WEBVTT - ITS Home Edition: Mitchell Tenpenny 0:00:00.560 --> 0:00:04.240 Welcome to Inside the Studio presented by I Heart Radio. 0:00:04.840 --> 0:00:16.800 I'm your host, Joe Levy. All right, I'm not sure 0:00:16.840 --> 0:00:19.360 what the weather is like where you are, but here 0:00:19.400 --> 0:00:23.840 in New York City it is ice cold, it is December, 0:00:23.880 --> 0:00:27.000 and together those things mean it is time to heat 0:00:27.120 --> 0:00:30.040 up the coco and dig out the mini marshmallows, and 0:00:30.080 --> 0:00:33.320 also maybe listen to the new ep from this week's 0:00:33.320 --> 0:00:35.880 guests on the home edition of the show, Country singer 0:00:35.960 --> 0:00:38.480 Mitchell tan Fanny So. His new record is called Neon 0:00:38.600 --> 0:00:42.120 Christmas and the title track is about sipping some adult 0:00:42.280 --> 0:00:46.360 beverages by the warm glow of the lights in a 0:00:46.560 --> 0:00:49.240 dive bar when you can't get home for Christmas because 0:00:49.240 --> 0:00:51.640 you're snowed in. Of course, this year, if we're not 0:00:51.760 --> 0:00:54.680 home for the holidays, there really might be another reason 0:00:54.720 --> 0:00:56.960 besides the weather. And and that's why we started the 0:00:57.040 --> 0:00:59.400 home edition of Inside the Studio to let you know 0:00:59.440 --> 0:01:02.440 how the pandemic has impacted the lives of artists and 0:01:02.760 --> 0:01:05.520 how they're coping with life. During Lockdown, Mitchell told our 0:01:05.640 --> 0:01:09.400 Quarantine correspondent Jordan runt Dog that since he's stopped touring, 0:01:09.600 --> 0:01:12.400 he's returned to his roots as a songwriter. He's been 0:01:12.440 --> 0:01:14.479 writing more than he has in a long time, though 0:01:14.480 --> 0:01:17.960 with some socially distant differences. He also talked about what 0:01:18.000 --> 0:01:20.920 it was like to record Christmas music during the summer, 0:01:21.240 --> 0:01:23.880 and how a song he wrote in thirty minutes while 0:01:23.920 --> 0:01:26.399 having a couple of beers and waiting for a bachelor 0:01:26.440 --> 0:01:29.679 party to get going totally changed his approach to songwriting. 0:01:29.880 --> 0:01:32.560 As always, if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to 0:01:32.640 --> 0:01:35.400 check out the I Heart Radio podcast that Jordan's hosts. 0:01:35.480 --> 0:01:39.559 It's called Rivals Music's Greatest Feuds, and it is available 0:01:39.920 --> 0:01:47.960 wherever you get your podcasts. Hello everyone, my name is 0:01:48.040 --> 0:01:51.040 Jordan runt Dog, but enough about me. My guest today 0:01:51.120 --> 0:01:53.520 is a Nashville native who shot up the country charts 0:01:53.520 --> 0:01:57.360 and team with his breakthrough breakup track drunk Meat. He's 0:01:57.360 --> 0:02:00.320 had an extremely productive quarantine this year. Really sing the 0:02:00.320 --> 0:02:03.279 songs here, Can't Go to Church, a cover of Louis 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:07.720 CAPOLDI someone you loved and most recently broken up. Now, 0:02:07.840 --> 0:02:09.920 just in time for the festive season, he's here with 0:02:09.960 --> 0:02:13.440 a new holiday EP called Neon Christmas. It's a mix 0:02:13.440 --> 0:02:16.080 of your tied originals and old favorites, and I have 0:02:16.160 --> 0:02:19.320 to say his funky, slow jam arrangements and soulful voice 0:02:19.360 --> 0:02:21.720 have made this one of the smoothest Christmas collections I've 0:02:21.720 --> 0:02:25.119 ever heard. A commenter on Instagram wrote, have a very 0:02:25.200 --> 0:02:27.919 baby making Christmas, and that pretty much sums it up. 0:02:28.240 --> 0:02:30.760 I'm so happy to welcome Mitchell ton Penny. Thank you 0:02:30.800 --> 0:02:32.480 so much for taking the time today. So great to 0:02:32.480 --> 0:02:35.200 talk to you. Of course, brother, thank you, I appreciate it. 0:02:35.240 --> 0:02:37.679 Oh man, well, lord knows we all need a little 0:02:37.720 --> 0:02:40.520 extra holiday cheer after this