Parker McCollum’s “Pretty Heart” climbed to the top of both the Country Aircheck and Billboard Country chart this week. The Texas native wrote the song with Randy Montana, and it’s his first chart-topper.
“Pretty Heart” was just certified Gold by the RIAA and has averaged over 5 Million streams weekly. With the release of Hollywood Gold, Parker earned the highest-selling debut EP of 2020 debuting at No.10 on the Billboard Country Chart. Critics continue to praise Hollywood Gold with Billboarding noting, “McCollum’s voice is twangy and strong and the Texan’s songwriting really stands out. There’s nothing cookie-cutter about these songs.” American Songwriter adds, “Parker McCollum shines bright on his new EP Hollywood Gold.”
Parker said he dreamed of country music success when he was just a teen. “It’s like exactly how I dreamed it up and told my older brother that I was gonna do this when I was 17 years old is exactly how it has gone, up until the global pandemic, everything was pretty spot on. It’s like a movie script or something,” he says. “The end-all goal really was to come to Nashville and sign a major record deal and try to go play country music at the highest level. But it’s exactly how I envisioned it when I was a teenager, 16-17-years old, it’s gone identical to that, to that dream. So, to say I’m lucky and blessed is an understatement.”
A native of Austin, Texas, Parker has made a strong impression on critics and fans alike. American Songwriter notes, “he teeters on the edge of next-level superstardom, taking cues from rule breakers like Chris Stapleton and Kacey Musgraves,” while Rolling Stone adds, “Parker is a no-holds-barred, confessional singer-songwriter who excels at relatable tales.” Parker continues to rack up impressive streaming numbers recently crossing over 350M total career domestic streams. His No. 1 single, “Pretty Heart,” can be found on Parker’s recent EP release, Hollywood Gold.
Parker has been named a SiriusXM Highway Finds Artist and has previously been selected as an Artist to Watch by CMT, Rolling Stone, SiriusXM, MusicRow and Sounds Like Nashville. A singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and dedicated road warrior, Parker began building a following in 2015 with his album The Limestone Kid. The track “Meet You in The Middle” became a hit on Texas’ regional radio chart — no small feat for an independent, 22-year-old musician — but it was the album’s widely-acclaimed follow-up, Probably Wrong, that helped Parker find national success. Compared to John Mayer and Jason Isbell by Rolling Stone, Parker supported the album with a string of sold-out shows, bringing record-breaking crowds to venues like San Angelo’s RiverStage and two sold-out night at Billy Bob’s along the way. Born in Conroe, TX, the 28-year-old artist bridges the gap between Texas’ homegrown music scene and Nashville’s country-industry headquarters.
Parker McCollum (dreamed of success) OC: …understatement. :52
“It’s like exactly how I dreamed it up and told my older brother that I was gonna do this when I was 17 years old is exactly how it has gone, up until the global pandemic, everything was pretty spot on. It’s like a movie script or something. I grew up listening to the Randy Rogers Band…but Randy from the Randy Rogers Band managed me for two-and-a-half years. That was a dream come true; it felt like that was the end-all goal for a little while. It was like man, we made it, but the end-all goal really was to come to Nashville and sign a major record deal and try to go play country music at the highest level. But it’s exactly how I envisioned it when I was a teenager, 16-17-years old, it’s gone identical to that, to that dream. So, to say I’m lucky and blessed is an understatement.”
