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Dustin Lynch
Current Mood Bio
With a string of hits stretching back to 2012, a red hot live-performance reputation, and a fanbase that’s growing exponentially, Dustin Lynch is one of the hottest acts in modern country music. And with his third album for Broken Bow Records – CURRENT MOOD – he’s done flying under the radar.
After three years of determined diligence, CURRENT MOOD arrives as one of the most adventurous, attention-grabbing Country albums of 2017, and it shows a bold next-generation superstar coming into his own.
“I’m a little nervous,” Lynch admits with a laugh. “But the last thing I want for chapter three is ‘Oh, this is just a new take on what we’ve heard for the last few years.’ I hope people see a side of me they haven’t seen yet.”
Still only 32 years old, fans have already seen a few sides of the Tullahoma, Tennessee, native.
His first two albums mixed traditional influence with edgy intensity to debut at #1 and #2 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, while his first-ever single – the tender ballad “Cowboys and Angels” – earned Platinum status. Five consecutive Platinum and Gold singles followed as “Where It’s At,” “Hell of a Night,” “Mind Reader,” “Seein’ Red,” and “Small Town Boy” all became hard driving #1s.
Online, Lynch has also hit the #1 spot on the iTunes Country Albums Chart while racking up 3 million track downloads, more than 245 million Spotify streams, and 113 million YouTube/VEVO views. His social-media following tops 2.5 million, and he’s not connecting with those rabid fans through music alone. Lynch’s own Stay Country clothing line puts his personal style in their hands, and national TV appearances have highlighted his good-natured charisma.
Meanwhile, those same fans have watched him become one of the most dynamic performers on the road. Cranking up massive crowds while opening for stadium-rocking icons like Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, and Brad Paisley, Lynch has played for millions while developing an unparalleled onstage potency – and he’ll put it to good use on THE RIDE OR DIE TOUR in the fall of 2017, his opening salvo as a headliner and an arena-filling testament to his rise.
But with CURRENT MOOD, those milestones take a backseat to unbridled creativity. Thirteen new tracks push proudly against country’s already-expanded boundaries as timeless themes mix freely with edgy, new-school sonics, romantically-charged vocals and swaggering streetwise grooves.
Produced by a five-headed monster of Brent Anderson, Mickey Jack Cones, Ross Copperman, Zach Crowell, and Will Weatherly, the album stretches from Top 40 R&B to SoCal power Punk, from dusty roots Country to lush millennial Pop, and from straight-up party Rock to danceable EDM. Using his inner monologue as inspiration, Lynch takes his music – and fans – to the next level.
“There’s a song for every emotion I’m feeling right now,” he explains. “All these songs are a behind-the-curtain-look at my heart and soul, and it’s so diverse because I listen to all kinds of music. Depending on what mood I was in, I would start the session out with ‘Hey, I was listening to Sugar Ray last weekend in San Diego, I want to feel like that today.’ Or ‘I just saw Imagine Dragons, let’s try something like that.’”
From the album’s opening notes, each track feels raw and urgent – just like his electrifying concerts. Lynch’s fingerprints are everywhere as finished recordings were based largely on demos he laid down in the back of his tour bus, and each producer was given free reign on just a few tracks, resulting in 13 separate “passion projects.”
With the first single, “Seein’ Red” (a Gold-certified #1), Lynch jumped head first into lusty Pop Rock – a hint of the creative explosion to come. The second, “Small Town Boy,” followed that experimental trend, mixing stone-Country lyrics with an irresistibly smooth R&B rhythm to become another Gold #1, his fifth in a row. Lynch knew he was on to something.
“I think it’s got a nice little mid-tempo groove, but what’s special about it is the lyric,” he says. “It’s not even about small towns to me. It’s about the true love we’re all chasing down and trying to hang on to.”
“I’d Be Jealous Too” dives even deeper into the sounds of Top 40 Pop, grafting a club-ready backbeat to a strutting vocal delivery, while sexy, smoldering tracks like “Back On It” and “Why We Call Each Other” test Country’s limits with undeniable crossover potential.
Meanwhile, “Love Me or Leave Me Alone” strips away everything but the essentials, pairing a wounded Country vocal with vibey vintage guitars. The song features Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild, who first heard it during a post-show jam session and immediately claimed it as her own.
“She pretty much threatened me with my life, if I didn’t let her sing this song with me. And, I was like ‘Holy crap!’” Lynch jokes. “She just loves the song, and that’s such a great endorsement.
“It rips my heart out, because I’ve been there,” he goes on. “It’s all about ‘What are we? Are we hooking up? Are we more than dating?’ I think we can all relate to that line in the sand, and having to cross it eventually.”
“Why Not Tonight” looks to Travis Tritt’s “T-R-O-U-B-L-E” and California Pop-Rock to inspire uptempo, party-centric fun, while the wild and free “Party Song” treats falling in love like the perfect mixtape. Both will add even more excitement to his live show, capable of moving crowds of 60,000-plus.
“I Wish You Were Beer” keeps the good times rolling while “New Girl” delivers a heartfelt message wrapped in circa-2000 Pop, and the album closes with a flourish of nostalgic romance – a gorgeous oceanside tribute to love lost but never forgotten, “Sun Don’t Go Down on That.”
“She’s living a happy life, I’m living a happy life, but who’s gonna make me feel that again?” Lynch asks. “The sun won’t go down on that question, and I’m glad because it makes me want to find out.”
Each track on CURRENT MOOD is like that – a snapshot of Lynch’s crazy world, an unforgettable relationship, or a feeling he can’t escape. Walking tall with a new generation of fans behind him, it’s the next step on his path to superstardom. He’s pushed deep into uncharted Country territory, and now he’s ready to claim it as his own.
