Jordan Davis
Bio
“This is exactly the record I want to put out. I don’t know what’s going to happen with it, but I can
at least tell you that the one certainty I do have about this record, is I’m proud of it.” – Jordan Davis
To bring Jordan Davis to that admission has been a life’s journey. In stepping back with country
music’s biggest stars to emerge in recent years of his latest album Bluebird Days, he tells not only the
magic of a song like CMA Song of the Year “Buy Dirt,” but of the evolution of Jordan Davis the
person, the songwriter, and the artist.
Sometimes, a popular song becomes more than just a hit—it turns into a phenomenon. And that’s
what happened with “Buy Dirt,” Davis’ 2021 duet with Luke Bryan. It reached Number One on the Hot
Country Songs chart and was one of the Top Five most streamed country songs in both 2021 and
2022. That kind of success brings expectations, but—as Davis discovered when he set to work on his
follow-up album Bluebird Days—it can also lead to a new sense of possibility.
“There’s pressure, definitely,” he says. “It’s not about trying to recreate ‘Buy Dirt,’ but we can
approach songs like we approached that one, and that’s to write something that people are going to
feel, and not just hear.”
“I’ve settled into a really good headspace in writing songs, which is rooted in being honest—about
past things that I’ve gone through, good or bad, and about some things that have kind of scared me
about the future. So, the best thing for me is that ‘Buy Dirt’ opened up a whole other lane of songs
that I think people can really connect with.”
With Bluebird Days (Davis’ second full-length album, following 2018’s Home State, which included the
Platinum-selling No. 1 hits “Singles You Up,” “Take It from Me,” and “Slow Dance in a Parking Lot;”
he’s also released two EPs), the Shreveport, Louisiana-born singer-songwriter digs deep into his own
experiences for a collection that offers a wide range of emotions, meditations, and memories,
matched by his signature sound, blending traditional and contemporary genres and styles. With a
young family and a career that’s rapidly on the rise, he was still surprised to see the depth that this
material was reaching.
“As you start writing for a record, you’re kind of stockpiling songs and at some point, you go back and
take inventory,” he says. “As I started looking back on the songs I’d written, I was like, ‘Wow, I really
wrote about that’ or ‘I showed that side that I never had.’ There’s a song called ‘Short Fuse’ that’s
about a temper that I have. A lot of people don’t see that, and unfortunately, the people that do see it
are the people I’m closest to, and it’s a song about me trying to change that.”
The title track examines his life as a child of divorced parents. While initially nervous to put the song
on the record, he reflects that ultimately, “I know a lot of people are going to connect with that and go,
‘Man, I feel the exact same way.’”
He points to “Fishing Spot” as an especially personal moment on Bluebird Days. “I bought a fishing
boat—that was, like, the biggest purchase I’ve made,” he says. “It’s very unassuming, it’s nothing
special at all. But I fell in love with fishing because of my grandfather. And I remember that first day
thinking, ‘This is cool, man—I got this boat, and one day me and my son and my daughter can come
fish,’ and then an overwhelming sadness came over me.”
“I think it’s just that it was kind of a pipe dream,” he continues. “We didn’t grow up with a ton of
money, so the idea of having a boat and being able to go out and do whatever at this point in my life
was just kind of crazy. I did a lot of talking to my grandfather out there that day, and that’s definitely
one song that comes from a very real place.”
For the first time, Davis included two songs that he didn’t have a hand in writing—although, with
“Money Isn’t Real,” it wasn’t for lack of effort. “I’d been trying to write a song called ‘When the Money
Runs Out,’” he says. “I’d started it, thrown it away, restarted, and it was terrible. But I wanted to touch
on how my relationship with money was not good. I truly thought that the more that I had, the less
problems I would have, and that’s not true at all. It can make things easier, but it is not a problem
solver. And the way these writers did it was brilliant, exactly what I was trying to say.”