year. What led you to 0:02:40.560 --> 0:02:44.359 decide to do a Christmas EP? Yeah, man, I'm I 0:02:44.400 --> 0:02:46.960 don't know what. I've always just loved Christmas music. I've 0:02:47.000 --> 0:02:49.960 always been obsessed with it. Um fall time in Christmas 0:02:50.000 --> 0:02:53.400 timer is my favorite time of the year. It just 0:02:53.440 --> 0:02:55.680 gives me like this piece of mind, no matter what's 0:02:55.680 --> 0:02:58.079 going on in the world, no matter what age. So 0:02:58.240 --> 0:03:00.280 I don't know when I hear Christmas songs and always 0:03:00.320 --> 0:03:02.560 does that. So I've always wanted to do that. When 0:03:02.560 --> 0:03:05.040 I got the opportunity, it was important. So the last 0:03:05.080 --> 0:03:06.919 couple of years we've been releasing a few songs, and 0:03:06.919 --> 0:03:09.000 then this year we got to do four new ones 0:03:09.120 --> 0:03:11.800 and U two that I wrote then too. Um original 0:03:11.919 --> 0:03:14.560 or two originals and then two covers. So yeah, man, 0:03:14.600 --> 0:03:16.560 I just I just love Christmas sus like I always happen. 0:03:16.800 --> 0:03:20.720 I'm a Christmas baby, so it's definitely like really oh nice, Yeah, 0:03:21.160 --> 0:03:24.400 it's awesome. Neon Christmas iss schial evocative pair of words. 0:03:24.400 --> 0:03:27.840 Where did that? Where did that come from? Yeah? So 0:03:28.000 --> 0:03:30.280 Lindsay Rhymes and Matt Rogers I wrote that with him, 0:03:30.720 --> 0:03:32.280 and it was that we actually wrote it outside in 0:03:32.280 --> 0:03:35.160 the summer was pretty hot. But I told Matt and 0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:37.600 Lindsay I wanted to write an up tempo kind of 0:03:38.280 --> 0:03:40.800 Christmas song that you could see in a movie, essentially, 0:03:40.800 --> 0:03:43.680 like something that very like you've seen like Jingle all 0:03:43.680 --> 0:03:45.960 the Way or something with Arnold Swartzenegger or something weird 0:03:46.320 --> 0:03:48.560 but but but something that still was on brand for me. 0:03:48.640 --> 0:03:51.600 And Matt actually had the title Neon Christmas and that 0:03:51.720 --> 0:03:54.600 was I was like, I'm very immediately started going It's like, 0:03:54.600 --> 0:03:56.480 all right, it's perfect. We get snowed in. We can't 0:03:56.560 --> 0:03:58.880 end up going out to do what our normal plans are, 0:03:58.960 --> 0:04:01.400 but we'll just hit local dot bar down the street 0:04:01.480 --> 0:04:04.560 and uh, because I bet that's actually happened before. Not 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:06.760 snowed in, but like the flop Flight's got canceled and 0:04:06.880 --> 0:04:08.200 was like, oh, we got nothing to do, let's just 0:04:08.240 --> 0:04:11.880 go down the road and drink. So kind of got 0:04:11.880 --> 0:04:14.080 to use some real life scenarios in that as well 0:04:14.080 --> 0:04:15.960 and then play, you know, kind of make some some 0:04:16.080 --> 0:04:20.000 Hollywood put in there as fire up that jukebox, right. 0:04:20.160 --> 0:04:22.880 It beats doing the planes, trains and automo automobiles thing 0:04:22.920 --> 0:04:28.200 of like, let's actually just enjoy ourselves here. It's all good. Absolutely. 0:04:28.320 --> 0:04:31.000 I gotta ask what was the process of choosing some 0:04:31.040 --> 0:04:32.880 of the covers. I mean, did you sit down with 0:04:32.960 --> 0:04:36.000 like the Time Life, Christmas Treasury and Pencil, or did 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:37.680 you have songs in your mind that you knew for 0:04:37.760 --> 0:04:39.720 years that you really wanted to tackle and do your 0:04:39.720 --> 0:04:42.719 own spin on. Yeah, we all. Holy Night was definitely 0:04:43.160 --> 0:04:45.160 one of those that I knew I wanted to do 0:04:45.440 --> 0:04:47.880 um ever since. You know, that's just one of my 0:04:47.880 --> 0:04:51.599 favorite melodies of old times. It's so classic and and 0:04:51.839 --> 0:04:53.760 Rian Carey doing it back in