KAMERON MARLOWE: Getting Real About Love, Heartbreak & Keepin’ the Lights On

Car she's a queen and talking, so.

She's getting really not afraid to feel episode, so just let it flow. No one can do a week quiet cars time from Caroler.

We are so excited. Let's have Cameron Marlowe on Get Real. So thank you for joining.

Oh, thank you for having me. I appreciate it.

Well, you're in the middle of a tornado, so thank you for stopping by.

I thought she met Actually I was like, what are you talking about?

You know, you're maybe a rocket ship. You're in the middle of a rocket ride.

We'll see, we'll see.

Have you hit moon the moon yet? I don't know, Mars milky way.

I'm just trying to figure it out out see you weeks already got me kind of stress.

God, you're doing this in the middle of CMA week. Yeah, wow, wow, thank you for coming.

Thank you.

What is it like when you jump on the rocket ship?

I don't know if I've jumped on it yet.

You're on it. You like exploded to me when someone like yourself who has this incredible voice. But then you were discovered on the internet, right, you were kind of viral, but then they found you and they're like, oh my god, he's one of the best country singers of all times. Thank god the Internet exists and made him viral.

No, it's kind of wild. I had like one viral moment and I was like after I had been signed and everything, and I had no idea what I was doing, like trying to post stuff and just see you fe with you love social media? No, I hate it so much.

Your favorite thing. You wake up every day and you're like, okay, here I am brushing my teeth.

Yeah, oh yeah, I get it. I do.

Get ready with me everything, Get ready with me and get unready with me in no way. If you want another true just follow Cameron Marlowe. He's going to show his routine.

The hell of skincare?

Great skincare? Are you on a big diet regime? Only vegetables?

Definitely not food. I'm not on the Tom Brady die yet. What the Tom Brady?

Oh, he doesn't eat like night.

I think he just like eats pistachios and like doesn't eat tomatoes nights. I don't think he eats fish either, I mean like meat or anything like that.

Yeah, night lagoons or something. He doesn't need oak plant and tomatoes and things that grow in the night.

Really, I've never You don't think I can tell you what goes.

I want to get to a point where I'm that healthy. Like, I want to get to a point where I have the resources, time and like with the desire to get that healthy. Wouldn't that be fun?

I don't think I could physically do it. I don't know. I like steak too much.

We had that last night.

There you go so good.

Okay, so you're a country boy, yes, And did you dream of being a star?

I wouldn't say I did. I just come. I come from a place called Cannapolis, North Carolina Nnapolis.

Say that's six times fast. Annapolis canis Cannapolis Cannapolis.

Yeah, it's kind of tough.

That's a great name it is. I love that. That's fun to say.

I know it's a homedel earned heart. That's that's our claim to fame there. So uh Cameron Marlowe, Yeah, well we'll see. But like when I was growing up there, it's just kind of really small feel, and then now it's actually kind of started booming. It's like really cool to go home. They got like a baseball stadium and like where the old cann of meals used to be it's it's wild.

So I really like your album that you just released, Keeping the Lights On. Tell me about this, because I feel like Keeping the Lights On is like it's encompassing your entire upbringing, Like it's kind of describing your entire like childhood into coming into a young man and like then having this awareness of your parents and your family and all of the sacrifices that your parents went through to give y'all such a great life that you weren't even aware of. Is that right?

That's definitely right on it. I feel like I grew up a lot over the past two years. It's been two years since my last project, and not that my last project was immature, but I feel like me as a person, like I just kind of learned a lot about myself. I knew I needed to grow up some, you know that being on the road and like having a big boy job. I guess I was like, I don't need to screw this up, Like this is a gift and a blessing that even walk out on stage.

And so you figure that out real fast.

I did. I did. I think it was like that first tour I realized I was like, hey, this is kind of starting to do something, so maybe.

Your own tour. It was so you were selling out.

Your own tour, yeah, which was wild.

Like right away, Yeah, the Stranger Stour, I know.

It was before that. It was for the last record we were Cowboys.

And that one sold out to right away. And then you take out the other hot guy, Tuck her web Moore. It's like Cameron Marlowe and Tucker Wetmore, every freaking young girl who loves country music's dream come true. Don't have tons of girls in the audience.

Yes, we did, definitely did.

How does your fiance feel about this?

She knows I would never do anything like that, so she's fine.

But I see like a panoramic with all the people in the audience. I'm like, dang, this is where the young country girls are coming.

I know.

It's wild, I know, and everybody knows every word.

It's been crazy just to see him singing songs back that I wrote. That's like, that's a different feeling. It's like something that you can't or the it's only obtainable on stage, Like to.

Have that, Okay, explain that because I've heard a lot of people say this. Had Lily Rose come on and she was like talking about that too, and it's like, what is that? What is happening with you in the audience when you're on stage?

I don't know. It's like a deeper connection to a point where you're just like, dang, these people have took the time out of their day to listen to a song, relate to it so much that they learned the words to it, came to a show, bought a ticket to come to a.

Show, which I mean, seriously, that's a lot to like put all that energy into coming to your.

Show without a doubt. And I'm just very blessed that people are still showing.

Up, all the people.

I know, it's crazy. I'm just trying my best, and I enjoy it so much to like make music and like write and like just be in this lifestyle because I never would have thought that this would ever be something for me.

You know, what did you think was going to be for you?

Well, everybody in my town just stays there until they die.

