative process.

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