The CountryLine Songwriter Series with Brett Young

12/11/23 • 12 min

'The CountryLine Songwriter Series', is where you'll hear from some of the most successful artists and songwriters working in Nashville today. Country music is all about storytelling and this is where you'll discover the stories from the people themselves of how they managed to find their way into such a competitive industry and rise to the top. What motivates and inspires them and what they've learnt along the way.

Brett Young was born and raised in Orange County, California, and was a teenager when he first developed a love for music and learned to play guitar. His main interest though was baseball, and he was being scouted by the majors during his high school days, but his baseball career came to an end in college when a serious elbow injury spoiled his pitching arm, and he began exploring music again. Influenced by Gavin DeGraw, Young began writing songs and making use of his rich, soulful voice. By 2007, he was appearing regularly at California listening rooms, and he'd released his first record, a self-titled EP. In 2011, Young released a second independent effort, “Make Believe”, and “On Fire”, followed in 2013. After Young's first decade in the business, he'd appeared at some of California's most prestigious venues, including the Troubadour, the Roxy, and the Viper Room, and had opened for the likes of Colbie Caillat and Katy Perry.

As Young began bringing forward the country-influenced side of his music, he left California for Nashville and celebrated the move with an EP titled “Country in California”. Young's new sound attracted the attention of the powerful Nashville-based label Big Machine Label Group, which signed him to a record deal. Young's debut for the label, a six-song EP titled “Brett Young”, was released in February 2016. His single "Sleep Without You", fared well on both the country and pop charts, reaching number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100. Another hit, "In Case You Didn't Know”, followed before the release of his full-length Big Machine debut in February 2017. The album hit number two on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, eventually going platinum.

This is Brett Young in conversation with Stuart Banford.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Brett Young in conversation with Stuart Banford.

· Live shows from the biggest names in country

· Interviews with our favourite artists

· News and gossip direct from music city itself

· Movies; TV shows

· Access to country music’s legends and the stars of tomorrow

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

The CountryLine Songwriter Series with Hardy

Hailing from Philadelphia, Mississippi, Hardy was born Michael Hardy. He headed to Nashville in the early 2010s with the intention of breaking into the country music industry. First, he attended Middle Tennessee State University as a student in their Recording Industry Management program; he wound up graduating with a degree in songwriting from the college. While he was studying, he self-released an EP called “Redneck Recipe”, in 2013; he also posted his songs to the Internet.

Hardy landed his first charting hit with "Up Down”, a song he co-wrote with Brad Clawson and CJ Solar. Morgan Wallen recorded it with the support of Florida Georgia Line, taking it to number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart after its November 2017 release. Things began to happen swiftly for Hardy after that. FGL recorded "Simple" -- a tune Hardy wrote with the duo, along with Mark Holman.

“This Ole Boy”, Hardy's debut EP, was produced by Joey Moi -- the producer behind FGL's hits -- and was issued in October 2018. “Where to Find Me”, arrived on its heels in January 2019. September brought the release of “Hixtape, Vol. 1”, a country variation on a hip-hop mixtape featuring cameos by Cole Swindell, Morgan Wallen, and Thomas Rhett. "One Beer”, a single pulled from “Hixtape, Vol. 1”, featuring Lauren Alaina and Devin Dawson, became Hardy's first Country Airplay single in 2020, leading to its appearance on “A Rock”, Hardy's debut full-length album. Arriving in September 2020, “A Rock”, also featured the hit "Give Heaven Some Hell”, which reached 11 on Country Airplay in 2021.

In 2021, Hardy appeared on the Dierks Bentley single "Beers on Me", and Brantley Gilbert's "The Worst Country Song of All Time". On his own, he released “Hixtape, Vol. 2”, and a cover of Puddle of Mudd's "Blurry”, telegraphing his move toward hard rock in 2022, a transition marked by the Billboard Hard Rock chart-topper "Sold Out”. Despite his rock success, Hardy also concentrated on the country market, reaching the Country Airplay Top Ten with the Lainey Wilson collaboration "Wait in the Truck”. He brought these two musical personalities together on the 2023 double album “The Mockingbird & the Crow”; the former represented his country side, the latter his rock personality. Upon its release, Hardy chatted with Stuart Banford.

· Live shows from the biggest names in country

· Interviews with our favourite artists

· News and gossip direct from music city itself

· Movies; TV shows

· Access to country music’s legends and the stars of tomorrow

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

The CountryLine Songwriter Series with Eric Church

Eric Church grew up in Granite Falls, North Carolina, and began singing as a child. At 13, he started writing songs, later teaching himself to play guitar. After graduating with a degree in marketing, he moved to Nashville to pursue a career in country music. It took him a year to get a publishing deal with Sony/ATV, after which he started having his songs recorded by other artists, an example being Terri Clark's version of "The World Needs a Drink”, Church met producer Jay Joyce, who took an interest in him as a recording artist, and they began making demos. That led to his being signed by Capitol Records Nashville.

Church's debut single, "How 'Bout You”, was released in early 2006, and it had reached the country Top 20 by the time Capitol issued his first album, “Sinners Like Me”, in July 2006. The record was both a critical and commercial success, and he followed it up with “Carolina”, in 2009, which swung for the contemporary country fences and hit them, scoring two Top Ten singles on the country charts with "Love Your Love the Most", (certified gold) and "Hell on the Heart”, In 2010, Church scored another gold single with "Smoke a Little Smoke”, and he won Top New Solo Vocalist at the Academy of Country Music Awards for that calendar year.

“Chief”, was Church's major breakout album: upon its July 2011 release, it debuted at number one on both the Billboard 200 and the Top Country Albums chart. Soon afterward, "Drink in My Hand", climbed to the top of the country charts, becoming Church's first number one single. Its popularity was eclipsed in the summer of 2012 by "Springsteen”, a ballad that also reached number one on the country charts but additionally crossed over to the pop Top 20. Two other singles were pulled from “Chief”, -- "Creepin'", and "Like Jesus Does", -- and the LP won Album of the Year at the 2012 CMA Awards. Chief also earned him his first Grammy nominations, for Best Country Album as well as Best Country Song and Solo Performance for "Springsteen”.

The Outsiders arrived after considerable anticipation and acclaim in February 2014 and became his second album to hit number one on both the country and overall charts. The Outsiders racked up five hit singles -- the biggest were the ballads "Give Me Back My Hometown", and "Talladega”, both of which reached number one on Billboard's U.S. Country Airplay chart -- and while "Like a Wrecking Ball”, remained on the charts, Church released a brand-new full-length album, “Mr. Misunderstood”, as a surprise in the first week of November 2015. “Mr. Misunderstood”, debuted at number two on Billboard's Top 200 and country charts, eventually earning a gold certification and winning CMA's Album of the Year in 2016. It was around this time he chatted with Stuart Banford.

· Live shows from the biggest names in country

· Interviews with our favourite artists

· News and gossip direct from music city itself

· Movies; TV shows

· Access to country music’s legends and the stars of tomorrow

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.