Do you have a song called lock Me Up right?

Yeah?

And it's about how you would want to stay there.

I'm not gonna lie some days like Nashville's kind of stuffy to me. Tell me why when I moved to Nashville. It felt like this place with a lot of opportunities and stuff like that, which was very exciting when I was a little younger and I was like, man, this is killer. I love it. And now I'm like, I need to have forty acres big old like fence brickfasts around. Like I think I've learned that I'm an introvert in insane.

Yes, I've always thought I was an extra extrovert.

And you're doing podcasts. This is like my worst I'm married, Like we host at least, No, you.

Give sermons on stage with your songs every night. I mean that's a whole nother fear for everybody else. You know, to get up on stage and seeing your soul out in front of people that you don't know but are connecting with through your music. I mean that is some vulnerability right there for sure. And you're telling your story, so now everybody knows about you.

Yeah, you know, it is a wild thing. And I've I've always lived a super private life like when I was growing up.

Until you released this new album.

I know, I know everybody knows everything.

I mean, this first Beyance, I'm mad at her forever. I don't even care that we've moved on. She's still on my X list. I got a big X. I'm just kidding. I'm sure she's great and everything works out. You know, you got to break up, but some people get you gotta break up. God bless the broken road, right, without a doubt, somebody should write that song and let it be like Grammy winning and all that. You shoot.

Yeah, It's just it's been such a wild ride and I'm just very thankful that people are still showing up. And this album just means so much to me because it's really just like the title track is the one that really just means the most. Yeah, that song right there is just like it's me like through and through. I wrote it with a guy named Kendall Marvel.

You know, he's one of my favorite people in the world.

He is the man I love.

That they don't make him like Kendall Marvel.

They do not. Kendall is one of the Yeah, I have nothing but great things.

Saying, he's one of the best songwriters and just like cowboys and country boys and just like what it means to be all things that are great in the country.

You know, without a doubt.

That is Kendall Marvel, he like gets it, he understands the lessons. The lessons of the land does.

But when we started writing that, like it was, it was like a shift kind of change for me. And like I had like some songs picked for the record before and I nixed them all immediately. Why I just didn't fit it. I was like, this is what we're chasing, like the song and the bones of this.

Song, that's not keeping the lights on. If that was, that was keeping the lights on, keeping the lights okay, Because then there's another one that you said changed everything for you, which was never really no, well.

Never really no, definitely it pieced some stuff together, but keeping the light song was I wrote it first, and that was like okay, yeah, And that was the one where I was like, Okay, I think I'm going to go down this route.

Version of feel good to tell people who you really were?

It does? It? Does? It feels good to not put songs on a record, just to put songs on a record and be selective, you.

Know, like you're really expressing your journey.

Yeah, yeah, exactly. And the journey's been hard.

What's been the hard parts?

Not being able to go viral and blow up maddening, isn't it. Yeah, you can chase it all day.

Well, it sucks. So it's like artists like you that are so great, you know, still have to waste their timeguring out how to go viral. In my opinion, it's like, can't you just be great and everyone just figure it out?

Why don't do social media? I'm just wasting on time, Like I don't want me to say like that. I don't.

I'm not wasting great things. And we're grateful there he.

Is, yes, but it's frustrating to like take time out of my day when I could be writing songs to like put my phone up and play a couple songs and hope and pray that and read the comments and see how that's reacting and stuff. It's not a normal way to Leah, I feel well.

And also it's like I don't want to have to have my phone out every five seconds, like I want to actually just live my life. Oh you know, I just like, what if you want to just go fishing or something and not have to document that you're fishing. You know, it's just like you're doing it because you want to do.

It without a doubt, and it's so crazy that I feel like every time I'm doing something, I should pick my phone up and let everybody know everybody.

And I'm like that, like why because we need to let them know we're so interesting, or we're just letting them vicariously escape through our lives, or because we're trying to connect as humanity, Like why are we doing this? I can't quite figure it out.

Yeah, it's it's a strange thing, and I don't know. Hopefully we shipped away from it one day or.

Figure out some good boundaries. Yeah, because there is some greatness to it, like people can discover things they never could have discovered, have businesses, all sorts of stuff.

Doubt.

Okay, so tell me about your first heartbreak that really sent you into it all.

So I was dating this girl through high school.

Oh, like long time, because you're not that old. You're only six, lived a lot of life to be on.

Only twentyl I feel like I'm ninety two.

Yes, I was going to say that, but I didn't want to say that. You know.

So I was dating this girl through high school and.

See all this is your first love.

Yeah, yeah, first love like went uh we went up together pretty much. Yeah, like I had known her or had known her since god I was probably ten twelve years old.

Oh my gosh, idea of love is her?

Yeah?

So this is a big, big, no wonder. This shook you to your core. I mean, this is earth.

Shattering enough to write a song about it and start a hold music.

Which is WHI You got it out of you though, you got to process somehow Well, I'm.

Such like a well, sorry, I'll tell you the rest of the story and I'll explain it to you. But basically broke up, like right I left college. Yeah, I was two weeks away from proposing, so no, I had to ring, had to go take it back.

Did you talk to your parents and stuff? Yeah, and they gave you the blessing. They didn't have it. You no warning that we're going to get a break up here, Not really.

I mean I feel like I might have been trying to save it with a ring with a ring, which is not a good thing. I didn't know what I was doing.