the day. I was 0:04:53.800 --> 0:04:55.720 just obsessed with it and it's such a it's such 0:04:55.760 --> 0:04:58.600 a hard song just singing, so I definitely wanted one 0:04:58.920 --> 0:05:01.320 to challenge me on at and so that was a 0:05:01.360 --> 0:05:04.480 fun one to kind of dive into and do um. 0:05:04.680 --> 0:05:06.760 Same with Joy to the World. I just like it 0:05:06.880 --> 0:05:09.560 was such a such a simple song, but I wanted 0:05:09.600 --> 0:05:11.400 to give it like a groove and make it something 0:05:11.480 --> 0:05:15.080 kind of different than you've heard before. Because it's like 0:05:15.160 --> 0:05:17.160 these songs have been covered a million times and that's 0:05:17.160 --> 0:05:19.200 why they are classics. But it's like the hardest part 0:05:19.240 --> 0:05:21.479 is making it different, and so like giving it a 0:05:21.480 --> 0:05:23.400 little groove and singing it on a different beat was 0:05:23.440 --> 0:05:26.839 kind of fun to kind of dive into. These songs 0:05:26.839 --> 0:05:29.279 were just all songs that like I was, yeah, you're right. 0:05:29.279 --> 0:05:30.600 I was looking down the list of a bunch of 0:05:30.680 --> 0:05:33.839 Christmas songs and I started humming in my head and 0:05:33.839 --> 0:05:35.840 and I was writing down things and if if I 0:05:35.880 --> 0:05:37.920 was just like it just came to me immediately like 0:05:38.000 --> 0:05:40.159 a melody or like I was like, I'm I'm in, 0:05:40.480 --> 0:05:42.680 this is the one I want to do. And um, 0:05:42.720 --> 0:05:44.359 A bunch of those songs are just because I was 0:05:44.360 --> 0:05:47.120 singing them in cars and church as kids and as 0:05:47.120 --> 0:05:49.000 a kid just wanted to continue that. Yeah, those was 0:05:49.000 --> 0:05:51.160 gonna ask so many people, I know their first musical 0:05:51.160 --> 0:05:54.320 experiences were like in the Christmas choir at church or 0:05:54.320 --> 0:05:56.320 in the Nativity Player or something like that. Was that 0:05:56.400 --> 0:05:59.400 the case for you? Yeah? Absolutely, church and then uh, 0:05:59.520 --> 0:06:02.200 my school we did we did plays and um we 0:06:02.279 --> 0:06:04.640 saw Christmas songs every single year and it would be 0:06:04.640 --> 0:06:06.480 a Christmas before and so all the parents would come 0:06:06.480 --> 0:06:08.800 and the kids would do a bunch of carols. So yeah, 0:06:08.920 --> 0:06:11.720 it's been been a long time coming for sure. One 0:06:11.760 --> 0:06:14.039 of the original tracks on the album. I gotta say 0:06:14.040 --> 0:06:17.560 one of my my favorite Naughty List just Christmas said 0:06:17.600 --> 0:06:21.280 your your girlfriend's folks. Yeah, so it's funny. We were 0:06:21.720 --> 0:06:25.000 such a great idea for me. Jordan's Schmitt and Andy Albert, 0:06:25.000 --> 0:06:27.200 two of my best friends. We I told him this 0:06:27.200 --> 0:06:28.960 was last year I want to write a Christmas song. 0:06:29.080 --> 0:06:31.760 And it's actually a funny story because we went in 0:06:31.839 --> 0:06:35.240 to write take Me Home for Christmas. Um, and we 0:06:35.279 --> 0:06:38.200 started writing that song a little bit and ended up 0:06:38.240 --> 0:06:40.440 switching over. Someone said something about Naughty List and I 0:06:40.480 --> 0:06:42.640 was like, I want to do that. So that's how 0:06:42.760 --> 0:06:45.120 David SHA's Knew Christmas song got written that we're on. 0:06:45.480 --> 0:06:47.880 We started writing the take take Me Home for Christmas 0:06:47.920 --> 0:06:51.160 and then we didn't finish that song, did Naughty List 0:06:51.240 --> 0:06:53.400 in the middle of it. Then Andy gave it to 0:06:53.480 --> 0:06:56.039 them and we all finished that song. So I was like, 0:06:56.320 --> 0:06:58.200 that's just a side story of that. But Naughty List 0:06:58.240 --> 0:07:00.359 came from just kind of talking in between doing in 0:07:00.760 --> 0:07:02.839 that first song, and then I was like, no, hold on, 0:07:02.920 --> 0:07:05.599 let's trans this transition real