Davis thinks it’s no accident that he recorded this album almost exactly ten years after he moved to
Nashville to take his shot at a music career, with all the reflection that anniversary stirred up. “I was
working a bartending gig that I really wasn’t super happy about,” he says, “but it was keeping me in
Nashville so that I could wake up at eight o’clock—after getting home at 1:30—go write a song for five
hours and then go right back to the bar and wash, rinse, repeat. If I were to go back and tell that guy,
‘Hey, man, in ten years, you’re gonna have a pretty successful touring schedule, you’re gonna have
four or five Number Ones, and you’re gonna have a CMA Song of the Year that you co-wrote with
your brother?’ I would just say ‘Thanks for the optimism, I appreciate it, but that’s not happening—
you’re crazy.’”
“So, I look back and think about how fortunate I’ve been to meet the people I’ve met, to get to write
songs with the people I get to write songs with. Every once in a while, you need a ball to bounce your
way, and I was blessed to get some of those bounces.”
As serious as some of the themes on Bluebird Days are, this sense of joy also shines through on
songs like “Damn Good Time” and “One Beer in Front of the Other.” Davis notes that “Tucson Too
Late” is probably the most traditional country song he’s ever recorded (“There’s not many songs I’ve
put out narrating somebody else’s story”), comparing it to Keith Whitley’s classic “Miami, My Amy.” He
credits the album’s daring, exciting sonics to producer Paul DiGiovanni—”I truly let Paul run wild; he’s
the best in town. I trust him and that belief hasn’t let us down yet.”
To Davis, there was one overarching ambition for the project. “The big thing for me was to show my
growth,” he says. “Growth in shows, growth in the songwriting, growth in the topics we’re touching on.
I really wanted to show how I’ve changed as an artist and a songwriter, for the better, than on my first
album.” And he credits much of that determination to the example of artists with whom he’s been
fortunate enough to work and tour.
“Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, Luke Combs—those guys know exactly what they do, who they want to
be, what they want to say,” he says. “You don’t have a career like Luke Bryan’s without saying, ‘Hey,
this is me, this is what I do.’ That’s what I take away from those guys, to be confident in who you are
and what you do.”
Davis draws on that confidence to take a major step forward, allowing all the ways he’s challenged
himself to give him a greater sense of certainty and conviction. “There are a lot of things I can’t
control,” he says, “but I can control the records I make, and I want to know that I did everything
possible to make the best music I could. So far, I feel sure that I’ve done that.”
Now with Bluebird Days, Davis can undoubtedly say, “This is exactly the record I want to put out. I
don’t know what’s going to happen with it, but I can at least tell you that the one certainty I do have
about this record, is I’m proud of it.”
News
View all news on Jordan DavisPARKER MCCOLLUM ANNOUNCES WINTER TOUR DATES ROUNDING OUT 2023.
Parker McCollum, has announced his remaining 2023 tour dates to close out the year. The powerhouse performer has been hitting the road this year with his latest album, Never Enough, playing arenas and amphitheaters across the country and making appearances at some of Country music’s biggest festivals including Stagecoach and Country Thunder. He can also be seen on tour stops this year with Morgan Wallen and Eric Church.
2023 Winter Tour Dates:
12.14.23 | Las Vegas, NV | The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan | *with Chancey Williams |
12.15.23 | Las Vegas, NV | The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan | *with Chancey Williams |
12.29.23 | San Antonio, TX | AT&T Center | *with Corey Kent & Catie Offerman |
12.30.23 | Tulsa, OK | BOK Center | *with Corey Kent & Catie Offerman |
12.31.23 | Fort Worth, TX | Dickies Arena | *with Catie Offerman |
General on-sale for these newly announced dates is available starting on June 16th at 10:00am local time.
For a full list of Parker’s upcoming tour dates and tickets, please visit parkermccollum.com/tour
Recently, Parker released his latest album, Never Enough – a full spectrum look at an ever-evolving artist at the top of his game. The 15-song collection is underscored with authenticity, vulnerability, top-tier Country music songwriting and a little bit of defiance. Produced by Jon Randall, Never Enough has already produced a #1 hit with the forlorn track “Handle on You.”
Parker has just released his new single, “Burn It Down.”
