Drew Parker joined us to chat about his debut single “While You’re Gone” which impacted country radio earlier this week. Additionally, the singer-songwriter dropped the official music video for the track.
Singer-songwriter Drew Parker is making quite the name for himself this past year. We first interviewed the budding artist back in November and got the chance to catch up with him again earlier this week. Following the release of his EP While You’re Gone, the title track was sent to country radio just a few days ago marking his radio debut as an artist and today, Parker drops the official music video.
The “While You’re Gone” music video is just as great as the song. Parker shows off his personality, twisting the original narrative of the song for some comedic relief. “This song to me is a sad country song about a guy who’s missing someone that he really cared about,” Parker tells us. “I’m heavily influenced by 90s country music. I feel like it has that comical element that songs back in the day kinda had at times.”
Leaning into that comedic element, the singer flips the script. The music video is about a man missing his dog rather than his ex. “What better way to do that, then really show – ‘this guy’s not mad about the girl, but really sad that she took the dog’,” shares Parker during our conversation.
Fans of Parker will appreciate his nod to the 90s with the music video! “While You’re Gone” is officially Parker’s debut radio single, so we encourage fans to request it at their local radio stations too!
“To really get to show my little girl that you can chase your dreams, nothing is impossible. I think that’s kinda special for me that all of this has kinda happened in her first year of life,” shared Parker, as he reflected on his first radio single as an artist.
Additionally, Parker’s co-write with Luke Combs’, “Forever After All” is well on its way to officially claiming the top spot on country radio next week. It’s safe to say that Drew Parker is a name you’re going to want to remember!
Drew Parker ‘While You’re Gone’
Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about upcoming Drew Parker announcements and releases.
“While You’re Gone” 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.
https://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/drew-parker-while-your-gone-video.jpg6301200Erica Zismanhttp://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/logo-new-cs-white.pngErica Zisman2021-05-28 19:10:552021-05-28 19:10:55Drew Parker Chats Abouts His First Radio Single + New Music Video Drop
Country music is full of talented artists that are on the brink of breaking through to the mainstream scene. Singer-songwriter and our Swag Spotlight this week, Drew Parker is one of the talented writers behind hits for superstar Luke Combs and Jake Owen, but 2020 has been all about establishing himself as his own artist.
Drew Parker
Growing up in Covington, Georgia, Parker found music in church at the age of six. That early love of music created a desire in him to sing even more. “Around the age of 12, I wanted to do more with it,” he shared, talking about emulating the gospel choirs in his church, “I kind of asked my parents how do I do what they do and travel around and sing at different churches.” With his parents support, the singer sang at different churches throughout his adolescence.
Parker’s love of music continued to evolve as he got older. He decided that he really wanted to start singing country music, a genre he grew up on. “I had always been a fan of country music, I mean that’s all I listened to growing up was country music, but around the age of eighteen was when I stared wanting to sing country music myself.” Raised on 90s country music like Keith Whitley, Brooks & Dunn, Travis Tritt, and Alan Jackson, Parker always found himself drawn to great singers and strong voices.
With a desire to sing in his heart, the entertainer started out a local pizza place. After singing at an open mic night, the owner asked him to come back and put together a full show for the audience. “I hired a guitar player and we learned three hours of country cover songs’ and that’s kind of where it all started for me,” he reminisced.
After taking a slight detour, heading off to college to follow a more “typical” track , Parker realized his heart was still in country music. “When I turned about 21, I realized ‘hey man, if you don’t pack up your stuff and move you’re not going to,’” he explained, “And I didn’t want to wake up in 30 years and ask myself what if I had done this.” This propelled the newcomer to find a job at a hospital at night and make the big move to Nashville.
Upon moving to music city, Parker’s goal was to be a singer, but he soon realized that song-writing was also a part of the fabric of his soul. “Songwriting wasn’t a gift I realized that I had until I had already moved to Nashville,” he shared, “I kind of found it once I got here. And to this day, I’m still learning and building on that craft and learning more about it each and every day.”
