With new album out soon, country star has already ‘got ideas' for next one
'We had room on this album for some love songs, but no dad songs or baby songs,' the 41-year-old, who will welcome his first daughter with his wife, Courtney Little, in August, told MassLive.
'I can already tell you I've got ideas in my phone ready to write those, and I feel pretty confident the next project will definitely have some songs about my little girl and just being a dad,' Swindell said. 'The pressure of writing my wedding song was a lot, but writing a song for my little girl is going to be next level.'
When Swindell isn't singing or writing songs, he is usually playing golf just outside his Nashville home. The musician recognizes that once his daughter arrives, he may be spending more time in the nursery than on the course.
But before Swindell trades in his golf clubs for baby bottles, the singer will celebrate the release of his fifth album 'Spanish Moss' on Friday, June 27. The album's release date coincides with a stretch of summer shows, including one at Indian Ranch in Webster on Sunday, June 15.
After returning from Cody Johnson's Australian and New Zealand shows in March, Swindell is ready to 'kick off the summer in one of my favorite areas in the country.'
'I definitely love Mass. I just love the area,' Swindell said, adding the energy he gets from the state's crowds is 'just unmatched every time.'
'Mass. has always been good to me, so it's going to be cool to play some of these songs for the first time up there,' he said.
A Georgia native, Swindell burst onto the country music scene with his 2013 multi-platinum song 'Chillin It.' The hit single topped the U.S. Country Songs chart before Swindell's platinum-certified, self-titled debut album arrived in February 2014.
The singer saw further success with the hits 'Ain't Worth The Whiskey' and 'Let Me See Ya Girl,' which charted at No. 1 and No. 2 on the U.S Country Airplay Chart, respectively. Swindell rounded out a whirlwind of a year when he won the ACM New Artist of the Year Award in April 2015.
As Swindell's career progressed, he tapped into his songwriter abilities by crafting more emotional ballads such as 'You Should Be Here,' 'Middle of a Memory' and 'Break Up In The End.' The tracks — all of which charted and were certified at least double platinum — appeared on Swindell's second and third albums, 'You Should Be Here' and 'All of It,' respectively.
'As a songwriter, this is kind of how I get to tell my story and things I've been through or going through, or whatever that may be,' Swindell said of his deeper cuts. 'For a guy like me that puts my feelings on paper and out to the world, I just think there's going to be a lot of people out there that are going to already know exactly how it feels.'
By April 2022, Swindell had released his fourth album, 'Stereotype.' The project contained the powerhouse hit 'Never Say Never' with Lainey Wilson and the Top 40 smash 'She Had Me At Heads Carolina.' The track won Swindell three ACM Awards in 2023 and remained in the Top 5 at country radio for 23 consecutive weeks. Overall, Swindell has racked up 13 No. 1 singles as an artist and 14 as a songwriter in the 11 years since his debut on Warner Music Nashville.
He returned with the heartfelt 'Forever To Me' in April 2024, which served as the lead single for 'Spanish Moss.' In addition to 'Forever To Me,' Swindell has already released seven racks from the upcoming project, including the title track, 'Bottom of It,' 'Dirty Dancing,' 'Kill A Prayer,' 'One Day' and 'We Can Always Move On.'
The latter, which is actually Swindell's wife's favorite on the album, is about taking advantage of the time couples have together before calling it quits.
'I just thought the angle of that was unique,' Swindell said. 'It definitely, I think, grabs you at the very beginning and doesn't let you go. It's a jam for sure and I hope it's a lot of people's favorite song this summer.'
With 21 tracks, 'Spanish Moss' is Swindell's longest project to date. The album is mostly inspired by Swindell getting engaged and marrying his wife over the past two years. The couple formally announced in March that they were expecting their first child. All these life happenings brought the musician back to crafting emotional songs that make up a majority of the tracks on 'Spanish Moss,' even those inspired by less joyous times.
'[While] I'm in this season of my life — one year married, a kid on the way — that doesn't erase the fact of my past and the tough things I've been through whether it's relationship-wise or whatever,' Swindell said. 'To be able to sing about where I'm right now and kind of where I've been, I think is what's important about this album and I think it's going to be something that people can relate to.'
Swindell is mostly excited to play these songs — new and old — live given all he has been through recently. He is especially looking forward to performing in front of crowds who are 'passionate about everything in life,' specifically those in Massachusetts.
'If I'm going to be anywhere playing a show, I'm excited that it's up there,' Swindell said.
Once he wraps up his summer shows, Swindell will officially embark on his 'Happy Hour Sad Tour' on Sept. 4. The tour will include 20 shows and feature supporting acts Priscilla Block, Logan Crosby and Greylan James.
Tickets for the tour can be found on Swindell's website.
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Read the original article on MassLive.
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