LISTEN NOW: JON LANGSTON KNOWS WHAT “WHISKEY DOES”
Jon Langston is mending a broken heart with a black label buzz on his new track, “Whiskey Does,” out today. Langston co-wrote the song with Brad Wagner, Cole Taylor and Jordan Gray. Listen to “Whiskey Does” here. Langston’s latest release follows new songs “Ain’t No Cowboy” and “Howdy Howdy Howdy.”
This weekend, Langston is taking the stage at Carolina Country Music Fest (6/9) and Cedar Fest (6/10). He will perform at Nashville’s CMA Fest on Sunday (6/11) on the Chevy Riverfront Stage at 12:15 p.m., before his 2:00 p.m. fan party at MUSIC IS UNIVERSAL at Skydeck on Broadway.
About Jon Langston:
Jon Langston grew up in Loganville, GA, listening to music by his heroes Alan Jackson and the Eagles. Earning a Division 1 college football scholarship, Langston always thought football would be a part of his life, but after his sixth concussion left him blind for fifteen minutes, his football career ended abruptly. He picked up his guitar – untouched since eighth grade – and re-taught himself how to play. Performing at open mic nights and honing his songwriting led to the 2013 release of self-penned, “Forever Girl,” the first song he ever wrote, and now certified GOLD by the RIAA. That release kicked off his music career, culminating in sold out shows across the country and over 500 million career streams. Once a fan attending Luke Bryan’s Farm Tour in Athens, GA, Langston experienced a full circle moment by joining Bryan on the Farm Tour in 2017 and 2018, and again as support on his Sunset Repeat Tour in 2019. Langston signed a publishing deal with Sony ATV, management with KP Entertainment, and is the first artist signed under Bryan’s label 32 Bridge Entertainment with EMI Records Nashville. He made his Grand Ole Opry debut in February 2022, and his recent releases “Howdy Howdy Howdy,” “Give You My All and “Beers Got Drank” highlight his adept songwriting and classic country influences. He released his anticipated EP Now You Know in 2019, featuring six original songs he co-wrote. Langston’s debut major label single, “When It Comes To Loving You” hit No. 1 on the all-genre iTunes Chart and his single “Now You Know” reached the Top 30 on the country radio airplay charts. Catch Langston out on the road for his headlining LET’S GET ROWDY TOUR this spring.
CMA FEST 2023: NIGHT ONE
The 50th annual CMA Fest (formerly known as Fan Fair) kicked off on Thursday (June 8th), and the entertainment was everywhere in downtown Nashville. The official kick-off took place at the Riverfront Stage with Lainey Wilson and continued throughout the day, ending up with a party at Nissan Stadium with performances by Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Tyler Hubbard, Darius Rucker, Elle King, Luke Combs, Carly Pearce, Dan + Shay and a surprise appearance by Vince Gill.
Dierks, who is co-hosting next month’s ABC-TV special CMA Fest with Elle King and Lainey Wilson, says he’s not only a country artist, but a fan of the format as well. “This is a great weekend for me, ‘cause I get to go from the Station Inn to the Stadium. I mean, I get to run my whole life in that little, you know, I started off going to watch a band play at the Station Inn back in 1994 with dreams of one day trying to make it as a country artist and nothing says country artist like playing the Stadium here in Nashville. So, it’s kind of a look back at my life in a short six-day period,” says Dierks. “So it’s really, for me it’s a magical week of reflection and being a fan. I’m playing, but also just like total fan mode. I’ve always said I’m a fan of country music first and foremost, and this weekend is a great place to be a fan. It’s just the best of the best.”
Vince was a special surprise guest during Luke Combs’ set, to which the newly-anointed country superstar called his “absolute hero.” The pair teamed up on Vince’s 1993 hit “One More Last Chance.” Vince says he’s grateful to be a part of CMA Fest. “This is a genre of music unlike anything that I’ve ever experienced. It’s a grateful artist base. It’s grateful for the people that give us the opportunity to do what we do, you know, whether it’s at the Fairgrounds or whether it’s a bigger place. I don’t know if it ever really mattered,” says Vince. All those people out there that buy a ticket to come and do this whether they stand in line to get somebody’s autograph or go to a show or whatever. They’re just here because they like what we do, you know? And it feels good to let them know they’re appreciated and not be standoffish and not be that way. So, I’ve always enjoyed it.”