You know what I realized not forty is you can't really save anything that doesn't want to be saved.

No, that's a that's a great freaking quote right there.

So there you go. That's my contribution for the day exactly. So you think you can when you're young, especially because you're so in love, because it's all you've ever known, without a doubt. So you got to save it because you can't lose it.

Yeah, no, and you you want to save it. But at the same time, like it was going to say, yeah, it was the best thing that ever happened to me because now I have an amazing in fiance, now we're getting married, and.

A senior love life. It looks really good your aunt on social media, your love look life looks thriving.

Oh we really are, Galla, she is the best person I've ever met.

That's amazing. I know it all works out okay, But so how did the first girl break up with you? Like you're about to propose in two weeks? How did the breakup happen?

So she was in or she was in college and Charlotte. I went to drive over there to kind of talk to her, and I thought we were going to hang out, and she got in the truck and she was like, we don't think this is over. And at the time, it like wrecked my world because I didn't know anything else. I thought I was doing everything right. Because I was at this point where like my family had like they were married at nineteen, so I was like I was

And that happened like right after she broke up with you. Yeah, you're as you're vibrating.

It is. I'm so sorry. I'm trying to ignore his books that I canna, Karen, listen.

His is paging of everyone. It's probably his beautiful It probably is. She wanted to remind you that she just wanted to give you a little high. Okay, So immediately after you got dumped, you went home and wrote a song about it, and it poured out.

It was probably a week later after I had kind of processed everything.

And had you been performing and writing songs before then or is this your big moment.

I hadn't been writing really. I had wrote like a couple of songs that were terrible, didn't Yeah, I didn't know how to craft a song about it at that point. I didn't even know that I had crafted a song with giving you up. It was more just like words on a page.

For me, you were like flowing.

Yeah, that whole second verse is like a train of fault.

It's like you're just like getting your feelings out.

Yeah, pretty much the best stuff though.

I know that's why people connect with you.

I agree, and I think I think it's hard for some people to be like super vulnerable when they're writing songs.

But I just you don't even know any different.

Yeah, I didn't know any different. But I love like getting that deep in songwriting and like really going down the rabbit hole that.

Why do you love that? What does that do for you?

I think it's kind of therapy for me.

That's your therapy, I think.

So. Yeah, that and fishing. But I would say writing songs is something that nobody can take away from me. I can write it and nobody ever has to see it, but I can get it out without having to go talk to a therapist.

You know, Yeah, yes, it does it. So how does that feel? So you have your therapy moment? You write this big song about your ex and now everyone's singing it back to you. What does that do to the process of this broken heart? So tell me the transition of the broken heart, like your she breaks up with

Yeah, I guess, but it was that was like the early days of viral.

Yeah, did you go viral on TikTok?

No, it was TikTok wasn't even around yet.

Oh you're preteck.

I was pre I was Instagram.

Our Instagram viral. Gosh, you never met one of the Instagram viral ones before. That's exciting.

Yeah. So I guess that was just kind of a moment where I was like, man.

Were you just singing it with a guitar?

Yeah? I was playing it at random bars like That's kind of where I started. Was like just random bars around Cannapolis and Concord, which is like the neighboring.

Little town, and people would film it. And that's what my viral or your post on viral.

To be honest, I don't know. I don't know if it ever went viral. It just kind of went on and caught on. Okay, and uh, I hadn't really thought about doing any music or anything like that, and somebody had saw a video that I had posted of I think Tennessee Whiskey and the voice Rey shout and I kind of went on the voice.

Oh kind of, or you did I'm.

Sorry, went on the voice, just went on the voice a little bit. So I did that?

Did you go on the voice? Did you make it far?

I made it top twenty four?

You didn't win?

Who won? I think it was a girl named Schevel?

Okay, yeah, did you have fun on the voice?

Had a ball. But it kind of taught me a lot because I found out like music was actually a job because I met so many people out there that were like, hey, I'm doing this like as a job, and I was like, how do you do that? Like I only know nine to five selling car parks, which is what I was doing. So I wanted a taste of that life. And they were like, well, come to Nashville. Start meeting people. So that's when I started coming to Nashville.

And then it just like it really did just start, like people just found it.

It's yeah, it's kind of it's wild. I owe a lot to John Marks. I think he heard it randomly. He was used to be he was serious.

Did you do serious?

It used to be he used to be at Spotify.

Spotify and put you on a playlist And yeah.

He put me on a playlist when I had like maybe thirty thousand streams on a song.

But do you have like a billion? I don't know how we do nine hundred million or a billion? I don't know how do you even count that?

You know?

That's a ton?

Yeah, it's wild.

It's awesome. So people just love you, I guess.

I don't know.

Is it so good to be this loved?

It does. Yeah, it's fulfilling. It's stressful as can be, like because I feel like you have to like keep up with the like you got to keep up with what you did last Oh right, it's like a constant, like Chase.

Are you feeling that pressure all the time? Because you started off hot? Like real hot. You haven't You didn't start off with like a you haven't had a lag yet, right, you've come in you have had a lot.

I started, and I had all this momentum. My first song was giving You Up, which was doing crazy numbers. I put Burn Them All Out next, and it was doing crazy numbers, and then COVID hit and then it was radio silence. I didn't know what was going on. I had no idea. Like we were starting to get offers to go on the road with people and things like that. I was like, man, this is.

Going too Yeah, I feel like some good people want to take you up exactly.

