George Birge
Appearances
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
Nick, I'm so glad to be here, man. Thank you guys for having me.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
I got to pump y'all up. I told Lana at soundcheck that I was coming on the, on the show with you guys. She was pumped. She is a huge bachelor fan and she knew exactly about you guys. And she was like, Oh, you're going to love it. And here's what you have to say. And this is everything about them. So Lana gassed you guys up. So now I'm super pumped to be here.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
Like wildest dreams kind of stuff.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
An email. An email? From her management to my management, it was one sentence. Would George like to play cowboy songs with Lana Del Rey at Stagecoach?
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
No, but at first, did you think it was real?
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
I have been chasing this dream forever, so I'm not used to any of this, guys. Any of this. Even playing stagecoach, I'm like, how am I here? So last year was the craziest year of my life, and we started to have some real success for the first time. So all this still feels a bit like a fever dream, but we get this email in, and I had texted my manager back. I was like, hey, man, that's spam.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
I was like, we're getting catfished. Don't respond.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
Um, and he's like, no, man, I just got off a conference call with her management in London. And, um, this is very real. And next thing I know, um, she's flying us out there. She covered our hotel rooms for the week. And, um, we flew out a Monday of stage coaching. They had been there three weeks rehearsing. Cause I mean, that staging was insane. They built a whole house.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
Like it literally felt like you were walking onto a movie set. So we go out there and, uh,
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
walk in and she's just sitting in her dressing room just her and her husband who is the nicest most country guy that i've ever met so um she married a gator boat captain from louisiana still giving tours like he is and he sounds and i can say this because this is what she calls him she calls him water boy because he sounds like bobby boucher from the water boy And, uh, I had to thank him.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
He, he said that he has country music on in the house all the time. And that's how Lana heard the song and that they started dancing to cowboy songs, uh, in the kitchen every night. And she had toyed with it for a while and then ended up asking us.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And a picture of them like literally making memories around it, Right. Dancing in the kitchen to it. That's exactly why I write songs. And you lose perspective of that a little bit in the creative process. And you try not to because you want to write with the intention of songs going to that place. But a lot of times it's three of us in a dark studio with a guitar and you and
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And you don't really know the reach for where those songs are going. So having like those moments in the live shows and seeing where these land and how they affect people is so inspiring as a writer, as an artist, and to have the biggest of the big making it part of their lives. It's pretty cool. Yeah.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
So you're a trendsetter.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
Was inspired by my mom. How in sick is that? I love that.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
I think it was a concept. So it was me and a couple of buddies. And I do my best writing when I get out of town. It can feel very corporate in Nashville just because once you have a record deal and once you have a publishing deal and management and everybody's, you know, it can get monetized and and just commercialize so quick, especially in town.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And they'll put it on your calendar, you know, from 11 to four, you're going to be in the studio today and we booked you XYZ writer who has written XYZ hit and they're going to be in the room with you and they're going to help you write these songs. And all of a sudden you feel like you lose a bit of your like creative spark, right?
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
Because music is not something that you can flip a light on and off. You can't say like, I'm going to write a hit today or I'm going to capture magic today or I'm going to feel inspired today. It's very much equated to fishing, right? Like you have a line in the water and most days you're not going to catch anything.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And every day now and then you're going to catch something worth hanging on the wall. And so you're just trying to catch that lightning in a bottle. And so I like to get off campus. We'll go rent a house on a beach or a lake or somewhere that's quiet and still, and there's no pressure.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And if you want to write a song at six o'clock in the morning, or if you want to write a song at midnight, you can do it. And so it was me and three buddies. We had spent a week out there and I've kind of found my circle in town of guys that know me.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And I think that's really important for me when I'm writing with other songwriters, just knowing what I would and wouldn't say, what my brand is, who I am. Because as an artist, I have to go believe it when I sing it on stage. Country fans like no other can sniff out bullshit in a heartbeat, right?
