Who Is Trey Pendley? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music
Who is Trey Pendley? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about his journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…
Trey Pendley // Photo credit: Natalie Osborne
Quick Facts:
Birthdate – 01/04/2000
Hometown – Toad Suck, Arkansas
Current city – Nashville, Tennessee
Musical influences – Merle Haggard, Ozzy Osborne, Lynyrd Skynyrd
Label – Leo33
Today’s artist represents the true definition of the word artist. Rising star, Trey Pendley writes about what he knows and shares his heart with his fans through his gritty and honest music. We chatted with the singer-songwriter about his story, his brand new project, Podunk, and everything in between.
“I grew up in a little town of 200 in Arkansas in a town called Toad Suck, Arkansas, which I learned when I left how funny that is,” began the singer. “I was alone quite a bit in a town surrounded by old men, my grandfather and his buddies. I always say that I was baptized in music. There was just so much music going on all the time. There were like four radio station playing and I would soak in all of it.”
For Pendley, music was a lifeline, a friend, and a way to process everything in his life. “Music got me through all those times of being alone and I guess hearing stories my grandpa and my buddies would tell, and I picked up on all of those. I started writing music pretty young. I feel like I’m doing the same thing now that I was doing then, try to keep my head down and think of all the things that old people like to talk about.”
He recalls falling in love with music from an early age, coining artists like Merle Haggard and even Ozzy Osborne as some of his favorites. “It was definitely overwhelming older country, Merle Haggard and George Jones. But then again, my dad was playing Eazy-E and Mötley Crüe. I feel like I would listen to good music. I think our genre was good music,” he shared, adding, “Merle Haggard was probably my favorite when I started out, I loved his storytelling even Blaze Foley. I liked the sorrow stuff that was real and deeper than just beer type of country you know. Later on, when Chris Stapleton came around and it was insane sounding and insane writing too.”
The Turning Point:
Pendley grew up surrounded by hardworking men that would work themselves to the bone, a path he also originally saw for himself. “The people I was raised around, it was kind of like to be a good man, you had to be miserable and put yourself last, and all that stuff. My dad too was that kind of man, and once they realized I could do this, they heard it one day and dug into it a little more, and it turned into my dad and mom trying to push me in this direction. I feel like even the start of doing it as a career was from them forcing me to, which I love.”
Because of the support of his family, Pendley started to see a career in music as a path for him. “I still battle that some days, that hardworking man stuff. I can do that, and I’m actually really good at that, and sometimes I want to do that in a way, but then again, I also have a family and I want them to be taken care of way better than that. I also have a lot more to say than I used to.”
Despite the internal battle, Pendley has planted himself firmly in the music industry, even securing himself a record deal with Leo33. “When I was young and going through some stuff in my life, writing music was a release in a way that connects people,” he shared. “I’m thankful for everything I been through in my life, even the bad stuff, and there’s been plenty of both good and bad stuff in my life. Everyday it makes me more of who I am, and it’s all honest. One of my goals is to spread the message that our life is what makes us, regardless of what cards we are dealt.
Today:
Flash forward to today, Pendley officially releases his debut EP, Podunk. The record features six songs that speak to the singer-songwriter’s talent and story as a human and as an artist. Each song showcases different stories and experiences that the singer has been through – all equally as important as the next.
“I was writing a whole lot. There’s all types of things I want to write about, but I don’t know how, so I just write about what I know. This EP is really where we’re at now, where we’ve been for a while, and where we are going. It covers the good and the bad and the in-between. It’s such a great little project,” shared the singer.
While the title track and “Like A River” are also incredible songs, currently Pendley finds himself loving the song, “The Dog.” The track speaks to the authenticity of his songwriting in the most prolific way, all while still being an enjoyable song to listen to. “That one is a lot closer to right now than anything else because we kinda go back and forth where we’re doing alright for ourselves and still getting t know this career we’re starting. We go up and down, but I’m such a dreamer that when things go up a little bit, it’s probably my fault that it goes down because I get so excited, and I go get my wife or my kid something, and we’re always out of dog food. It doesn’t matter how much we made this month or how much we’re going to make next, we’re always going to be out of dog food.”
The release of the Podunk EP marks just the beginning for Pendley, who is planning to release even more music and play as many shows as possible in 2026. He said it best at the end of our interview: “Keep your eyes open because there’s probably a whole lot that we don’t know yet coming.” Stay tuned!
Connect:
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Trey Pendley’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.