And I was so excited. And we had one that I was like I was dreaming of because I'm a big Leonard Skinner fan. And they asked me to come open in California. And we were celebrating up me and the band down at Del Frisco's and we were just sitting down there in my book. An agent comes downstairs from w ME and it was like the shows off. There's something called COVID and that's and that After that, like it stopped, like we had no idea what was going on?

What happened to you?

During COVID Way Home I left Nashville.

So you had this big burst of a dream happening. Everything was blowing up. You're the hottest thing. People love you, they found your song. You're going on tour. Its selling out, You're getting You're going to tour with Leonard Skinner, go play some shows. Like right before that, you were working nine to five at an auto shop and now you're in this fantasy world. And then it just stops again.

Yeah, so you.

Got like a tiny, tiny.

Tiny taste of it, which get which is good taste of it.

Yeah, you got like the best bite.

Which was awesome. But when it stops, like you kind of look around and you're like, oh, well see I knew it was kind of just like a fake dream. You know you did?

Were you down? Okay? So what's the lie you tell yourself? Did you tell yourself that this wasn't gonna work out?

Yeah? I still tell myself that.

Is that what you're do you because I think of myself talk all the time. Is that what your self talked? Dost?

Oh?

Yeah, oh this isn't gonna work out.

Oh I'm still waiting for somebody to say, hey, this is all a lie like they're gonna pull the curtain back and be like, ah, we've been filming you for a while kind of deal.

Like this is the Truman Show.

Yeah exactly. I don't know it think that it feels weird to like, I don't know, nobody from my town really does anything, And it feels weird to like have the pressure of like keeping up with something that was like a dream when I was a kid and trying to like move like I don't know how to say this,

Anything when you because this is for me. I have a panel in my head of people, and they're from all different walks of life. Someone from childhood, some are like family members, some are people I look up to in career. Some are celebrities who don't know exist, you know. But I have like this panel of people that I kind of like think are cool.

I don't know who the celebrity is.

Let's talking to you, Okay, I mean, but when I think about like things that are happening with me or what I'm doing, I kind of like run it by my panel, like to see if they would approve in my mental world. Do you have a panel or something like that? Do you like run through whatever something's happening. Are there people that you think of immediately in their response to it?

Yeah? Well, I'm very big on my family. Like my family had They've been the best support system. So I always feel like I'm hearing from my grandma if it's a bad decision or a good decision to tell oh yeah, I know, I know when it's a bad decision.

Do you know what does grandma say.

Son, don't do that with a couple of extra exceltives.

So and you can feel it in your bones, and Grandma would disapprove.

Oh yeah, without a doubt.

So you listen to that.

I do. Yeah. I try to listen to my gut as much as I can. It hadn't led me too wrong yet, I don't feel like.

So your dad, there's a part in your story that you talk about when your dad came to you and said he didn't know if he could keep the lights on. Yeah, that was a moment because it was at the moment that you realized your dad also struggled, even though he's like your hero and your father and all that.

Yeah, that was a tough day, my pops. He lost his job after like twenty seven years at the same factor.

He'd showed up and worked hard for twenty years and then overnight just lost it.

Yeah, it just goes to shut it down.

But nothing certain, even when you show up and work hard and do the right thing.

Every day without a doubt.

That's hard pill to swallow.

Yeah, especially for him, Like you've worked that long and you've you've cared about this thing for so long and worked up the ranks. He didn't. He didn't go to college, so like he had had to work up the ranks there and came like it's hard to find a job without college nowadays in the same field and make the same kind of money and stuff like that. So when that happened to him and it was a it was

You know, what did they do to make sure you didn't know you're poor?

I think looking back now, seeing they wouldn't stress in front of us, Wow, but we could. I could. I could tell. I feel like when when I.

Was young, they controlled I'm really on nervous system right now, they controlled their nervous system, like if they were stressed and if they were like having issues, they didn't let that get them so worked up that they transferred it to you. That's big. Your parents are like wise amazing. That's huge to do.

Now. It eats me up because I know, like all the times I asked for new cleats or something like that and they were like, oh, trying to figure it out, and they would like figure out a way to do it every time. But yes, I'm very very blessed have a family. I do.

So when your dad said he didn't know if he could keep the lights on, what did that do to you? What did that? What light did that turn on inside of you?

Well? It wrecked me because like you see your superhero of a father kind of be humbled for once, and you're like, oh, man, like this is kind of a this is a real situation here and I'm over here living my dream and it makes you kind of feel bad in a way because you're like I'm doing I'm doing my way And now all of a sudden this hits how old were you? This was last year? Yeah? Last year?

Did that make you want to burn it up even more?

And you're without a doubt that sparks the fire? Yeah, that sparked a fire for sure. Yeah, because like ultimate goal is like you want to be able to provide for your family the way that they provided for you, at least I do anyway.

So that's sweet. So I guess do you think that?

So?

Have you always just had a strong motivation, Like you've just always been motivated in your career? That's what's given you this passion Because like it started with huge motivation to like heal your heart for sure. Then your dad tells you his story and you get more motivation to take here of your family. So there's so much like real fire in you to do this. You're not just chasing it for fame or no.