quick. So we stopped writing 0:07:05.640 --> 0:07:08.320 that one and started writing Naughty List and yeah, man, 0:07:08.320 --> 0:07:09.920 it was just a fun one to do, and something 0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:12.680 about when we were just joking around and someone said that, 0:07:12.760 --> 0:07:14.720 I was like, man, there's a having an idea of 0:07:14.960 --> 0:07:17.600 go with me here, of like you know, the tape 0:07:17.640 --> 0:07:19.880 coming home for Christmas and having to change every single 0:07:19.960 --> 0:07:22.480 thing that you normally do in your real life because 0:07:22.480 --> 0:07:25.600 your parents are around right now. Uh, and just you know, 0:07:25.640 --> 0:07:27.480 again playing to what we like to do, not taking 0:07:27.520 --> 0:07:30.880 ourselves so seriously all the time, and and uh, you know, 0:07:31.280 --> 0:07:33.000 you know you love the girl so much you don't 0:07:33.000 --> 0:07:35.200 mind if you don't give presents this here It's okay. 0:07:35.800 --> 0:07:37.400 I was gonna say this, spects the question, are you 0:07:37.440 --> 0:07:42.080 understand this? Naughty listeners? I think I'm on his undecided 0:07:42.120 --> 0:07:45.120 at this moment. List. I got we got, we got, 0:07:45.120 --> 0:07:47.200 we got like six weeks. I've got some I've got 0:07:47.240 --> 0:07:49.120 some doing. Yeah, I've got some deeds I need to 0:07:49.120 --> 0:07:51.480 get done, some good deeds. I guess what is the 0:07:51.480 --> 0:07:56.280 coolest Christmas present you've ever received? Uh? My less Paul Man, 0:07:56.880 --> 0:08:00.080 my less Paul, my my very first my parents and 0:08:00.920 --> 0:08:04.400 my parents put payments on that that guitar. Very. I 0:08:04.480 --> 0:08:06.840 was thirteen years old, man, when I was really getting 0:08:06.880 --> 0:08:09.200 into it, and they knew I wanted it. And it 0:08:09.320 --> 0:08:12.480 was so funny, like my parents, you know, we already 0:08:12.520 --> 0:08:14.240 opened up presents to me and my brother and my 0:08:14.320 --> 0:08:15.760 dad looks at me, It's like, did you get everything 0:08:15.760 --> 0:08:17.120 you wanted? I say, of course, Dad, this is an 0:08:17.040 --> 0:08:19.480 amazing Christmas and he's like, you're lying at me. I 0:08:19.520 --> 0:08:21.880 can tell, and I'm like, no, I'm not. Like it 0:08:21.960 --> 0:08:24.200 was amazing because go check under our bed. And I 0:08:24.240 --> 0:08:25.880 went in there and pulled it out and it was 0:08:25.920 --> 0:08:29.280 that Gibson you know case gives in USA, and I 0:08:29.320 --> 0:08:31.960 just started freaking out open it up and man for 0:08:31.960 --> 0:08:34.160 for months after, I was just wanting to get home 0:08:34.200 --> 0:08:36.920 from school in this run and open that case. And uh, 0:08:36.960 --> 0:08:38.960 I still got the guitar back there. Today. It's uh 0:08:39.160 --> 0:08:41.240 something that means more to me than almost anything. And 0:08:41.280 --> 0:08:44.959 I'm sure gold top flame top I've got a gold 0:08:45.000 --> 0:08:46.760 top back there as well, but it's a it's a 0:08:46.760 --> 0:08:49.880 classic sun vintage Sunburst. It's one of my favorite music. 0:08:49.920 --> 0:08:52.679 Has been such a huge role in your life with 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:55.680 with your family. I know your your grandmother was a 0:08:55.840 --> 0:08:59.000 huge legend in Nashville community. I know your your brother 0:08:59.040 --> 0:09:01.760 plays based with you, your mother's in the industry. Was 0:09:01.960 --> 0:09:04.960 never a moment when you didn't think music would be 0:09:05.000 --> 0:09:07.559 your future? Yeah, I mean, I mean I always thought 0:09:07.600 --> 0:09:10.120 I was gonna play sports, especially football. The death the 0:09:10.200 --> 0:09:11.920 doctor told me I was gonna be like six three. 0:09:12.440 --> 0:09:16.719 Completely missed that, and missed that by long shot. I 0:09:16.840 --> 0:09:19.559 ended up being five tin on a good day. Um 0:09:19.600 --> 0:09:21.960 maybe yeah, on a good day with my back's not hurting. 