Who is Chase McDaniel? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music
Who is Chase McDaniel? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about his journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…
Chase McDaniel // Photo credit: R. Stevens
Quick Facts:
Full Name – Peyton Chase McDaniel
Birthdate – 06/22
Hometown – Greensburg, Kentucky
Current City – Nashville, Tennessee
Musical Influences – Josh Turner, Randy Travis, AC/DC, Eminem
Label – Big Machine Records
Current Single – “Heart Still Works” (as of date of article 8/19/24)
The Beginning:
Today’s spotlight artist is Big Machine Records recording artist, Chase McDaniel. McDaniel is the real deal in country music. He brings his unique rock-country flavor to each of his songs, while infusing his own authentic flair and honesty into each and every song. We chatted with the singer-songwriter about his relentless grit, his journey, and his new music.
“I grew up in a small-town called Greensburg, Kentucky, two hours north of Nashville. Bit of a rough start, but always had a dream of country music,” began McDaniel. “I had two sets of grandparents that were musically inclined. One of them was a pastor of a small church and he played bass in a gospel group, and he taught me how to sing. My other Papaw was just obsessed with country music, it was his first love, and he would show me videos of George Jones at the Grand Ole Opry and Ricky Skaggs, and he gave me my first CD which was Josh Turner’s Long Black Train. I fell in love with country music kind of through a family connection.”
McDaniel recalls playing that Josh Turner album over and over again throughout his childhood. “Music was a form of connection. My Dad was an addict growing up and living with my mom, we were just super poor,” he shared. “You kind of combine some of the worst aspects of that, I was kind of put into a place, where things weren’t great, so I would take that Josh Turner CD, my headphones, and hide in my bedroom, and listen to it for hours, and that was kind of my escape, and then shortly after that I traded a pack of Yu-Gi-Oh cards for an AC/DC record in like 4th grade, and so rock music became induced into my veins, and shortly after that it was Eminem, and music was what got my back.”
At fifteen years old, McDaniel got his first guitar and writing music became a therapeutic release that I fell in love with. “It’s always been an instinct of mine to put the things I’ve been through, put the things I’m feeling into music and it’s been there for me, when I needed a way to communicate, and I didn’t have anyway else to say it.”
The Turning Point:
Despite knowing that country music was his path, McDaniel went to college for a little bit to appease his grandparents, who raised him. “I was obsessed with music. I would be in my room, playing my guitar or skipping my 8AM. playing Call of Duty.” Shortly there after, McDaniel decided to follow his heart and made the move to Nashville in 2016 to chase his dreams.
“It was all I could think about. I didn’t know what or why, but it felt like my compass was pointing towards Nashville, so I got a U-Haul trailer, threw everything I had into that, didn’t have anywhere to sleep for the first few weeks, I just knew I had to be here, so I crashed with friends, until I found a job.”
While in Nashville, the singer worked at least two jobs and spent every waking moment and dollar writing and recording music. In 2020, his dream halted when he lost both of his jobs and could no longer afford to pay his rent. “I’ve always had a couple of jobs, and then 2020 hit and everybody lost their jobs, including me, I lost both jobs, so July comes around, and I’m broke, and we’re having a party at my house, and I’m kind of realizing that this is probably the last time I’ll be in Nashville because I can’t afford rent. […] Then a buddy of mine came outside, while I was super emotional, and offered me enough money to pay my rent, and we fought on it, and eventually I accepted the offer, and the next day I got a job.”
With a new lease on life, McDaniel worked even harder to pursue his dream. “Everyday of the week I worked, double shifts, sleeping three hours a night, and going back up to the studio and just writing. I felt like I had a second chance, and once that second chance hit me, I hit a new gear, it was like a new gear I didn’t even know I had.” His hard work paid off and luck was finally on his side, when he got the attention of Big Machine Records because of social media, and subsequently signed his record deal.
“I just grinded, and then 2022 came along, and I had been posting on social media for a decade with no luck, and then all of a sudden luck. […] I’ve been doing this thing consistently for a long time, and then all of a sudden it was just working and I couldn’t explain it. After that I started playing a bunch of shows regionally, met an incredible agent, and then partnered with Big Machine Records.”
Today:
Flash forward to today, McDaniel is living his dream of being a country singer-songwriter. With songs like “Project” and “Your Daughter” previously released that showcase the singer’s different sides and new music coming out soon, McDaniel shows no signs of slowing down.
Most recently, the singer-songwriter released a brand new song called “Heart Still Works.” “I think there were elements of a pop-punk attitude in my lyrics and a little bit of a sound [in my other work] and I think “Heart Still Works” ups the ante a little bit with the guitar and drums. I was heavily influenced by the era because it was a time when my Dad was sober and I lived with him and I was around him from about 9-10 years old, and all he listened to was pop-rock radio,” shared McDaniel, adding, “That year just heavily influenced and just the attitude of that error, and I wanted to share bigger ideas into my music that maybe haven’t been said in country music before and I think rock has such a rich history of that, but also I’m a storyteller, and I don’t know how to write anything other than a country song.”
“Heart Still Works” is a true anthem for anyone who needs a reminder that their grief is valid, as well as, that it is better to feel the live feeling numb. “I was in an elevator one day, and I think song ideas are just like gifts, I’ve never really forced a song idea to life that was a great song, you just kind of have to live life and be open to when an idea comes, and I was in the elevator and it hit me, my heart still works, and it’s kind of wild to think it sometimes because I spent so long being numb to everything,” shared the singer. “I just wanted to try to bring that story to life but also make it redemptive and anthem for people that need to be reminded of something like that.”
Stay tuned for more incredible music coming down the pipeline soon!
Connect:
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Chase McDaniel’ 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.