I can care less about the fame. That's OK. Yeah, the fame is as such a secondary thing to me. I think that's why I don't think about it. I'm not even famous. Like I can go into stores and I'll be bothered, really like I might have one person come up to me or something like that. But I just feel like it's not who I am, Like I like I told you, I'd rather have a forty acres walls up and live my life with a couple of dogs and my wife, you know. So it's just something

What do you do when you drive on and you see yourself everywhere?

And I had somebody point at me, point at the sign and then wave at me when I'm on the boy here.

This morning, which everyone listening on Music Road. It's these two strips in Nashville, and it's like we're all the management labels, record labels, publishing companies are and like when you have success going on, you get banners and all the yards that are connected to you, so like this is basically a shrine. Do you go in music Road right now? You walk up and down? I just Camon Marlowe. Is that weird?

It's so weird? Like do you like it? I think there's a part of me that does. But I guess the it's okay to like it. I mean, definitely it is.

It's kind of like awesome to see that it's all connecting.

Yeah, I guess I've always just kind of flew low, like low profile, always been kind of soft spoken, not really trying to stir up anything. And then now all of a sudden, I have my face everywhere, and I'm like, I don't know how I feel about this.

Why do you think you've always been low profile?

I think it's just the way I grew up. I don't know, just my like I don't know trying to think to give you like a real scenario. We've always just been such a good family and stuff like that. Like I mean, I had a lot of friends, so get me wrong, but like I wasn't like ever really getting into any trouble or making myself known or anything like that.

So you just were you just a good kid.

I guess I don't know. I mean, I never got I never went to jail, so I don't need to start that now.

I never went to jail, Okay, But I always wonder, though, when you get the dream, you know, like once you get the dream and you had the dream and then you get it, what what is the difference like? Because it's never what you think it's going to.

Be, you know, Sorry, explain yourself a little bit better, Okay, if you don't mean that in a mean way.

I like to operate in the galaxies and the clouds. I was trying to tell Morgan earlier that my last podcast we talked about how there's life and other planets and maybe they're on this Earth as well. I know, can't We're.

Going to go down that rabbit hole too.

Oh you a little far out?

I am? Oh yeah, without a doubt.

Oh okay, we're gonna come back to what I'm trying to say about the dream. But I'd rather talk about your far out in this How are you far out?

I would say, I definitely think there's stuff going on. I think there's something on Mars. There's something on Mars that they don't want us to know. I'm down to go down that rabbit hole? Do you think? So?

What do you think is happening on Mars? Morgan's over there googling out and the president of the last work.

No, I don't know. I feel like I feel like there's got to be some life. They found life out there already, but it's like small forms. I think that that world or Mars used to be a like habitable.

Planet, and then maybe they just like self destructed it. I think so because they.

I feel like there's got to be other planets out there that's done the same thing, because we're looking at the trajectory now of this one.

Yeah, I know, I know. Isn't the whole life thing just weird? It's like a game, Like you're just born into a family. You get these passions in these dreams inside of you, and then you have to go figure out how to like live a life, and like what do you even do with your life? You know, how do you even know what you're supposed to do? There's so many options?

Yeah, no, no, that's completely right. And I didn't even graduate college, so like I didn't even know what I was doing.

Did you just start on this whirlwind I did.

I mean I found a job and then worked it. But that's when the voice called, and kind of my whole life switch.

The voice just called you out.

One day, I thought I could pick up girls by having my phone number in the in the caption of my like Instagram, So they called me from the of my Instagram.

You just put your regular phone number and in the caption of Instagram, did girls call?

Was a nineteen year old camera for you.

Do you girls call you? What was the what was the heading above the phone number call for a good time?

No, No, I didn't. I just add it in the bio. Then no, Yeah, they didn't know who they were calling. It could have been somebody randoms numb, just.

There in case somebody wants to try to say.

Somebody needed to contact me.

Well, I guess the voice is it?

You were wrong about.

Tang a care right, That's the best thing I've ever heard. You're just available, ready, I was you know what you're just saying, I'm here. Anybody needs me to give me a call?

You?

I got you, truck stop stuck, I got you.

You know what?

You probably a list of skills? Did you have some lists of skills? You're available, great, great part that give me a great partner dancing do your dance partner? It's your car taking on a date?

Yeah, I should be a song like I needed some help with that. I don't know. I didn't have an I didn't have anything else to say up there.

I just put my number and the voice called yeah, okay, so and then you just got to sit on a new wild Yeah. What was it like behind the scenes of the voice, Like, who were the coaches?

I had? Blake Jay Hood?

Was he your guy?

Blake?

Was you love Blake?

Yeah, he's great.

It's like yaould be.

Such a good guy. And then Kelly and Adam Lane okay, Yeah, and then Adam stole me in the middle and got to hang out with him a little bit. He's a cool guy.

You prefer Adam or Blake Blake.

I think me and Blake have a lot more similarities than me and yeah.

Yeah, I totally get that, just like country boy, good guy. Not that Adam's not a good guy, except I was not stoked about the situation that happened when he was pregnant with a third child and there was a model But we won't get into that. It's fine, he can live his own life, you know, it's whatever. Yeah, but I know, Okay, So then the voice happens. What happens with a voice, then you just do all the songs and that's when you start putting out music.

So yeah, just kind of way through that you had not put.

Out giving up you before you want?

The voice giving you up was not out yet that I had put that out. You're fine, I put that out like almost eight or nine months after I think I got off because I started driving. Like after I got off the Voice, I came back to Kannapolis and worked my regular job, which is a big nut kick, you know, like when you go back. Sorry a weird way to.