0:09:22.800 --> 0:09:24.480 But no, I thought I was gonna play football. I 0:09:24.520 --> 0:09:26.440 went to college originally thinking I was gonna do that 0:09:26.480 --> 0:09:28.760 and just didn't want to get up at five in 0:09:28.800 --> 0:09:31.040 the morning after playing music and drinking until three in 0:09:31.040 --> 0:09:33.880 the morning to go work out anymore. And and my body, 0:09:34.000 --> 0:09:36.319 my body just was like over And I was really 0:09:36.840 --> 0:09:39.400 like really getting into writing songs more and more. I've 0:09:39.400 --> 0:09:41.199 been a lot of bands before, but really getting into 0:09:41.240 --> 0:09:42.760 ruind my own stuff. And I don't know, I just 0:09:42.800 --> 0:09:45.720 really something switched in college freshman year and said this 0:09:45.800 --> 0:09:48.320 is really what I want to do. Um and I 0:09:48.400 --> 0:09:50.559 never you know, I never turned back from it since then. 0:09:50.640 --> 0:09:53.520 Although I've seen you on Instagram. I saw you like 0:09:53.679 --> 0:09:57.760 way beyond the half court just sink basketball and like 0:09:58.000 --> 0:10:01.000 skeet shooting and like getting a bull zay and you're 0:10:01.120 --> 0:10:06.439 still pretty formidable sports talent. I gotta say thanks. I tried, man, 0:10:06.480 --> 0:10:09.560 and this, Uh there's just no nothing to do right now, 0:10:09.720 --> 0:10:11.840 so it's so boring. I'm just I'm just out, you know, 0:10:11.880 --> 0:10:14.360 trying to be a productive and I don't know, you 0:10:14.400 --> 0:10:16.600 get you just you find a basketball on the ground 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:18.840 and you throw it. That's what you do. And have 0:10:18.920 --> 0:10:24.120 you been staying productive musically throughout quarantine? You're feeling good? Yeah? Absolutely, 0:10:24.200 --> 0:10:26.960 been writing a been writing a lot and down here 0:10:27.040 --> 0:10:29.080 kind of a lot myself in and then writing a 0:10:29.080 --> 0:10:31.440 lot of songs. Like before we you know, signed a 0:10:31.480 --> 0:10:33.840 record deal and started doing the full time artist thing. 0:10:34.120 --> 0:10:37.000 I was writing full time for years, songs every single day, 0:10:37.000 --> 0:10:38.839 and so when I was on the road, I kind 0:10:38.840 --> 0:10:40.280 of got away from that. It's hard to write every 0:10:40.360 --> 0:10:42.400 day on the road. So it's it's been an easy 0:10:42.440 --> 0:10:45.040 transition getting all the road, even though I miss it 0:10:45.080 --> 0:10:47.720 like crazy to get back to this lifestyle writing every 0:10:47.800 --> 0:10:49.920 day because I did it for so long and I 0:10:49.920 --> 0:10:51.640 did kind of miss it. It has been fun to 0:10:51.640 --> 0:10:54.320 reconnect with a bunch of my writer friends and and 0:10:54.400 --> 0:10:55.960 right every day and try to come up with something 0:10:55.960 --> 0:10:58.760 new every day. That was a challenge. Um, but I'm 0:10:58.760 --> 0:11:01.240 definitely missing being on the old and being my friends 0:11:01.400 --> 0:11:03.960 and my brother and my band and yeah, man, it's 0:11:04.160 --> 0:11:06.560 it's a balance. But you have being productive as possible 0:11:06.559 --> 0:11:17.680 writting a lot of songs. You know, Nashville such a 0:11:17.679 --> 0:11:20.840 collaborative place. Says as the lockdown and quarantine really impacted 0:11:20.880 --> 0:11:23.760 your songwriting style or a zoom been been pretty good 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:26.679 for that, man. Zoom. I've done a few zooms. It's 0:11:26.720 --> 0:11:28.440 it's hard for me to zoom right because I play 0:11:28.480 --> 0:11:30.360 off the room and you know, as a as a 0:11:30.400 --> 0:11:32.880 guitar player, I can see a guitar in your room. 0:11:32.960 --> 0:11:38.040 Like It's it's hard to it's hard to hear through 0:11:38.120 --> 0:11:40.360 zoom man, Like, especially if you're like getting melodies