Backstage prior to his first Nissan Stadium performance, Jordan Davis said he came to Nashville to be a songwriter and never dreamed he’d get to perform at Nissan Stadium during CMA Fest. “Long story short, I moved to town to write songs. I had never played with a band; I’d never played a show,” says the Louisiana native. “I was trying to get a publishing deal and trying to get other artists to cut my songs. I truly started playing music and trying to go after being an artist, because I didn’t know if that was going to happen. So, I figured I was already this far down the road, so I might as well start trying to make some money gigging around and here we are. I kind of fell backwards into it, but I’m very grateful I did. I truly never, never dreamed that I would be playing on the stage that I’m getting to play on tonight.”
Having performed his two No. 1 songs as a solo artist — “5 Foot 9” and “Dancin’ In The Country” — Tyler Hubbard is overwhelmed by the reaction the fans have had for his recent self-titled album.
Audio / Dierks Bentley, who is co-hosting the ABC-TV CMA Fest, says he’s not only a performer, but also a fan during this special week.
DownloadDierks Bentley (CMA Fest 2023) OC: …best of the best. :48
“This is a great weekend for me, ‘cause I get to go from the Station Inn to the Stadium. I mean, I get to run my whole life in that little, you know, I started off going to watch a band play at the Station Inn back in 1994 with dreams of one day trying to make it as a country artist and nothing says country artist like playing the Stadium here in Nashville. So, it’s kind of a look back at my life in a short six-day period, and even the Hot Country Knights is like that’s to me Lower Broadway at its best…or worst. But, so it’s really, for me it’s a magical week of reflection and being a fan. I’m playing, but also just like total fan mode. I’ve always said I’m a fan of country music first and foremost, and this weekend is a great place to be a fan. It’s just the best of the best.”
Audio / Vince Gill talks about CMA Fest, formerly known as Fan Fair.
DownloadVince Gill (CMA Fest) OC: …grateful. 1:03
“This is a genre of music unlike anything that I’ve ever experienced. It’s a grat4eful artist base. It’s grateful for the people that give us the opportunity to do what we do, you know, whether it’s at the Fairgrounds or whether it’s a bigger place. I don’t know if it ever really mattered. All those people out there that buy a ticket to come and do this whether they stand in line to get somebody’s autograph or go to a show or whatever. They’re just here because they like what we do, you know? And it feels good to let them know they’re appreciated and not be standoffish and not be that way. So, I’ve always enjoyed it. This is about my 40th year of doing anything connected with whatever they call it. (laughs) I don’t even know anymore (laughs), but it’s still the same thing. It’s just a bunch of people that loves what everybody does and man, it’s great for everybody to hang and just sitting backstage running into so and so and running into so and so, you don’t get to see them very often. So, you know grateful.”
Audio / Backstage prior to his performance at Nissan Stadium on Thursday night, Jordan Davis talked about how he became an artist.
DownloadJordan Davis (CMA Fest 2023) OC: …play on tonight. :34
“Long story short, I moved to town to write songs. I had never played with a band; I’d never played a show. I was trying to get a publishing deal and trying to get other artists to cut my songs. I truly started playing music and trying to go after being an artist, because I didn’t know if that was going to happen. So, I figured I was already this far down the road, so I might as well start trying to make some money gigging around and here we are. I kind of fell backwards into it, but I’m very grateful I did. I truly never, never dreamed that I would be playing on the stage that I’m getting to play on tonight.”
Audio / Tyler Hubbard says it means the world to him to see his songs connect with the fans.
DownloadTyler Hubbard (CMA Fest 2023) OC: …part of it. :36
“It means a ton to me to have these songs connect the way they have, it’s been really special. It’s inspired me, it’s motivated me, and it makes me want to keep doing it, and it’s given me a lot of life. These songs are special, and they mean a lot and to watch the fans sing ‘em back to me at the shows and to hear their stories and to see their videos that they’re making to my music, it’s fulfilling as a songwriter, as an artist. It’s just what I love, and like I said, it just motivates me to keep doing this thing. I just love the connection, and that’s what music does. It brings us together and so that’s why I’m honored to be a part of it.”