Say that, but I mean that's probably exactly how it.

Felt, yeah, because you're like, oh man, I got a taste of this like cool lifestyle that I wanted, and then now I got back to real life, and so you're like, what do I do now? So I just started driving and your job.

Was when you worked the auto shop, and you just went back to your same job. So that was not a good homecoming.

I hated that job so much, oh man. But then I would just drive, like on Fridays, my boss would let me off early and I'd drive up in Nashville and I'd stay till Sunday come back. You didn't give up, no, No, I just wanted to just want to find a place out here. I met a couple of guys and at Red Door Always Read and they were like, we're getting the house, and I was like, sign me up. Did not think they would call me? Found a number on

I mean, oh my god, Okay, that's just the best thing I've ever heard in my life. I love that. That just shows how genuinely like sweet.

And like just I'm clueless now. Yeah, no, I'm clueless. Yeahs I embrace it. Yeah.

But I think that's what makes you so endearing is you're just truly just like putting your heart out there.

Yeah.

I guess so, Yeah, you're just letting people.

Know I'm just a regular old dude. I don't know.

I just what's the crazy thing this happened to you?

Now? Craziest thing? Yeah, I got to play a stadium show with Luke Colms and Zach Bryan, which was nuts.

Are you friends with them now?

I know Luke. I don't know Zach that well. I've met him a couple of times, but I don't know him too well. But he's always been nice to me.

So what was that. That's a good stadium show.

Yeah, no, kid, it was at Ohio State, which was awesome. I think it was thirty thousand when we went out and played. So that was the biggest show I think I've ever done.

Did you get nervous? You forget words? Do you? How do you feel that first moment?

Because I was nervous as can be.

I was more nervous shake your body shape?

Oh yeah I was. But like as soon as I walked out on the stage, I was like, it's just another show. I don't know how I could kick that on the audience. It does in a way. It's definitely bigger, and like, I don't know, you're not really prepared to see that many people and that far away. But I feel like it was just like, all right, this is your job. You know what you're doing when you come up here, go do it again.

When you have those kind of feelings, do you think to yourself like WHOA, this is a lot? Or like WHOA this is where I'm supposed to be.

I definitely think it's this is a lot. I definitely feel like I'm supposed to be there too, Like I know I earned my spot on that, but it was definitely something that was it was kind of crazy to like take all in, like when you walk out, because like I had walked on the stage and looked out without the people, like when we were sound checking, and then when you put the people in the seats, You're like, oh, this is real.

Yeah, yes, And isn't it crazy that you for that moment when you're on stage, you are controlling the entire audience. Yeah, like your one human vibe is controlling all those thousands of people's vibe.

That is a yeah, that's a wild, wild thing. And like you want to make sure that they're having the absolute best time in the world, and you don't want them to even like get up and go get another beer, Like you want to keep them that encapsulated. And that's a hard thing to do. I have so much respect for Luke who does it every night.

Good Lord, what do you think the secret is for making people encapsulated? I like that word.

I would say, putting now great songs, creating a fan base that is that loyal to you. You find those people that just eat, breathe and sleep your music, I guess, and be a real person. I think being a real person is very very much so not having an ego.

That's kind of tricky. Yeah, does your ego over flare up?

Uh? Yeah it did not too long ago. No flare it flared because we were going to Australia to play okay and I would not ride code. I would not. Yeah, I would not. It was a long freaking flight. I did not want to sit on a plane for twenty two hours and not be able to lay down. So, yeah, my ego flare up a little bit there?

What is your ego like? How does it show up? What does it for? How does it present itself?

Oh? My manager probably can take no more.

She's like, it's amazing.

I can be. I can be kind of stubborn. I think my stubbornness is my ego coming out. And uh, I'm kind of an asshole sometimes.

Well you're not. I can be, you can't.

I can be. Yeah, I don't mean to be, but.

Like when you're kind of done or cranky or.

Yeah, when I'm stressed out, maxed out.

Yeah, you're not going to be like sugarcoating it warms.

Yeah, no, definitely not. That's when I'm just kind of like very straight. But other than that, like I don't I don't feel like i'm too better straightforward? Yeah definitely right, Yeah, I mean I'll shoot you straight.

People aren't wondering what you're thinking. No, that's good. I mean it's better to know what someone is feeling than have to guess.

Yeah, I agree.

Is it interesting being like a CEO now in charge of a business and running operation?

That is, without a doubt, that is the weirdest. And if I could tell twenty one year old me, who hadn't figured this thing out yet, which I still got to figure it out, but who hadn't even didn't know what a publisher was when he started coming to Nashville that you have to be a CEO of a business at twenty six and you have all these people that are relying on you to make sure their paychecks get paid, and they have families and stuff like that they have

Yeah, you're all walking around your underwear, you know, you know what, everybody has to go to the bathroom. It's like you're so close on a bus. Yeah, oh yeah, there is most did you could ever be?

Yeah, there is no like escaping.

How do y'all make that work? Because that's like a lot of energy in one spot.

Good thing that we're all pretty close, Like we've been close forever, so we've we've gotten to the point now where if we're just like brothers, so we fight like brothers, love black brothers.

How do you take care of your mental health? Because I know on this album you talk about a lot of things like loss. Oh you talk about losing a friend too. You've got through some stuff and you talked about how you've worked on your mental health a lot. How have you worked on that? Cause I think that's so awesome someone young and a man especially that is willing to say this is important.