and 0:11:40.360 --> 0:11:42.480 stuff and talking over each other, like in a room 0:11:42.559 --> 0:11:44.559 you're supposed to talk over each other. You pull from it. 0:11:45.040 --> 0:11:47.599 Zooms tough so we've we've we did We've done a 0:11:47.640 --> 0:11:50.840 lot of very safe you know rights in person where 0:11:50.880 --> 0:11:52.760 we're apart from each other but you can still hear 0:11:52.800 --> 0:11:55.800 everything in the room. UM, and been really productive like that, 0:11:55.960 --> 0:11:57.960 kind of honed in our group of people where it's 0:11:58.040 --> 0:12:00.800 you know, we just write with these people mostly and 0:12:00.840 --> 0:12:02.920 we know where each other's been. It's it's been really 0:12:02.960 --> 0:12:05.480 easy to do that. And um, I've been pretty safe 0:12:05.480 --> 0:12:06.960 and so far, so good. We've made a lot of 0:12:06.960 --> 0:12:11.040 great music. Recently on Instagram, you showed off this really 0:12:11.040 --> 0:12:12.920 complicated riff that you were saying you were going to 0:12:13.000 --> 0:12:16.200 start developing into a song. Are you a riff based 0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:18.160 writer or do you use words as a jumping off 0:12:18.200 --> 0:12:20.520 point or a melody what gets you hooked and going 0:12:20.520 --> 0:12:22.880 into a song or is it different every time? Um? Yeah, 0:12:22.920 --> 0:12:25.480 I'd say it's different every time. But I love I 0:12:25.559 --> 0:12:29.200 love riffs. I mean so many things on my UM 0:12:29.400 --> 0:12:31.520 especially my first record, were me coming in with a 0:12:31.600 --> 0:12:33.880 riff and then you know, you write so many songs 0:12:33.880 --> 0:12:36.200 like I don't have any I'm out of riffs, and 0:12:36.200 --> 0:12:38.520 then I'm out of all this stuff. So then it's 0:12:38.520 --> 0:12:40.000 like coming in with the hook for me. If someone 0:12:40.080 --> 0:12:41.920 has some idea that I've never heard, or if I've 0:12:41.920 --> 0:12:44.440 heard someone say something, then we'll start from there and 0:12:44.440 --> 0:12:46.040 build the chords around it, and then I'll try to 0:12:46.040 --> 0:12:48.319 come up with a riff later. But I just love 0:12:48.360 --> 0:12:52.040 interesting guitar parts, interesting chords. Uh. It always inspires me 0:12:52.200 --> 0:12:54.280 so much when I hear something cool that I haven't 0:12:54.320 --> 0:12:56.480 heard of in a while and melodies start coming to 0:12:56.520 --> 0:12:58.680 me way way easier than if I'm just hearing the 0:12:58.720 --> 0:13:02.360 same chords over and over again. So yeah, I definitely 0:13:02.360 --> 0:13:05.560 I love a good riff. Um. You know, as a 0:13:05.559 --> 0:13:07.920 guitar player, if it once you can, once you hit 0:13:07.960 --> 0:13:09.160 that one and you're like, oh, this is cool, you 0:13:09.280 --> 0:13:10.640 kind of put it in your book and you kind 0:13:10.640 --> 0:13:12.400 of save it for those those writers you know that 0:13:12.440 --> 0:13:14.480 will that can kind of run with it. When you 0:13:14.480 --> 0:13:18.640 were a kid, you met uh Bobby Braddock, legendary songwriter. 0:13:19.160 --> 0:13:22.160 Did he or any other legendary songwriters in the Nashville 0:13:22.160 --> 0:13:24.280 community that you meant when when you were just starting out, 0:13:24.280 --> 0:13:26.400 did any of those folks give you any advice that 0:13:26.400 --> 0:13:29.640 He's still treasure to this day when you're when you're composing. Um. Yeah, 0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:35.240 The Warren Brothers were a huge, huge, um influence on me. 0:13:35.400 --> 0:13:37.400 They were the first big writers that ever wrote with 0:13:37.520 --> 0:13:40.480 me before I had a deal or anything. Um. They 0:13:40.480 --> 0:13:43.040 were so kind and we actually they actually co signed 0:13:43.080 --> 0:13:45.719 me with Sony as my very first publishing deal UM 0:13:45.760 --> 0:13:47.800 because of a song we wrote, the first song we 0:13:47.840 --> 0:13:50.720 