TAKE A TOUR OF ERNEST’S LOCALS ONLY
Big Loud Records eccentric newcomer ERNEST is breezing onto the scene with his debut project Locals Only, available today. The Nashville native and confident crooner combines his Country roots with island influences on 9 bold tracks, showcasing his hyper-creative lyricism and one-of-a-kind vocal flow.
“This project means so much to me,” shares ERNEST. “The title track [‘Locals Only’] was written while on a getaway in St. John and ended up being my wife and I’s wedding song. It felt like the perfect name for the project, because I want my music to take people somewhere special when they hear it. For me, that's the islands. I've been going to the Virgin Islands for almost eight years, and lived there for one of them. These songs are heavily inspired by my time there, combined with a love story I can barely scratch the surface of through music.”
ERNEST co-penned each song on Locals Only, working alongside some of Music City’s top-notch songwriters including Rodney Clawson, Corey Crowder and Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley. Defying categorization, Locals Only is produced by superstar studio ace Joey Moi, as well as Jacob Durrett and Jordan Schmidt on select tracks.
Locals Only Track Listing
1. “I Think I Love You” (Jacob Durrett, Ernest K Smith)*
2. “Insane” (Jacob Durrett, Ernest K Smith)+
3. “Sugar” (Rodney Clawson, Jordan Reynolds, Ernest K Smith)*
4. “All We Need” (Charlie Handsome, Ernest K Smith, Craig Wiseman)*
5. “Keep You Close” (Jacob Durrett, Ernest K Smith)*
6. “Coolin’ (The Island Interlude)” (Brian Kelley, Jordan Schmidt, Ernest K Smith)^
7. “Brain On Love” (Zale Epstein, Ernest K Smith)*
8. “Hard Way” (Corey Crowder, Mark Holman, Ernest K Smith)*
9. “Locals Only” (Brian Kelley, Jordan Schmidt, Ernest K Smith)~
* = Produced by Joey Moi
+ = produced by Jacob Durrett, Joey Moi
^ = produced by Jordan Schmidt
~ = produced by Joey Moi, Jordan Schmidt
Already an accomplished tunesmith with his songs recorded by Florida Georgia Line, Jake Owen, Morgan Wallen and more, ERNEST is making his mark as an artist in his own right, taking his signature Tropical Cowboy sound coast-to-coast this fall. A special guest on Mason Ramsey’s HOW’S UR GIRL & HOW’S UR FAMILY PT. 2 tour, he’ll take the stage for high-profile shows in Boston, MA (10/11) and College Park, MD (10/12) this weekend. Beginning November 7, he’ll join Chris Lane’s BIG, BIG PLANS TOUR, hitting major cities through February 2020.
For more information on ERNEST and upcoming tour dates, please visit ernestofficial.com. Reach out to him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT ERNEST:
Adopted at three weeks old and victim to a freak heart attack at 19, surmounting ridiculous odds has always been ERNEST’s gift. He learned banjo and guitar before he was a teen but quickly developed a passion for Hip-Hop and R&B as well, citing Eminem, Ludacris, and George Strait as some of his earliest influences. Discovering an equally powerful love of songwriting, ERNEST began working alongside Nashville songwriting royalty like the Warren Brothers and soon earned cuts from Florida Georgia Line ("Dig Your Roots"), Chris Lane (“Big, Big Plans”), LOCASH, Jake Owen, Mason Ramsey, Morgan Wallen and more. Now set to begin his career as an artist, ERNEST will be unlike anything currently afloat in Music City. Hitting the road this fall after spending endless amounts of time in the studio, the Tropical Cowboy showcases his distinct sound on his Big Loud Records debut project, Locals Only, out now.