“The goal for me is to continue to stretch,” he explains. “It’s all about moving the needle now.”
Florida Georgia Line
In country music, there are the rule breakers and the rule makers – artists who defy trends to pave something new, something original, something maybe a little shocking at the time. Johnny Cash. Lynyrd Skynyrd. Alabama. Waylon Jennings. Garth Brooks. These are the forces who took the bones of an American musical legacy and burst through with their own unique voice – leaving, in their wake, the seeds of the future. And now, on the tail end of a whirlwind few years that catapulted them to the top of the charts and to the center of fans’ hearts across the world, is Florida Georgia Line, claiming their spot in the grand tradition of these Music Row renegades. How’d they do it? One simple mantra, really.
“ANYTHING GOES,” says the Georgia half of FGL, Tyler Hubbard. “It says it all. No boundaries, no genre, no rules.” Living according to their own doctrine, in their own completely singular creative space, has become the lifeblood of Florida Georgia Line. So much so, that when it became time make the follow-up to their smash trendsetting – not to mention chart-topping, 2X Platinum debut – HERE’S TO THE GOOD TIMES, there was only one option: ANYTHING GOES.
“There’s a little something for everybody in there,” says Hubbard. “If that helps shape where country is heading, or breaks down walls, then great. But it’s just what Florida Georgia Line has always done.”
Since forming in 2010, Florida Georgia Line has taken the songwriter skills honed from their early days in Nashville and shredded them to bits, all while simultaneously using the deep roots of country music to build something new and totally thrilling. From the most raucous party moments to unexpected self-reflective odes, FGL is an unstoppable powerhouse only looking to answer to themselves, and, perhaps most importantly, their fans.
“We’ve always been comfortable doing something that may or may not be accepted,” says Brian Kelley, the Florida side.
And ever since the two met while attending Belmont University, they’ve been following that credo – going from songwriting workrooms with nothing more than an acoustic guitar or two, to a headlining tour, crisscrossing the nation, collecting awards, bringing people up when they need to “Cruise,” lifting them out when they’re deep in the “Dirt.”
Except, of course, their music wasn’t just haphazardly accepted: it was embraced with open arms. Their signature anthem “Cruise” was certified 8X platinum and became the best-selling Country single ever (according to SoundScan) – and the remix with Nelly rocked both the charts and eager genre-taggers. With their Republic Nashville debut, FGL is the only artist in history to join legends Brooks & Dunn in achieving four back-to-back, multi-week #1 singles. They’ve taken the “anything goes” approach with them from day one – never once, however, compromising their vision.
“We’ve built this from the ground up,” says Kelley. “That’s something we never take for granted. Tyler and I are hands on with it all, from set list to email. Everything we do, we have put the FGL stamp on it. This is our love and our passion. We run it as a business…and a party.”
And FGL is indeed a party. ANYTHING GOES is full of odes to the good times, from the twang-reggae “Sun Daze,” to the wickedly delicious “Good Good” to the rowdy title track that’s both rock and bluegrass. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t more serious, sincere moments: take the lead single “Dirt,” for one.
“It’s a little unexpected, sure,” says Hubbard. “But I think we we’re at a spot in our life where we wanted to show that side to people. It’s how we started as songwriters. We felt it was time to release something like that.” The fans agreed: it’s already been certified platinum for over one million downloads sold and topped both Country radio charts to become their fifth #1 single.
It’s some personal moments and milestones – marriage, engagements, loss and mourning – that spurred some of ANYTHING GOES ’ contemplative notes, like “Angel” or “Like You Ain’t Even Gone.” But it’s all part of FGL’s mission to show a complete package to their fans, and to be with them at every moment in their lives, from the good to the bad.
“We like to be serious, and we like to take people to church on a Wednesday night in our live set,” says Hubbard. “We like to have songs that mean something, that make you feel something. And, of course, we like to have it be party.”
Adds Kelley, “you can tell by listening that we felt no pressure. We wanted to push ourselves lyrically and vocally. It’s very evident in the sound and the vibe. We took the confidence that country radio and the fans gave us, and made it into something that is pure FGL.”
From coast to coast with national TV appearances, the FGL machine has been rolling nonstop, and sees no sign of slowing down. At the core, is the brotherhood between best friends and creative partners Hubbard and Kelley – theirs is a bond that exists past the musical realm. At the same time, they love to embrace the most thrilling minds working in Nashville today as writing partners, and recruited names like Rodney Clawson, Ross Copperman, Dallas Davidson, Chris Tompkins and Chris DeStefano to help pen the hits on ANYTHING GOES.
“The biggest thing for us was just staying in the creative zone,” says Kelley. “From the best writers in town, to a producer (longtime collaborator Joey Moi) who is like a wizard on steroids. Nothing was stopping us. This record is a representation of exactly where we are in our lives. Want to know me and Tyler more? Just listen to ANYTHING GOES.”
And, of course, they kept those country music renegades – Cash, Alabama, Skynyrd, Jennings – top of mind. But like those brilliant creative outlaws before them, the best way they could pay tribute to the rule-breaking tradition is just by being completely themselves.
“When you get in a creative space and you know your influences, that’s when you let your natural talent come out in ways that are organic,” says Kelley. “That’s when the freshness comes.”
Fresh, new: that’s ANYTHING GOES – a new force for Nashville, a new life for country music. And a duo that is totally unafraid to take risks and innovate, every step of the way.
“There are party moments, there’s loss, there are odes to amazing times on ANYTHING GOES,” Kelley adds. “Just lots of real life. Now THAT is country music.”