Yeah. I did porters call for a little while. Still, I got to porters call all the time.

I have for like ten years.

Yeah, they're freaking great.

Or just call for everyone listening. If you're an artist or the spouse of an artist. It is free therapy for artists because it is such a trying job on your mind, in your life and everything in your existence. You don't know what is happening. Importers call will like take artists in, don't doesn't charge them anything, get some therapy, get you in groups with other artists who are going through the same thing. It's phenomenal. Oh absolutely, I'm so glad you did that. I found it.

Yeah, And it was like, because I'm gone so much, I feel like I missed so much at home, which I don't want to miss at home because like my fiance, my doll now is at home and I miss them so much when I'm on the road.

Can she come with you?

She can't. Yeah.

She works. She's like a badass.

Yeah she's a badass. Yeah, she works her tail off.

Yeah she works, like Spotify or something.

Right, she sure does. Yeah, she's worked there for I think a year. But she is a very headstrong and very driven person, like which she knows what she wants and she goes and gets it.

That's awesome.

Yeah, I'm proud of her. So, like I just it was like tough for me to be on the road and miss home as much as I do. But I also am antsy when I'm home, Like I've I've been home for like two weeks and I'm getting like a little antsy. I'm like, I need to.

Get back on such a weird thing because it's like you don't you can't say it either. One too long. It's like a perfect dance.

Yeah, I feel like I'm not working when i'm home, Okay, even if I'm responding to people and like doing all the things that I have to do for their like a job. I guess it doesn't feel like a job, but it's a job. I feel like I'm not doing what I'm supposed to when I'm home.

So you feel guilty, Yeah.

Oh yeah, I feel guilty being home.

You don't allow yourself to relax.

Oh no, I will allow myself to relax. Don't get me wrong. I love delay on the couch. That's a that's a big like, that's where I can turn my mind off and just like chill out. I love watching movies. I get a lot of song titles and stuff from movies.

What are you kind of a chick flick kind of guy?

Definitely not no action hero. I love action movies. I'd say I love war movies.

You do, Yeah, Is that like calming for you?

No? I don't think it's.

Some people watch reality TV like that's your Housewives or the Housewives and be like, oh my god, this is so calming to see people in such chaos. Like I'm wondering if seeing people at war makes you feel like your life is calm, you know, because it's so wild up there.

I've never thought about it like that.

Why do you like war movies? Like just the whole Yeah.

I had family members that were that served, so it's just kind of like, I don't know. I can't tell you really. I just enjoy them that And I love like true crime stuff like podcasts and things like that. I have to figure I'd like to solve things, so I like really really dive into those and like think I'm a detective. If in another life.

I think I was a detective, get it right.

No, I think I was a bad detective. I get something right, I'd say, but I like to I like to have something to like keep my mind busy.

When did you know you needed to like start taking care of your mind?

In probably two years ago, I started getting going down the rabbit hole of like what like comparisons. Comparisons is like the biggest thief of joy, is what I've learned. And I think the comparison thing just started coming up. And I was looking a lot on Instagram and social media and when I shouldn't have been, and seeing other people get things that I wish I was getting, and

How did you? And then that's when you went to Forrest call Yeah, and it's like I need to talk this out.

Yeah. Well, I wrote quite a few songs. I wrote one called take Me Home, which is about the music business and got to let a lot of people have it in that song.

Was your big message from that song, get me the.

Health out of Nashville. I'm tired of this business. I want to go back home to Carolina.

It's hard. It's not for the faint of heart.

No, it's definitely not. It's a weird job. Like it's super weird, like sitting here doing a podcast, like, I'm not the person like I told you earlier. I am very soft spoken. I don't really talk too much.

And I feel like you're like a pro. I feel like this is your really fifteen thousand podcasts. You're so natural.

Oh I appreciate that drama best.

Yeah, you're just like you said, you're just a real person.

I try well.

And you've got a story people are interested in, like they really are, and you're got a heart to share it. I think that must be the match of it. You've got a heart to share a story that a lot of people relate to, and you're talking about things that people are going through, like the one about your friend. Was it your friend that said smaller that made me cry?

I didn't actually write smaller. But it came to me at a time when a family friend had passed and it it just it wrecked me. And so it was kind of a song for them.

And is that the first person close to you that have passed?

No, I have. I've lost quite a few people in my life. I lost my best friend when I was like ten years old, which was terrible. Magically, yeah, in a car accident. Oh man, I'm really just bringing the mood right up on this podcast.

Well you've taken this everhere. You took us to the number on your Instagram, and now we're going to swing the pendulum both ways, you know. Yeah, But I mean loss is a real part of life, you know, doubt without you learn that young. Okay, but that I said it so perfectly, like this town just got smaller. It's like in that the truth.

So when I when we lost this one, that song just kind of came at the perfect moment. I was like, I want to put this on the record because I want to I want songs. Like anytime I put a song on a record now, I feel like I want someone to be able to relate to it and like be able to have some kind of healing from it. And I feel like music is healing. It is to me, and if I can help somebody through music, then that's what I'll do.

So when you're just like sitting on the road in the bus by yourself and your thoughts, what are you thinking about?

Oh, I'm probably trying to I don't know what am I just thinking about. I'm usually thinking about what am I missing at home if I'm on the bus, and then when I'm on when i'm a home, I'm probably like, what am I missing on the road?

