ERNEST, the songwriter behind numerous country radio hits, is excited for the release of his upcoming album and poised for his turn in the spotlight. “It’s my favorite body of work yet,” he says during a recent phone interview in between writing sessions. “It’s not the first album I've put out, but I feel like it’s going to be the one that puts me on the map.”
Fans of Morgan Wallen and Jelly Roll are already familiar with ERNEST, but may not realize it. He co-wrote many of the hit songs on Wallen’s record-breaking double album, Dangerous, as well as Jelly Roll’s recent smash “Son Of A Sinner.” “Songwriting is the horse I rode in on and the horse I’ll continue to ride after my artist journey has manifested,” says ERNEST. “I’ve been very lucky to make friends in the industry that cut my songs. It's such a small town and like a family, and the city’s foundation is songwriters.”
As a solo artist, ERNEST gained popularity with his song “Flower Shops” which featured Wallen. Since then his music has gone on to earn over a billion streams. He sold out back-to-back nights at the Ryman Auditorium in November, where surprise guests included Wallen, Keith Urban, Bailey Zimmerman, Hardy, Charles Kelley of Lady A and Jelly Roll. “It was a thrill to look out and see so many friends and family in the audience,” he recalls. For the Nashville native who named his son Ryman, it was an “adulthood dream fulfilled.”
Many of those same artists make appearances on his upcoming album, Nashville, TN, due out this month on April 12. Along with top-notch songwriting, he says fans can expect some bluegrass influences sprinkled throughout the project, including a reimagined version of the Radiohead classic “Creep” featuring Hardy.
ERNEST’s influences draw from all types of music. In the country format he name checks Flatt & Scruggs, George Strait, Keith Whitley, Merle Haggard, George Jones and too many others to list. He is a purposeful student of the genre, making a point to dig deep into the heritage. “I’ve been consuming so much music over the last three or four years, just soaking it in. I listen as a fan of the music. I love songs that had simplicity and complexity all at once. The lyrics are so simple, but hit so heavy. Like the lyrics of ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today’ or ‘Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain,’ put the perfect chords behind them, and it’s not overstated. That’s a lot of the influence I took in, going in to write this record.”
ERNEST grew up in the Green Hills neighborhood where he got his first instrument, a banjo, in the third grade. Eventually his family moved to Franklin, and he has witnessed Nashville’s swell. “So much has changed in the last five years. It’s cool seeing it turn into a hot city.”
Similarly, his own career has matured. “It's been an incredible amount of growth in the last 18 months, to see fans showing up and singing songs,” he continues. “‘Flower Shops’ changed everything for me. I’ve really got my teeth in it now, as far as my voice and artistry. I was just figuring it out when ‘Flower Shops’ popped off. Now it is more intentional.” ERNESTOfficial.com
“Songwriting is the horse I rode in on and the horse I’ll continue to ride after my artist journey has manifested."
“I’ve been consuming so much music over the last three or four years, just soaking it in."
