Admittedly, the last seven month have been a whirlwind for Kenny Whitmire.
On November 23, 2025, Whitmire posted a cover of his song, “I Gave Her The Moon,” to TikTok. Almost immediately, the video began going viral. Further aided by singer/songwriter extraordinaire Charlie Puth sharing the song, “I Gave Her The Moon” was having a moment, and Whitmire’s life was about to change.
Soon, Whitmire had earned a record deal with MCA Records, landed opening slots for Ian Munsick, Tracy Lawrence and Billy Currington, and most recently, unveiled his debut EP, Fool In A King Size Bed.
The project, which proudly boasts Whitmire’s love of traditional country music, is chock-full of tear-in-your-beer tunes (“I Gave Her The Moon, “Fool In A King Size Bed,” “You’re Getting Colder”) as well as made-for-the-stage boot stompers (“One Foot In The Grave,” “Ain’t Hard Livin’“), which Whitmire navigates masterfully.
We chatted with Whitmire all about Fool In A King Size Bed, the viral success of “I Gave Her The Moon,” his favorite country love songs and more!
Pro Country: You’ve listed country greats like Keith Whitley, Randy Travis and Daryle Singletary as major influences. What was it about those artists, and the traditional style of country music as a whole, that struck a chord with you?
Kenny Whitmire: I’ve always been drawn to an incredible voice. Those guys have some of the best voices to ever sing country music. It wasn’t until I moved to Nashville a couple years ago that I started diving into the songs and songwriting, but from the get-go, it was the voices that drew me to that sound.
PC: For much of your life, music was a hobby and took a backseat to football. When did it become clear that music was something you wanted to, and feasibly could, pursue as a career?
KW: I was close to going to play football at a really small, local university in my home town. I went on my official visit, and at that point, I was starting to get more interested in doing music, playing shows around Town and writing with people. When the school went over the schedule, they absolutely owned you. There was no time for anything else. At that time, I felt God calling me to say no to football and to follow music. These days, I’m glad I did that [laughs].
PC: What position did you play when you played football?
KW: I was an offensive lineman. I was a husky fella back in the day [laughs].
PC: You moved to Nashville at just 19 years-old, after one semester in college. What emotions came with moving to Town and fully putting your focus on music?
KW: It was weird. I felt like I was doing the right thing, but it was tough. I was 19, living in Nashville. I didn’t have a fake ID or anything! It was a lot of morning writes with the guys, and just sitting around the house while they went out at night [laughs].
It was fun, though. I’m glad that I moved at that age instead of waiting around for a few years. I feel like I was able to get ahead of the curve.
PC: After moving to Nashville, you began playing lead guitar in Austin Snell’s band. What did you learn from that, and when did you know you wanted to step to the forefront?
KW: I always had the dream of being an artist, but I met Austin and became really good buddies with him. He started taking off with stuff on social media, and he wanted me to tag along. It was a great learning experience for the dos and don’ts of being out on the road. It showed me how to entertain crowds and how to treat your band.
About this time last year, after about two years, I decided I was going to step away from that. The longer I was on the road with Austin and not doing artist stuff, the more I felt drawn to it. I knew it was time to step away and start pursuing that full-time.
PC: You released two singles prior to 2024’s “Blue Call’er,” which has since earned over 200,000 streams on Spotify alone. What was it like to have a solid amount of success with one of your songs for the first time?
KW: It was really cool! It was a strange feeling. I have really bad imposter syndrome, so I don’t take compliments well [laughs]. It was a blessing to see that song do well.
PC: You posted your first video of your song, “I Gave Her The Moon,” on November 23rd of last year. How quickly did you see the video and song catching on and having a moment, even before the Charlie Puth video?
KW: It was really quick. I try to pay close attention, right after I post something, to see what something is going to do. Right out of the gate, it was blowing all of my other videos out of the water. I was kind of drawn to my phone that night, just watching it climb [laughs].
It got up to about 40,000 likes by the time Charlie found the video. I started talking to him on DMs, and he started a group chat and got my number. It took off from there!
PC: Three days after you posted “I Gave Her The Moon,” Charlie Puth shared the song, pushing even more eyes to the song. Can you talk about how you first saw the video and how you reacted?
KW: It was wild! I still can’t believe it.
In a group chat the day before, he’d mentioned that he made a video. I texted my manager on the side asking if he thought he was really going to post it, and we both thought “absolutely not.” Sure enough, that night, I went to get dinner and drinks with my wife. I came back home, sat on my back porch, opened TikTok, and it was the first thing that came up. It had been posted about ten minutes before, and it already had a couple thousand likes. I thought, “holy cow!” [laughs].
