Brett Young Exudes Passion In His Self-titled EP

Photo by Christina Bosch
Photo by Christina Bosch

Singer/songwriter Brett Young is quickly finding his place in Nashville.  At 6′ 6″, with an athletic frame and piercing blue eyes, it’s certainly hard to miss him. However, it’s not his height or look that’s getting him noticed. A former aspiring baseball player, Young suffered an injury and turned to music while healing. Born in southern California, Young’s sound has been called “Caliville” – a mix of his So. California childhood infused with his passion for country music and love of Nashville. He tells TheBoot.com, “I feel very, very lucky, when I moved here, it was to pursue the writing side, not the artist side. I knew I would always be an artist, but when you move to Nashville, this is a writer’s town. I moved here to focus on that and started pitching demos and immediately was asked to be an artist.”

Shortly after moving to Nashville, Young was signed by Big Machine and his career has been on the fast track to success ever since, earning a slot as the must-know up-and-comer for many. We sat down with him recently to discuss his journey thus far and his recent Opry Debut.

The self-titled EP ‘Brett Young’ was produced by Grammy and CMA Award winning producer Dan Huff and was released in February of 2016. The lead single “Sleep Without You,” written by Young, Justin Ebach and Kelly Archer, is steadily climbing the charts and has earned a spot in the regular rotation on SirusXM The Highway. The upbeat, contemporary country song wins its listener over with its sweet lyrics and story about a man showing his confidence in his partner and in their relationship.

“But as long as the night ends with you in a yellow cab shooting me a text saying coming home soon / As long as I can bet on you crawling into bed after slipping off your high heel shoes /

I ain’t lyin’ girl, have a good time / Out with your girls, girl do what you do / No matter how late / Baby I’ll be stayin’ up / I can’t sleep without you”

Having co-written all six tracks on his debut EP, it’s apparent that Young has a talent for songwriting. His husky, sometimes gritty vocals lend themselves well to his passionate lyrics, leaving you with a feeling that you’ve just experienced something truly honest and emotional through his storytelling. It’s apparent after listening to the EP that Young has a strong affinity for love and all that it encompasses, from the confidence exuding out of a couple’s strong relationship in “Sleep Without You” to a declaration of love in “In Case You Didn’t Know” and onto the honest raw feelings one often faces after a breakup played out in “Like I loved You.”

“In case you didn’t know / Baby I’m crazy bout’ ya / And I would be lying if I said that I could live this life without ya /

Even though I don’t tell you all the time / You had my heart a long long time ago / In case you didn’t know” 

Young tells Taste of Country, “I try not to take any liberties when it comes to being factual, sometimes you have to, just to make the song sound good. But I feel like personally if you’ve lived it then you shouldn’t stretch the truth. It should be that experience.” He goes on to explain that the story behind “Beautiful Believer” is actually that of fellow songwriter Jon Nite. Young recalls hearing Nite accepting an award thanking his wife for being supportive through all of the struggles early on in his career. “He talked about how supportive his wife was and he called her his ‘beautiful believer.’ Because that’s their story, and not mine,” he adds. “I really fought the whole time to not stray from the facts.”

Young is currently in the studio working on a full length album which will also be produced by Dan Huff and his current EP is available on iTunes. For more information, follow Young on Twitter, his website and on Instagram.

‘Brett Young ‘ Track Listing

1. “Sleep Without You” (Young, Kelly Archer, Justin Ebach)
2. “You Ain’t Here to Kiss Me”(Young, Matt Alderman, Tiffany Goss)
3. “Left Side of Leavin’” (Young, Jon Nite, Jimmy Robbins)
4. “In Case You Didn’t Know” (Young, Tyler Reeve, Kyle Schilenger, Trent Tomlinson)
5. “Like I Loved You” (Young, Jesse Lee)
6. “Beautiful Believer” (Young, Jason Adamo, Annie Wildgen)

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