Dan Lepien is proud to be country. He’s proud of where the genre has been, and he’s proud to be making music that pays homage to country music’s greats.
Ahead of the release of his debut album in May, Lepien is proclaiming his love for traditional country sounds with the album’s lead single, “Country Proud.” Chock full of fiddle, steel and twanging Telecaster, Lepien’s newest effort is sure to get boots scootin’ in the dancehalls he frequents on the road each weekend.
We chatted with Lepien all about “Country Proud,” his upcoming album, staying busy on the road and more!
Pro Country: You’re coming off of releasing your sophomore EP, The Man For You, last year, where you found some of your greatest streaming success to date. How do you look back on that EP and what it did for your career?
Dan Lepien: I think it was a good step in the next direction, and it taught me some things that I needed to know personally to be ready for my debut full-length.
PC: You’re set to release your debut, full-length album next year, and you’ve told us that you’ll be dropping a few singles ahead of the album’s release. What went into the decision to release your new single, “Country Proud,” first and have it serve as the album’s lead single?
DL: First and foremost, I’m a country singer who takes pride in the music I play and where it came from, as well as the roots of the genre. In a world that’s always changing, I find a sense of peace knowing that good country music never goes out of style.
PC: “Country Proud” serves as a flag-flying song for traditional country music stylings. Can you take us in the room and talk about how the song came together?
DL: I was at one of my favorite local bars one Saturday night here in Wisconsin. I hadn’t done a gig that night, but I noticed that even on a night off, I was craving some good country music, especially after having a couple beers. Even though I was in a small town in Wisconsin, I remember thinking, “I’m not hearing any good country music on the jukebox,” and I thought about my pride of where I came from and how I’ve spent a lot of time in rural Wisconsin, but the music in the bars doesn’t always reflect that. It’s okay to listen to all types of music, and I do that from time to time, but I also think it’s good to remind folks of where we’ve come from and to celebrate it from time to time; and what better way to do that than with some real country music.
PC: With a song like “Country Proud,” what are three of your favorite, quintessential country songs?
DL: That’s a tough one. The sad ones tend to be my all-time favorites. I’ll go with these: “Too Late to Save the World” by Daryle Singletary, “Between an Old Memory and Me” by Keith Whitley and “That’s Just Jessie” by Kevin Denney.
PC: With your debut album set for release in May of 2025. What information, if any, can you give about the album? What can listeners expect to hear?
DL: I was the sole writer on all of these songs besides “Am I Dreaming Tonight,” which will be my second single. I wrote that one with my buddy, Brian Brown, and it’ll be out November 29th. After that, I have a fun, but thoughtful tune called “We’re Just Gettin’ Started,” which has kind of served as a motto for me in my career, coming out in early January. Late February, I’m releasing one called “Jukebox My Troubles Away” that I think really takes you to a dark corner in a dive bar. It’s just a neat album all around, and I couldn’t be happier with my team. Greg Huberty in Sartell, MN is the producer, and he’s letting me kind of co-produce it with him, which I really enjoy. We have some excellent session players since I started doing this in 2018; I have really searched for the right players, and this team really nails the sound I’m looking for: Guitar-Johnny Hiland, Steel-Mike Johnson, Drums-Evan Hutchings, Fiddle-Dan Hochhalter.
PC: You have a busy touring schedule laid out for the rest of the year with dates already set for next year as well. How much are you looking forward to staying busy on the road and on the stage in the coming months?
DL: I play just about every weekend throughout the year, and I’m excited to continue spreading out in 2025. I’ve been working with some new live players here in Wisconsin who are more full-time with music and can travel more, so that’s really exciting too. I hope to get back to some of the places that I’ve played solo acoustic, but bring the full band in the next year or so, as well as hit some new places. So far, I’ve really enjoyed being on the road.
PC: With your new album on the horizon, what else do you have planned for 2024 and going into 2025?
DL: Working with some new live players and continuing to book my own shows so I can fill the weekend dates. I have a big batch of content I just got back from Interstate Music as well, so I’m hoping that’ll continue to help get us in front of some new eyes and ears in the next few months leading up to the album release.
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