Admittedly, Shelby Lee Lowe has grown a lot in the last decade. As we write this, it is exactly 10 years to the day since Lowe released his debut, self-titled album. In fact, Lowe was one of the very first interviews we did when Pro Country started.
In the decade that has followed his debut, Lowe has continued to offer a steady string of releases, including the release of his newest album, Stories To Tell. The aptly-named album captures Lowe at the top of his game, both vocally and lyrically. Fan favorites like “Broken Beautiful” and “King For a Day” are accompanied by the title track and “Where Did That Come From,” comprising an album full of what Lowe rightly calls the best songs he’s written.
We chatted with Lowe all about Stories To Tell, as well as his recently-released live album, his growth over the last decade and more!
Pro Country: You’ve been steadily releasing singles from your new album, Stories To Tell, since “Broken Beautiful” in March of 2023. With that long leadup, and five years since your last full-length album, how excited are you to have a full project to release?
Shelby Lee Lowe: I am so excited to have another full-length album to share with the world! This is a collection of some of my favorite songs I’ve ever recorded, and at the end of the day, I can be proud of this one. I’ve been planning and promoting singles for this album for a couple years now, and I am finally glad to release it all.
PC: You released “Night Me” last March, which you co-wrote with Zach Top and Carson Chamberlain. Can you tell us when the song was written and what it was like collaborating with both Zach and Carson?
SLL: I believe we wrote this song in December of 2022. I had written with Carson before and had meetings with him years earlier. I’ve always had a great deal of respect for him as a producer and songwriter. I had only heard about Zach from Spotify. I brought in some hooks to work with, and I thought “Night Me” was a good one that could go a couple different ways, and we ran with that. It didn’t take me long to see that Zach was a generational talent, and I am not surprised one bit by his success! I am glad somebody like Zach is bringing back old school country.
PC: You released “King For a Day,” which served as a tribute to George Strait, in October of last year. Since its release, “King For a Day” has become one of your most-streamed songs on Spotify. How encouraging has the response to “King For a Day” been over the last year?
SLL: There was a lot of hype for “King For a Day” before we released it. I had been playing the song in rounds and songwriter competitions, and it received a lot of praise! I wrote it with my buddy and producer, Andrew Scott Wills and Drew Smith, in 2019, and we felt it was something special then. I believe it’ll continue to grow.
PC: In the spirit of “King For a Day,” can you tell us a few of your favorite George Strait songs?
SLL: There’s so many! My top favorites are “Fool Hearted Memory,” “You Look So Good in Love” and “The Chair,” but I could list a ton. George has a way of delivering songs that just sound classic and timeless.
PC: “Stories To Tell” is one of the newly-released songs from its album, and is a song you co-wrote with Daniel Kleindenst and Richard Mitchell. Why did you feel “Stories To Tell” was the right title track for its album?
SLL: This song has also been sort of autobiographical, and it’s even more so now. Reflecting back on my music career, I can remember all of the ups and downs and struggles that go along with chasing a dream. This song sums that up perfectly.
PC: “Where Did That Come From” is the other newly-released song with Stories To Tell, and is a song you co-wrote with James LeBlanc. Can you take us in the room and talk about how the song came together?
SLL: Well this room might be the coolest writers’ room I can take you in. We wrote this song in Rick Hall’s office at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals. I had the idea for the hook of this song pop in my head while mowing the yard, and James and I wrote this one pretty quick. James LeBlanc is a super talented writer, and has a great gift for melodies in my opinion. He also sang background vocals on most of this album! I’m so fortunate to have worked with so many talented people.
PC: What do you hope listeners take away from Stories To Tell after listening all the way through?
SLL: I think storytelling is a huge part of country music that gets taken for granted in mainstream country music nowadays. I think every song on this record tells a different story, and I hope listeners can relate to the people in these songs. I can honestly say these are some of the best songs I’ve ever written, and I hope folks feel the same.
PC: You released your first live album, Live From Crocket Theater, a few months ago. How much was fun was the show that you recorded for the album, and what did you like about being able to present the songs in that fashion?
SLL: Honestly, that was super stressful! You can’t really tell in the recordings, but I got sick that night and I was turning to cough between every verse and chorus. It was a massive undertaking, and I severely underestimated how much work it would be, all things considered. I think it turned out pretty well! My band played great, and I think the recordings turned out better than I expected. It’s really cool to have that moment in time saved forever. Hopefully next time I do a full-band album like that, I won’t be sick!
PC: Your debut, self-titled album, celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year. Over the course of those ten years, what has been the biggest way you’ve grown/biggest thing you’ve learned?
SLL: I like to think that I have matured as a vocalist and songwriter and gotten better at my craft in 10 years’ time. I’ve also lived a lot of life in 10 years and done some great things. I’ve also made mistakes and I tried to learn from those. I still love that debut album, even though a few of the songs didn’t age that well. There’s still some great songs on it.
PC: Along with releasing Stories To Tell, what do you have planend for the rest of 2026 and going into 2027?
SLL: I’ll still be playing five shows a week at Eric Church’s Chiefs on Broadway Monday through Friday promoting the album. I’ll also do some touring. In 2027, I plan on releasing a side project that I’m very excited about. That music will be more outlaw country than anything I’ve done so far.
PC: Is there anything you’d like to add?
SLL: I’m super grateful to everyone who has been listening and supporting my music all these years. I’m a very lucky guy!
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