Who Is Drew Green? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music
Who is Drew Green? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about his journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…
“You just gotta chase your gut. A dream is a gut feeling. So I think that’s really why you can’t explain it.”
This week we are featuring a new Sony Music Nashville signee, Drew Green as a Swag Spotlight Artist. Although new to the artist side of things, Green possesses the talent, determination, and the skills needed to make it in this tough industry.
Born and raised on a tree farm in a town called McMinnville in Middle Tennessee, Green reminisces about what it was like riding on a tractor with his father at a young age. “I just listened to my headphones all day long,” he laughs, “I have a pretty eclectic taste in music, but I listened to a lot of country, that’s my roots, a lot of Alan Jackson, a lot of Sammy Kershaw.”
Those early influences kept the budding singer-songwriter on the trajectory towards music. He started singing and writing music in high school and played shows in college while working towards obtaining a finance degree. With no real plan to pursue music, Green was discovered by a man named Steve Smith who just so happened to own one of the biggest bars in Music City, Tootsies World Famous Orchid Lounge. Green took the invitation and ended up playing at the Nashville spot for 6 months, honing his entertainer side.
Eventually, the singer started to pursue a “normal” life, leaving performing to go work at a bank for two years with his wife by his side; however, music was still in his blood. He continued to write and craft his songwriting ability but knew something was missing. “I realized I had been writing a whole lot and kind of missed playing live, so I called up Tootsies and they remembered me, and they gave me like the best gig ever [that night],” adding, “I played there four nights a week […] and I wrote songs every day.”
With over a thousand songs to his name, Green has really solidified himself as a prolific songwriter in the industry, even landing a publishing deal after Florida Georgia Line cut his song “Colorado.” As fate would have it, there were even bigger plans in store for Green. After a meeting with Brett James, James told Green, “I think you’re ready for a record deal.”
Ultimately the singer signed with Sony Music Nashville, and since then has released two songs under the label, “Little More Be Alright” and “Right Where I Be.” The former was inspired by a buddy from back home in a simple conversation about wanting something that you didn’t necessarily need. During a write the song just kind of fell into place and became the most perfect storytelling song. “I just starting spitting out stuff. A little more would be better of money in the bank […] We kinda wrote all the verses first and then the chorus,” he tells us, “About 4 hours into the write, it hit us about how good that timeline was.”
On the other hand, “Right Where I Be” showcases Green’s more urban influences, such as rap star and producer Dr. Dre. “There’s a lot of stuff that I really, really like that is pretty ahead and that was one of them,” he shared, “I wrote that song and I was obsessed with it the day I wrote it and I knew it was really good.” The song was eventually transformed into his debut music video, which was exactly like Green has pictured.
Although each song showcases a different side of his artistry, it is clear that Green has found his sound and his style within his music. “Songwriting by far helped me more than anything. I wouldn’t have found myself as an artist and what my sound should be if I hadn’t written a 1000 songs before I found it.”
Fans can definitely expect more new music coming from Green before 2020 is up. We are sure whatever he released will be innovative, inspiring, and most importantly, true to him. Make sure to keep Drew Green on your radar because he is primed for much success!
To keep up with Drew Green follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
“Little More Be Alright” and “Right Where I Be” are now available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music here on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.