PC: You’ve said that your publisher had been encouraging you to post a video of “I Gave Her The Moon.” How long had the song been written before you posted the original video last November?
KW: I think we wrote it in September or October, so it was, at most, a couple months. She sure did hound me to post it, though. Almost every video I posted, she would comment “this isn’t ‘I Gave Her The Moon!’” [laughs].
PC: Soon, many well-respected artists were commenting on videos of the song, including Luke Combs, Tracy Lawrence, Chris Young and Ernest. What did reactions from your peers, who have had so much success in the industry, mean to you?
KW: It means the world. Luke Combs story of being told “no” by so many different people and still pushing through to have the success that he’s had has been such a huge inspiration. I thought, even before I moved to Nashville, that if someone like that, with that story, can do it, why can’t I? To have people like that commenting on the videos was very validating.
PC: Leading up to releasing “I Gave Her The Moon,” you shared two videos including several people covering the song on social media. How flattering was it to see so many people offering their take on it?
KW: It was very flattering. Usually, on social media, you see a lot of people using the official sound to make videos. We didn’t have a lot of that happening, but we had a bunch of those covers, and it was the coolest thing in the world.
PC: You had the opportunity to play the song at The Ryman Auditorium. As a country music historian, what did it mean to you to stand on that stage and play your song?
KW: It meant the world. I hardly even remember being up there [laughs]. I was floating the whole time. It was emotional. I felt undeserving for a while. I’ll never forget that moment.
PC: You released a fantastic love song, “Thought Twice About Loving You,” in early April. Can you tell us a few of your favorite country music love songs?
KW: “Forever and Ever, Amen” is one of my favorites. “That’s Where I Want To Take Our Love” by Keith Whitley is another. And pretty much anything by John Michael Montgomery [laughs].
PC: It was announced in May that you’d signed with MCA Records. Can you talk about those conversations and the courting and signing process?
KW: Even before “I Gave Her the Moon,” I took meetings with MCA, and got to have phone calls with Dave Cobb, which was wild to me. I’m a huge Chris Stapleton fan, and I cut my teeth so much on his Traveller record, so talking to him was the coolest thing in the world.
When “I Gave Her the Moon” started taking off, it felt like they were the most loyal to me, and I wanted to stay loyal to them. It’s been fantastic working with them.
PC: Today, you released your debut EP, Fool In A King Size Bed. You co-wrote the title track with Rhett Akins and Kat Higgins. Why did you and the team feel that was the right title track for the EP?
KW: It’s a pretty cool title, if you ask me! [laughs]. It’s eye-grabbing, and it’s one of my favorite songs on the EP. Sad songs make me happy, and that song is a heartbreak song, so I felt like it was a good way to introduce myself as an artist.
PC: On top of writing with Rhett and Kat, we’ve heard you mention writing with heavy-hitters like Roger Springer and Michael White. What has it been like writing and collaborating with so many talented songwriters?
KW: It’s crazy. I don’t feel like I should be in rooms with people like that. I sit back and watch the magic happen. Roger Springer is one of the sweetest guys in the world. As is Michael White. I grew up on so many of their songs. They’ve inspired me more than just about anyone, so it’s been neat to work with them.
PC: What do you hope people take away from Fool In A King Size Bed after listening all the way through?
KW: That I love country music! [laughs].
I hope they love the songs as much as I do. I think traditional country is here to stay. I want the EP to be a great introduction, and to get people excited for more to come, because there’s a lot more music coming after.
PC: You have dates on the books opening for Tracy Lawrence, Billy Currington and Kip Moore. How excited are you to hit the road with so many well-respected artists and play for their fans?
KW: I’m super excited! The dream is getting out and playing shows with these awesome people, and hopefully, one day, playing my own shows. We started full-band shows with Billy Currington last weekend!
PC: We’ve heard that there were artists that expressed interest in “I Gave Her the Moon.” With everything that has happened for you since you posted the first video last November, have you allowed yourself to think what could have happened had the song went to someone else?
KW: Only about every day [laughs]. I think about it all the time, but it’s a blessing that I got to do it myself.
PC: What kind of whirlwind have the last few months been like for you, since things have happened the way they’ve happened?
KW: It’s been wild. I’ve been super busy. I’m a slow-living, small-town guy, so it’s a lot for me. I get overstimulated a lot, but it’s nothing to complain about. Busy is a blessing.
PC: With Fool For a King Size Bed now released and your tour dates on the books, what else do you have planned for the rest of 2026?
KW: We’re working on new music! We’re heading back into the studio in a month or so, getting ready for a record to come out. We’ll be working on that, and playing as many shows as possible.
*Feature image by Josef Lloyd*
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