ever wrote. Keith Urban took and put it on hold 0:13:51.440 --> 0:13:53.920 at the time, and it actually got me my deal. 0:13:54.520 --> 0:13:56.040 And I did the demo for them and I sent 0:13:56.160 --> 0:13:57.200 it out and they were like, man, I want to 0:13:57.240 --> 0:13:59.080 keep writing. It was just one of those weird moments 0:13:59.120 --> 0:14:01.880 where I just look at lucky. Something they got canceled on, 0:14:02.600 --> 0:14:05.000 and they they'd always promised me if that happened, they 0:14:05.000 --> 0:14:06.480 would let me ride. And they called me that day 0:14:06.480 --> 0:14:08.520 and whatever I did, I canceled and we went in 0:14:08.559 --> 0:14:11.040 the studio and did it. And so they've they've given 0:14:11.040 --> 0:14:15.199 me so much, you know, just value beyond just writing music, 0:14:15.280 --> 0:14:17.320 just the industry itself. You know, how to take care 0:14:17.360 --> 0:14:19.800 of yourself. You know, they lost their father to like 0:14:19.840 --> 0:14:22.360 how to deal with that. And I mean they're they're 0:14:22.440 --> 0:14:25.560 basically like big brothers to me. And I'll never take 0:14:25.560 --> 0:14:28.520 that for granted. They're amazing talent, but also just they've 0:14:28.560 --> 0:14:30.360 lived a lot of life, and they had a lot 0:14:30.400 --> 0:14:33.280 of advice for me through this entire time. And um, 0:14:33.320 --> 0:14:36.600 I love those guys. You've said that broken up. Your 0:14:36.640 --> 0:14:39.600 recent single came and something like thirty minutes. Tell me 0:14:39.640 --> 0:14:41.360 a little bit of that, because as someone who doesn't 0:14:41.400 --> 0:14:44.120 write music like me, that seems like sorcery or something. 0:14:44.440 --> 0:14:47.960 How does that happen? Yeah, I mean I think you know, 0:14:48.040 --> 0:14:50.760 sometimes we overwrite songs. We you get a bunch of 0:14:50.760 --> 0:14:52.280 songwriters in the rooms, like you get a bunch of 0:14:52.280 --> 0:14:54.040 English teachers in the room, you're gonna write a book 0:14:54.040 --> 0:14:57.080 that like no one can read because you know, because 0:14:57.120 --> 0:14:59.640 the words are just too profound or they're too perfect. 0:14:59.680 --> 0:15:01.360 So some times you need to go with your first gut, 0:15:01.400 --> 0:15:03.480 your first answer. And that's kind of what we did 0:15:03.480 --> 0:15:05.440 on that song. We were waiting for my buddy Andy Albert, 0:15:05.440 --> 0:15:07.640 who we wrote Naughty List with and a few other songs. 0:15:08.120 --> 0:15:10.400 It was his bachelor party and so a bunch of 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:12.000 us were getting together. We were gonna go to Jeff 0:15:12.080 --> 0:15:14.840 Rubies downtown to eat some steak and then go out afterwards. 0:15:15.560 --> 0:15:19.240 Um and so we downtown play again music Dallas Davidson's place. 0:15:19.560 --> 0:15:22.240 Um My buddy Kyle has a studio there and it's 0:15:22.320 --> 0:15:24.480 right next door. So we're all let's meet up there first, 0:15:24.680 --> 0:15:26.840 and we were surprising Andy he had no idea. So 0:15:26.880 --> 0:15:29.160 we met up there about an hour early. We were 0:15:29.200 --> 0:15:30.640 just waiting in the studio and having a couple of 0:15:30.680 --> 0:15:33.080 beers and I just sat down by the piano and 0:15:33.160 --> 0:15:35.400 Kyle was as computer. I was like, I just recorded 0:15:35.400 --> 0:15:37.880 in something real quick, A loop looped it and then 0:15:37.880 --> 0:15:39.400 I was like, here, hand me the mic and it's 0:15:39.440 --> 0:15:42.240 me him Devin Dawson and Ernest Kay was in the 0:15:42.320 --> 0:15:46.040 room or Ernest now sorry Keith, and we just I 0:15:46.120 --> 0:15:48.000 was like, let's the first thing we say. I'm singing 0:15:48.000 --> 0:15:49.880 in right now. So each line by line we write 0:15:49.880 --> 0:15:52.160 in line, I just singing in on s M seven 0:15:52.200 --> 0:15:54.720 like you're using right there and um, and I just 0:15:54.920 --> 0:15:58.240 I just sunk it in. Uh done, did the song 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:00.680 about thirty minutes, shut the geter down, and went out 0:16:00.720 --> 0:16:02.400 in Nate stake. And about a week later, I was like, dude, 0:16:02.400 --> 0:16:03.720 what do we what do we do that? Now? Do 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:05.680 you remember when we sent it to me? And I 0:16:05.760 --> 0:16:07.360 just really kind of dug it. It was. It was 0:16:07.400 --> 0:16:09.120 one of those things that just kind of felt right. 