Parker now has been a Nashville resident for five years, and it is safe to say that his talent for singing and songwriting has not gone unnoticed. “It’s been awesome,” he exclaimed when asked about his journey so far, “When I write songs, I never go in with the intention of trying to write for myself or a specific artist, I just go in writing the best song I can write, whatever that may be.”
Clearly many of those songs have resonated with other artists, but Parker’s recently released debut EP While You’re Gone features the songs that have resonated the most with him. “It’s just a group of songs that I have been sitting on a while,” he began, “They were songs that never got old to me. They were songs that I always wanted to listen to. They stood the test of time from when I wrote them to when we went in to record them.” He later added that if he felt this way about his own music that hopefully fans would too.
Parker’s lead single from the EP, the title track, “When You’re Gone,” is just one of the several songs that speaks volumes to his talent as a vocalist and as a songwriter. Written with fellow singer-songwriter Jameson Rodgers, the single pays homage to the 90s country music that the two grew up on, reminding us all of the great story-telling in the genre. “I think that day, we both talked about, let’s write something to kind of tip our hats to our folks back in the 90s and those songs. Let’s write a story song,” Parker declared.
Fans can expect more music coming down the pipeline from Parker soon. He continues to hone his craft and wants to deliver content as quick as he can to his growing audience. Of course, when shows come back, the singer-songwriter will also get back on the road with Luke Combs. The future is looking bright for the rising artist!
Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about future Drew Parker releases.
While You’re Gone EP is 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.
The Hero Collection by NYCountry Swag is inspired by the men and women of the Fire, Police and Military Departments across the country. A portion of sales from each purchase is donated to different foundations that support our heroes. We are dedicated to honoring their service and remembering their sacrifice.
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Subscribe to our Weekly Round-Up here
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https://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/drew-parker-swag-spotlight.jpg6301200Erica Zismanhttp://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/logo-new-cs-white.pngErica Zisman2020-11-09 22:09:412020-11-10 12:59:46Who Is Drew Parker? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music
Drew Parker’s songs on While You’re Gone formally introduce listeners to the artist through a full collection of music. Learn more about the project below.
After four single releases that led up to this highly-anticipated project, Drew Parker has officially released While You’re Gone. In fact, this EP comes just seven days shy of the one year anniversary of the first single, “Party in the Back”, that introduced this new chapter of music. Now, the fourth track on the setlist that was linguistically created by the artist himself along with Ray Fulcher and Thomas Archer, is joined with some of the best productions that traditional country music has to offer with a wide range of emotions in tow.
“Party in the Back” is playful and clever for the recognition of Billy Ray Cyrus’ 1992 hit “Achy Breaky Heart” and calling attention to his mullet of the decade. While others, such as “I Was Lying” that acted as the second single release to tease this collection, touched on a softer side. This one, written by Adam Craig and Parker, denotes a scenario in which lying through a breakup is easier than facing the truth.
The title track “While You’re Gone”, is more of a broad, outsider’s perspective of a recent goodbye while the story in “I Was Lying”, sums up this versatile project in a simple way by showcasing all sides of the artist in one take. There’s rough-edged vocals as well as vulnerable notes incorporated throughout. And, the strength from this Georgia musician is generously portrayed through the EP. While You’re Gone is a promising, exciting displayal of growth and maturity from Parker. Each cut is as successfully executed as the next.
As the newest SiriusXM “Highway Find” artist, Parker sets the bar high for upcoming country acts. With an incredibly honest song “The Runway”, that ended up being a premature tribute for his now 6-month old daughter, and all adjoining numbers, While You’re Gone provides listeners with the idea that country music has another breakthrough artist in their midst.
Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about future Chris Stapleton releases.
While You’re Gone is now available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more 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.
The Hero Collectionby NYCountry Swag is inspired by the men and women of the Fire, Police and Military Departments across the country. Specially selected foundations that support our heroes will receive donations from each purchase. Honoring their service and remembering their sacrifice is what we are dedicated to.
—————————-
Thank You for supporting Country Music in NYC & Beyond!
Subscribe to our Weekly Round-Up here
for ticket giveaways, meet & greet contests, upcoming events,
and all things country music in the New York metro area and beyond!
