Last night (3/25), the NYCountry Swag team headed to Beckett’s Bar & Grill in downtown Manhattan to listen to rising country artist and one of New York Country Swag’s 2019 Artists to Watch, Brandon Ratcliff performed an intimate set for Sofar Sounds. This marks the second time, we’ve been able to witness the singer-songwriter’s talents with the first time being back in February, during Country Radio Seminar.
Ratcliff’s performance was part of a string of ‘Sofar Sounds’ shows that he participated in, sharing that NYC was his second to last show. A ‘Sofar’ gig is a unique show held at different venues, fans sit on the floor surrounding the artist and listen to each act play three to four songs. Most times, the crowd doesn’t know in advance which acts are performing that night, giving the rising artist a chance to organically garner fans and to interact with audiences in cities across the globe.
After a quick introduction by the emcee, the Monument Records recording artist got right into his acoustic set, performing his first unreleased song “Sometimes, Always, Never You,” with help from two band members. The catchy country and R&B infused jam resonated well with the audience, who were all swaying to the beat of the track. After the song, Ratcliff showed off his humble and vivacious personality, introducing his family and friends who were present, as well as, sharing his journey as a singer and a songwriter.
Ratcliff shared that he moved to Nashville from a small-town in Louisiana, four years ago, where he met fellow songwriters Pete Good and AJ Babcock. Read more about his backstory here in our Swag Spotlight interview. The three formed an undeniable relationship and got busy writing each and every song off his debut album, slated for release sometime later this year.
The Swag Spotlight alum continued his performance, singing the most recent song he has released, “Number in My Phone.” Excited to share this song, Ratcliff exclaimed “This song is one of my favorites off the record because I love writing about relationships because I think it’s something that we can all relate to,” adding, “Relationships are some of the most important in our lives.”
Ratcliff went on to sing his next unreleased song, “Slow Down, Hometown.” The ballad was truly touching and showed off the singer’s artistry and songwriting skills. He shared, “So I kinda wrote this song almost as a love letter to my hometown. I know you gotta move on, I know there’s a new set of kids coming up in this town, but just for a small time, while we’re here, in this moment, can we be who we were when you were my hometown?!” Adding later, that fellow musician, and one of his family friends, Alison Krauss lent her voice to this record.
Ratcliff closed out his show with the first song he ever released publicly, announcing that the song will go to country radio next month as his first single. The track already has over 20 million streams and counting and is sure to be a hit on the radio. “This song is super special because it’s kinda the catalyst that started this whole record. […] “Rules” really was just the song that was about the one relationship that made you want to break all those rules. This song’s called “Rules of Breaking Up”.”
Brandon Ratcliff with Contributing Writers Danielle, Nicole and Erica with Managing Editor, Christina and Founder, Stephanie.
At the end of his 20-minute set, Ratcliff took some time to answer some personal questions from fans, including how he met his wife and of course, sharing his upcoming tour plans. The artist will accompany fellow country stars, Kelsea Ballerini and Brett Young this spring on the ‘Miss Me More Tour.’ For more information and dates head to brandonratcliff.com
To keep up with Ratcliff, follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
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