So you just need to combine the chip, Yeah, exactly, Yes.

Yes, I need just need to buy a second one and just live on it. Yes, I don't know about that.

Oh, I know it is. It's a weird. It's a weird struggle to get that balance right because I feel like once you do get the road in your system, you can never just fully be content at home, and then when you're at home it's just such a fine little dance.

Yeah, there's what's that Parker song park mccollumn on the road missing home? This is the road home or something like that, And I think that was a line, But that's it's a real thing. We sing it all the time on.

The bus because everybody feels that way.

Oh yeah, yeah, we all feel like we're not working if we're not out there.

So there's a lot So you have a lot of pressure on yourself.

I feel like it's probably not a good thing.

But do you feel like if you're not like constantly just like in the thought either carrying your career and your thoughts or carrying it by being on the road, that you just have to have the intensity of thinking about it all the time and like making sure you're key. I guess because there's so you have so much going on, you got to keep that energy up. Yeah, and if you ever let yourself down, maybe feel like you're letting it all go or something. I wonder what that is.

I don't know. It's probably got to keep going.

This is why it's so hard to be an artist and it's hard to be married in our just been the most beautiful thing ever. Tell me about your fiance. Why is she the one? What happened? And how did you know that you're going to find love again? That you bounce?

I remember it so vividly. I had met her. She used used to be She's Kaitlin, my manager's best friend.

Hey, I love that. That's fun.

Yeah, she introduced us, and uh, I remember it was like the third time that I had hung out with her. I called my mom. I was getting gassed and I was like, Mom, I think I just met my wife, And sure enough, it happened that way. She's I'm telling you the most amazing thing. She's the most selfless person that I've ever met in my life. She wants to do so much for others, and it inspires me, it really does.

How did you know? What was it?

I know? Shoot, it's just the way that she talks to me. She kind of keeps me grounded in a sense of like not being too hard on myself, or if I'm doing too lee or to too less. Yeah, too little there, that's the word I was looking for. Too little, or if I'm too much Like she she keeps me centered, and I feel like I need that and I do that. I feel like I do the same for her because she's always grinded and stuff.

It's beautiful. I'm so happy for you. I'm so happy for you. You have a you have a lot going on. There's a lot in your world, a lot of feelings that you're managing a lot of responsibilities, a lot of love, a lot of people.

Yeah, I'm sorry. I feel like I just made you put me through a therapy.

So I'm married to an artist. His name is Michael. He's in a Thousand Horses and he we have therapy sessions every night, and he's always like, can you please just like not have to have a therapy session. I'm like, well, you must have needed it because you married me, And this is what our conversations are. I need to know what you're feeling, why you're feeling, and what happened. Where was your trauma? Did we heal from it? Is there anything going on? We need to clear the air, just like.

Make sure that's a real thing. I feel like gets stored in.

Your body if you don't get this stuff out. And then I think it's so cool when you're an artist like yourself who's writing these really personal songs that you have gone through and things that have happened to you, then you share them and that it helps other people heal without.

A doubt, And that's that's the goal to me. Like, like I told you earlier, the fame and the money and all that can go with the wayside, but being able to help somebody through a song and being able to connect Like I have those songs for myself that are like when I hear them, like they take me to a certain time and a certain spot that I just can latch onto, And I want to be able to be that kind of artist for somebody else.

I love that. What's your ultimate goal? Where do you see the thing going? Where do you want it to go?

I think my goal was shifted lately. I'm not gonna lie.

I love a good shift.

I wanted to sell out stadiums and I still do, don't get me wrong, Like that was like my ultimate goal, But now I'm kind of I'm I think I'm finding my artistry more and I think I want to be an artist that other artists can look up to in a sense of like musically. I don't know that sounds very egotistical.

Maybe you just want to have something really important to say, like when you put something.

Out from me, there's like the Chris Stapleton's Eric church Is Jason Isabel, Like those are the guys that I'm like, man, these.

Are they're really crafted?

Yeah they're crafted.

Yeah, Yeah, they're not just chasing a quick hit. They're really like crafting their art exactly.

And I think that's kind of the goal for me. I want to I want to have something to say. I want to be a true artist and really being meticulous about the songs on my record, the people that I bring out on the road. Yeah.

I feel that. I really. When I was listening to your stuff, I was like, man, you are so good, and like people are calling you like the best country voice of this generation or something. That's a big title.

That is a very big title, I know, but.

I mean, you really do have that kind of voice. It is so good.

Thank you so much.

Well, thank you so much for coming on. I'm gonna wrap up with one question. Will you stick around for a few burning questions? Yeah, okay, great. I always wrap and leave your light and it's open ended. What do you want people to know?

What do I want people to know?

Just opening Yeah, just a little inspiration maybe, Oh, let's.

See a little inspiration. I'm not good to give an inspiration first day.

That not the first day that comes to mind.

Not. Uh, you don't need hatty bees today, That's what I'm telling myself. So I guess that's.

There is It will make you feel so good. Maybe burn your mouth, but but besides that, it'll be great. Thank you so much for coming on. I really appreciate it. I'm so happy for you, and I'm so happy just to see what a great artist you are. Like, you really are contributing in such a powerful positive way and it's so genuine and I could feel that, and it's so exciting to watch you appreciate it. Thanks so good luck with everything. It's gonna be awesome.