Over the last calendar year, David Lewis has catapulted himself onto the radar of plenty of country music fans in Texas and beyond. The Telecaster-picking singer/songwriter scored several viral singles on his last EP, aptly-titled Honky Tonk Bound, and this year, he’s delivered a strong album of the year contender with the equally aptly-titled Barstool Sermons.
Offering 11 songs chock-full of fiddle, steel, boot stompers and heartache, Lewis’s newest effort features collaborations with several hit songwriters, as well as co-writes with some of the most promising singer/songwriters in The Lone Star State.
We chatted with Lewis all about Barstool Sermons, growth, hitting the road and more!
Pro Country: Your last EP, Honky Tonk Bound, is approaching its one-year anniversary. In that year, it has earned millions of streams and listens across platforms. One year removed from that project, how do you look back on the EP and the great success you had with it?
David Lewis: That EP was a fun project. I had a lot of cool writes for it. It was a lot of work to market it well. That EP has done a lot for my career, and I’m very thankful for it.
PC: You kicked off 2025 with the release of “Livin’ the Dream,” which became the first single from your new album, Barstool Sermons. Why did you feel that “Livin’ the Dream” was both the right song to follow Honky Tonk Bound and to kick off Barstool Sermons?
DL: The song was pitched to me by a publishing company in Nashville. When I saw the writers on it: Dean Dillon, Scotty Emerick and Jim Brown, I really wanted to cut the song. It was right before summertime, and I hadn’t released a summer single yet. I thought it would be cool to have one. It turned into a really fun, singalong song at our live shows.
PC: The second single release from Barstool Sermons was “Honky Tonk Heart,” a duet with Randall King that he co-wrote with Craig Wiseman and pitched to you. Can you talk about hearing the song for the first time and what it meant to have an artist of Randall’s caliber pitch you the song and lend his voice to it?
DL: When Randall first pitched me the song, it was everything that I love: a honky tonkin’ song with great guitar parts. He had been sitting on it for a long time and it hadn’t made a record, and he thought I’d be a good fit for the song. I was planning on cutting it, and a few months went by, and I told Randall I wanted him to sing it with me, and he said, “Let’s do it!” We cut it in the studio together, and that was a blast. I grew up listening to Randall’s music, so I can’t believe he’s on a song with me. And now, I’ve been on tour with him. It’s really cool.
PC: Barstool Sermons kicks off with “Dumaflache,” a song that has previously been cut by Tim McGraw and Daryle Singletary. How much did you enjoy offering your take on the classic song and kicking off the record with it?
DL: That song is a good time! A lot of the guys in the studio were laughing and cutting up with it. I met the writer, Billy Lawson, in Nashville, and we got to know each other. He’d seen me play “Dumaflache” at a show before we cut it, and he told me I needed to go record the song. I hadn’t thought about it, but it was a fun idea. I’d only heard Daryle Singletary’s version until someone told me that Tim McGraw had recorded it as well. I wanted to stick as close to Daryle’s as I could. He’s one of my favorite artists of all time. It was cool to put my take on it.
PC: “Strangers Again” is a fantastic, country-as-hell love lost song that was written some time ago with Hayden Baker. What was it about the song that kept it in your mind and drew you to include it on the album?
DL: We wrote that song about four years ago. It was a great write; I love writing with Hayden. He and I both worked on it and sat on it for a while. Two years ago, I asked him if he remembered the song, and told him I wanted to cut the song if he was okay with it. I’ve been waiting to put it out. It didn’t feel right to put on the EP or to have it as a single, so when this project came around, I knew it had to be on there.
PC: “Hang Up My Hat” is our favorite song on Barstool Sermons, and is a song you co-wrote with Kyle Park. Can you take us in the room and talk about how the song came together?
DL: I had the idea for the song when I was on tour. I had the chorus going into the write. I talked to Kyle about getting together to write, because I’d recently opened a show with him. I went up to the Hill Country to meet up with him, and I showed him the chorus. He thought it was great, and we started writing the verses. I really appreciate the way Kyle writes: it’s always very thought-out. I learned so much being in a writing room with him, and it turned into a really cool song.
PC: “Mercy Walked In” is the penultimate song on Barstool Sermons, and is a fantastic, faith-based story song that has been recorded by several great artists over the last few decades. Can you talk about what you love about the song and what drew you to include it on the album?
DL: It was the words. The first time I heard Gordon Mote do that song, it really spoke to my heart. I related to it a lot, because I need as much mercy as I can get. I thought it would be good to put on an album and maybe have somebody feel the same way I did listening to it for the first time.
PC: Barstool Sermons features co-writes with heavy-hitters like Drake Milligan, Mark Irwin and Kyle Park, as well as with prominent Texas artists like Jake Bush and Hayden Baker. How much do you value the opportunity to write with such talented writers?
DL: I can’t put it into words. I’m extremely grateful to know those guys and to be a part of making a song with them.
PC: Releasing an album on vinyl, especially for the first time, is a big thing for artists these days. Barstool Sermons is available on vinyl on your website. How excited are you to have that out and to be able to hold it in your hands and spin it?
DL: I’m so excited to have my very first vinyl! My wife got a record player recently, so I’ve listened to a lot of other artists’ vinyl. It’s a really big deal for me. I can’t wait to get it in my hands.
PC: With an album title like “Barstool Sermons,” when you find yourself on a barstool, what are a few songs you want to hear?
DL: Definitely Merle Haggard’s “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink.” I have to hear “The Chair” by George Strait, too. And then, I think I’d throw in Keith Whitley’s “I Never Go Around Mirrors.” Those songs just hit different.
PC: What do you hope listeners take away from Barstool Sermons after listening all the way through?
DL: I hope they take some advice from me, because there’s a lot of heartbreak on there and what not to do [laughs]. I hope they have fun with it, too. There’s a few barn burners and a few love songs. There’s songs to play on a backroad or a highway. I want this album to be diverse in that way: whatever you’re feeling or doing, there’s a song for it.
PC: Your debut album, Country Music Therapy, is about to turn six years-old. As the anniversary approaches, how do you feel you’ve grown as an artist and as a songwriter in those six years?
DL: I’ve grown a lot. I was just coming out of high school when we released that album. I recorded it while I was still in high school. The amount of writing rooms that I’ve been able to join and the artists I’ve been able to meet and watch perform has helped me grow a lot with my performances, my songwriting, my guitar playing and my singing. That’s exactly what I needed to do. I still have a lot of room to improve, too, so I’m excited to do that.
PC: You have a busy touring schedule set for the rest of the year with dates stretching into 2026 as well. How much are you looking forward to staying busy on the road and bringing Barstool Sermons to new people?
DL: I’m really looking forward to it. I don’t like not being busy; I always like to be doing something. I want to get this album and as many ears as I can on it!
PC: With Barstool Sermons now released, what do you have planned for the rest of 2025 and going into 2026?
DL: I’m going to be writing a lot and working towards the next project. That’s where the main focus will be.
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