As we enter months made for summer loves and nights by the bonfire, we also enter the time to add new songs to the soundtrack that will provide a backdrop for those moments.
Enter Grant Gilbert and his new single, “God & Everybody.”
Sounding tailor-made for windows down, summer driving, Gilbert’s newest offering is chock full of rollicking guitars and a thumping backbeat as the Texas native’s raspy vocal paints a picture of a summer love.
We chatted with Gilbert all about “God & Everybody,” as well as moving to Nashville during the pandemic, new music, hitting the road and more!
Pro Country: Earlier in your career, you were taken under the wing of Texas country powerhouse, Josh Abbott. Can you talk about how that pairing came to be and what you were able to learn from him?
Grant Gilbert: I met Josh on my 21st birthday at the Blue Light Live in Lubbock. We were playing a show and having a good time, and Josh hopped on stage with us, and we all sang “Watching Airplanes” by Gary Allan and hit it off. We wrote some songs together and he kind of paved the way for us and really showed me how to play shows, manage a music business and have fun doing it.
PC: You made your move to Nashville last year. Can you talk about the emotions that came with the move and what it has been like to be immersed in the Nashville music scene?
GG: I was coming out of the pandemic, and honestly, was really lost and wasn’t sure how to get the show back on the road after not being able to do it for two years, while trying to grow up at the same time. I somehow met a few people in Nashville that have become family, and I look up most days and feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be. I love being a part of the country music capitol and getting to write songs for a living.
PC: Your last single, “She Goes Home,” has quickly become your second most-streamed song on Spotify. What do you think it is about the song that struck a chord with people, and how encouraging is it to be able to tangibly see the support the song has received?
GG: I think it’s a song that people can relate to more than anything. I feel like everybody has been in that situation in some way, and you make mistakes and you learn from it. It’s been really cool to see people come to shows and sing it. Seeing the love it has gotten makes me want to dig in and put out more songs people can connect with and play in every small town that will have us.
PC: Why did you feel that your new single, “God and Everybody,” was the right follow up to “She Goes Home”?
GG: We went edgy out of the gate with “She Goes Home,” so with “God & Everybody” coming out as a follow up, I feel like it just changes the mood and it’s a song people can have a good time to. I feel like in times like these, that’s what we need, and it’s summer.
PC: You co-wrote “God and Everybody” with Jordan Walker and Reid Isbell. Can you take us in the room and talk about how the song came together?
GG: I had just gotten back to Tennessee from Texas, and had never met Jordan or Reid at the time, which is crazy to think back on now since we write together all the time. I had the title “God & Everybody” written down in some notes, and it felt like a love song to me. Jordan and Reid took the title and ran with it, and that’s what we got. We did a demo of it that next day because we thought it was something cool, and I felt like it was a fit for our project, so we cut it in the studio.
PC: You’ve been releasing music via River House Artists, the label home of Luke Combs, with several talented artists and songwriters falling under their umbrella. Is there a certain level of validation you feel with seeing who your labelmates are and knowing River House has that level of belief in you?
GG: I don’t know if I feel validation, I feel grateful to have a team of people like that behind me and my music that believe in it. But I feel like I have a lot to prove and live up to more than anything. The River House team knows what they are doing and I trust them and show up ready to work every day. Keeping the ball moving down the field!
PC: Your bio mentions that you have multiple releases set for 2022. What information, if any, can you give about those forthcoming releases? What can listeners expect to hear?
GG: We have a few songs in the bank and plan to keep churning them out, and also plan to get back in the studio so we can keep putting out more. But listeners can expect to hear up-tempo songs they can relate to and have a beer with some buddies to I hope.
PC: You have dates with Mike Ryan and the Josh Abbott Band on your schedule. How much are you looking forward to sharing the stage with the collective talent that Mike and the Josh Abbott Band bring?
GG: I love getting to share the stage with those guys. I’ve spent a lot of hours listening to their music and have covered their songs before I started recording my own music. Every time I see their name on the calendar, it’s always fun. I’m excited to go play in front of their fans and hopefully make a few of our own and come back and play those venues headlining soon.
PC: What are your plans for the rest of 2022?
GG: We’re going to spend the rest of the year churning out songs, playing shows and writing songs. We’re going back in to the studio with Jonathan Singleton in a couple of weeks too. I’m excited to see what the rest of the year holds, and hope to see this thing keep growing and keep the ball moving down the field.
Pro Country 
Leave a Reply