0:16:09.160 --> 0:16:11.800 I ended up using the vocal that we sung that 0:16:11.880 --> 0:16:15.000 night for the record. Man, it was just just k yeah, 0:16:15.080 --> 0:16:17.240 just have vocal song and just like that, one by one, 0:16:17.280 --> 0:16:20.240 and and I think it came down to, like our 0:16:20.240 --> 0:16:22.920 first guest, what we wanted to say there was probably right, 0:16:22.920 --> 0:16:25.360 instead of overwriting a song and making sure everything is 0:16:25.360 --> 0:16:27.840 so perfect, how would you have said it in conversation? 0:16:28.000 --> 0:16:30.320 And that was kind of a an eye opening thing 0:16:30.400 --> 0:16:32.520 for us. How we how we right? We all started 0:16:32.520 --> 0:16:33.880 doing that a little bit more and written a lot 0:16:33.880 --> 0:16:35.840 of songs since that way, and like kind of go 0:16:35.920 --> 0:16:38.080 with your first gut, maybe edit a little bit after 0:16:38.120 --> 0:16:41.320 the end, but like your first guts, probably right. There's 0:16:41.440 --> 0:16:43.480 something you said to interview you have to be vulnerable 0:16:43.520 --> 0:16:45.600 to stand a chance in this industry. I thought that 0:16:45.680 --> 0:16:49.320 was such a really interesting and great sentiment. I wanted 0:16:49.320 --> 0:16:50.840 to ask you more about that. Why do you think 0:16:50.880 --> 0:16:54.400 that that's the case? Because people people will call your 0:16:54.400 --> 0:16:58.360 bluff real quick. I've found that out. Like they know 0:16:58.440 --> 0:17:00.320 for a fact if you're lying to them on stage, 0:17:00.360 --> 0:17:03.680 they know they know in your performance. And if you're 0:17:03.720 --> 0:17:06.480 honest and vulnerable with what you do, I think he 0:17:06.560 --> 0:17:11.200 gardners more authentic attention because people have been there people 0:17:11.320 --> 0:17:14.119 understand that or they can put themselves in that story. 0:17:14.920 --> 0:17:17.200 I know personally me as a listener and the songs 0:17:17.280 --> 0:17:19.440 I fell in love with growing up, UM, I fell 0:17:19.480 --> 0:17:22.720 in love with artists that were very vulnerable, very authentic. 0:17:22.920 --> 0:17:25.800 I mean even from Usher to his Confessions down to 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:30.000 Render Road from from Brooks and Dunn telling that whole story. 0:17:30.240 --> 0:17:31.919 You know, her Daddy didn't light me up my shackle 0:17:32.000 --> 0:17:35.359 up g t O like I had to. I worked 0:17:35.359 --> 0:17:37.399 on a GTO as a kid, and like those little 0:17:37.440 --> 0:17:40.639 moments that were like you could put yourself in is 0:17:40.720 --> 0:17:42.280 what I always wanted to do. And I think it 0:17:42.320 --> 0:17:45.600 takes a vulnerability of being honest to um to make 0:17:45.640 --> 0:17:47.919 people believe you when you're singing it to him. I 0:17:48.040 --> 0:17:50.080 noticed that something of a theme running through a lot 0:17:50.080 --> 0:17:52.160 of your songs that you h You teased the new 0:17:52.240 --> 0:17:55.480 songs Sleeping Alone on on Instagram and your new single 0:17:55.560 --> 0:17:58.880 broken Up Drunk Me about Breakup Can't Grow to Church 0:17:58.920 --> 0:18:01.800 from earlier this year's another incredible breakup song as well. 0:18:02.200 --> 0:18:04.159 What is it that attracts you to break up songs? 0:18:04.240 --> 0:18:05.959 What is that that you think that goes over so 0:18:06.000 --> 0:18:08.880