Who Is Braedon Barnhill? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music

Full name – Braedon Barnhill
Birthdate – 11/13/2001
Hometown – Marble Falls, Texas
Current city – Austin, Texas
Musical influences- George Strait, Bruce Springsteen, Randy Rogers Band
Label – The Valory Music Co. (Big Machine Label Group)
Current Song – “Front Porch Lights” (as of date of article: 4/14/2025)

This week our spotlight shines on Valory Music Co. artist, Braedon Barnhill. The young star in the making is as humble and as talented as they come. Keep reading to learn more about his story, his new music, and where he’s headed!

“I grew up in a small-town. It’s not so small anymore because Austin is exploding, it’s called Marble Falls, Texas. It’s a big lake town, but there’s still not that much to do,” began the singer. “My whole family is really into music, so I went to shows a lot growing up.”

Growing up in Texas, Barnhill recalls being immersed in the country music scene from an early age. He spent a lot of time listening to artists on the Texas country music circuit, falling in love with artists like George Strait, Randy Rogers Band, and Wade Bowen. “I kinda was like “oh there’s people that sound like what I do.” The first time I heard Randy Rogers, I was probably fifteen or seventeen, and I thought I could do that because that’s what my songs sound like.”

Throughout his upbringing, Barnhill spent time cultivating his sound, believing that he could maybe make it on the Texas country circuit, but never dreaming of reaching a national audience. “I played instruments, just to mess around because they were always around since I was really little, I started really learning how to play instruments and writing songs when I was fourteen, I thought I might have a shot at this when I was seventeen, eighteen, but I never thought in a million years, I would get a record deal, especially this quick.”

The Turning Point:

Upon graduating high-school, Barnhill spent time working during the day and playing shows at night across Texas. “No matter what I was into in my life, I was always into music,” he shared, adding, “I was working valet at a hotel in Austin during the day and playing shows at night. I remember after a show, this person offered me free demo time. […] I went and made this demo.”

The singer heard through the grapevine that his demo was being passed around in Nashville, but he didn’t quite think anything of it. Eventually, one day, immediately after a gig, his dad called him with news that would change his life. “[My dad] told me to sit down and said remember that demo you made, and one way or another it got on Scott Borchetta’s desk, and he wanted to meet me right away.”

Barnhill found himself in Nashville just two weeks later. “This person who is now my A&R guy picks me up in an SUV and drives me to hi house. It’s all very like a movie. It’s all very surreal. […] They give me a guitar and asked me if I had been writing anything recently, so I played them a song and then another one,” he shared. “I played like six songs in a row, just me and a guitar in the living room for these two guys. We talked for three hours, and the next day they wanted to show me around all of these offices.”

Almost immediately following the meet-up, the team flew his family out and told him that they wanted to sign him. Barnhill officially signed with The Valory Music Co. (Big Machine Label Group) at the top of the year. “My life changed really, really quickly.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, Barnhill is releasing music for his growing fanbase! Most recently, the singer-songwriter shared his song, “Front Porch Lights,” following his debut single, “Dashboard Dreaming.”

“That song came out, I was dating this girl at the time. We hadn’t broken up yet, but you could kind of tell that we were getting into it. We just couldn’t get along really. It wasn’t these angry fights, it was just really hard,” he shared, talking about the inspiration for “Front Porch Lights. “We started talking and getting to know each other, the first week I went up to Nashville. And there’s a line in the song that says, “you never really had me at my best,” and it’s because I always told her, I felt really bad for her because she never knew the normal me. Me before all of this.”

Sonically and lyrically, the song hits all the right notes. The song is honest, relatable, and catchy, all qualities that fans look for in a young and new country artist. “I wrote that a couple months before we actually, for real, broke-up,” he shared. “It wasn’t a love song, it wasn’t a break-up song.”

While Barnhill is still at the beginning in his blossoming career, the singer is ready to keep fans excited. He is already in the studio working on new music and has other songs ready to go. “I think some of the best work isn’t even out yet.” Stay tuned!

Connect:

To keep up with Braedon Barnhill follow him on Instagram and TikTok.

Braedon Barnhill’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.