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
Like if you don't believe it, like if you're not selling it for real, they will call you out on it so fast. And so I've got guys that know me and we're sitting and we'd written a couple songs already. And my buddy goes, man, I don't know what this means. He's like, I don't even have any other words around it. But I had this title and I thought it was cool.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And it's called She Only Dances to Cowboy Songs. I paused for a second and I just kind of tried to flip some pictures in my head. And I was like, I know exactly what that means. And my wife and I met when we were 18 years old down in Texas. She's a West Texas farmer's daughter from Abilene. I grew up in Austin.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And I remember the first time I saw her and she's always, you know, Daisy Dukes and cowboy boots. And I remember thinking like, that's the hottest girl I've ever seen when I saw her in a bar.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
and uh she is so put together these days but she was a bit rowdy when we were in college and it took me a couple months of chasing her to kind of finally get her to agree on a go on a date with me and like us to get together and so i started like picturing all these smoky dive bar nights of like chasing her um and and there's only cowboy songs when you're going out in austin and uh this song kind of just came out of that yeah wow it's a great story well
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
She loved it. She's got a little crop top that says she only dances to cowboy songs on it now. So she's very proud to have inspired this song.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
I am. I have two little boys. We start young in Texas. So they're five and eight. And they are just like my little clones. We barbecue in the backyard when I'm home. I got them playing golf with me. So we'll go play.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
We're on the road most of the days, but usually the bus gets back to Nashville Sunday morning and we'll go play three or four holes of golf together and then barbecue in the afternoon. They love country music. They're actually flying out to Denver this weekend to come to the show. Do they give you their opinion on your song? A hundred percent. Real honest. My older son gasses me up.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
Everything I write, he's like, Dad, that's the best thing you ever did. He's like, that's going to be a hit, Dad. And my younger son, he's like, no, that's trash, Dad. So it's a good cop, bad cop situation.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
I think, I was just thinking about that because I was reading a little bit about you guys before I came in and I saw that y'all have a new daughter and I think y'all are right on the cusp of the most fun part. Right about 18 months, I feel like their personality starts to come out a little bit. You start getting some of that babble, some of the first words, some of the attitude starts to come in.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
It's already happening. Yeah. A hundred percent. Because, you know, the first year especially, mom is in charge no matter what just because, you know, mom can... can nurture them and soothe them. And it's that comfortable blanket. But about 18 months, that's when dad can start, you know, getting a little bit of attitude and hanging with them and the personality comes out.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And that's when I had so much fun.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
On the edge of your seat.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
You get to re-watch a bunch of stuff that you wouldn't really have an excuse to watch by yourself without kids. 100%. But I mean, now I'm I'm going to the movies and watching Sonic the Hedgehog. I just went and saw the Minions in the movie theater. I'm like, I wouldn't have done that by myself, but I'm in, you know, get some popcorn and go hang with the kids.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
The other thing is, as they get a little bit older and start eating off the kids menu, like you're not going to order a cheese quesadilla yourself, but if there's a leftover.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
Yeah. Um, gosh, those guys, it's crazy to even be able to call them friends now because they were such an impact on me. Just watching him on YouTube when I was in high school, trying to sound like them and, you know, write songs like them. And so to even be in the same ball game as those guys now is, is insane. Um, Brantley was the first artist to bet on me big, uh, I had no following.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
I had just signed a record deal as a solo artist. I don't think I was worth 10 tickets at the time. And he asked me to come open back to back nights for him at Red Rocks. And that was kind of my coming out party. I mean, it was probably four years ago now. And I remember just like pure adrenaline and it was sold out both nights and you look up and Red Rocks goes straight up.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
So even the backseat, the 10,000 person in the back is on top of you looking down when you're on stage. So you go out there and it just feels like you're in a coliseum. And the reverb from the rocks all around you from that first drum, it just sounds larger than life. And I remember being like, man, this is what I want to do forever. This is the coolest feeling in the world.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And so we got to play that and it was incredible. And thank God it was back to back nights because the first night I'm pretty sure I blacked out. Like I don't remember anything. It was like pure adrenaline. But I go side stage to watch Brantley's set and he's playing and he's killing it. And Brantley's just like the king. Cool.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
Like everything he says is is bad ass. And he takes a little cigarette break like 30 minutes into the set, which I also think is insane. But he's letting the band jam and he walks side stage and I'll never forget. He lit a cigarette and he takes his big drag and he exhales and he looks this side of me and he goes, pretty fucking cool, huh? And I was like, this is pretty fucking cool.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
and he's just so like he's such a big guy with all those tattoos and I bet he will yeah just like anything he says is just so cool he's the best and we've since gotten to start writing songs together he's like a big brother to me he's had a huge influence on my sound and then
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And Aldine, I mean, entertainer of the year, one of the best to ever do it in country music, a pioneer of his sound like nobody sounded like Jason when he came out. And I think the rock and roll cowboy, he was the first to put those like big, beefy guitars and big drums and add some of that energy to country music. And I did not know that I was going to be able to do the artist thing.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
A lot of times the track in Nashville is you're a songwriter first, you write some hits, other people cut them. And then if you get lucky, you'll have somebody believe in you enough to let you give a shot of recording your own songs. And so my first number one was a song called Mind On You. And I didn't have a record deal or anything going at the time.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And I had written Mind On You and I sent it to Jason Aldean, just being like, this guy is the one I want to sing this song. And the next day I get an email back saying like, don't play this song for anybody. Jason wants to put it on his new record. And I'm like, out of my mind. I'm like, this is everything I could have dreamed of. Like I've made it. This is you can't tell me anything.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
I'm going to be a hit songwriter. Here we go. And fast forward about six months. I had just my social media went viral. All of a sudden, all the record labels are calling. I got to sign a record deal, which was insane. And I'm on the phone with the head of the label. He's like, hey, man, he's like, we're so excited to work with you. And we've been listening to music.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
But that song that you gave to Aldine, he's like, I need you to call and ask for it back because it's going to be your first single and it's going to change your life. And I remember just feeling like the pit in my stomach being like, how am I going to call the entertainer of the year and ask for my song back?
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
But he was so kind about it and he was excited for me and he was excited for my opportunity.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
I called his producer. I didn't want to like, I took the middleman route. So I called his producer and I was like, Hey man, this is a situation. Could you talk to Jason? And like, Then let me know. And, um, he was like, man, I'm sure he's gonna be fine about it, but let me talk to him. And, uh, and they were, they were excited for me and for the opportunity.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
They were probably like, this kid's an idiot because you've got like, if Jason Aldean cuts my song, it's going to go to number one. If he puts it out, everything he puts out goes to number one. My kids will be able to go to college. I'll be able to finally pay my electrical bill. Like life will be a little bit easier.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
Instead, I'm going to take that away and I'm going to bet on a new artist on a startup record label who's never had a hit before, which if you crunch the numbers on that, there's probably like a less than 1% chance of it working. So Jason was probably like, good luck.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
Yeah, 100%.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
It's so funny you say that because about just over a year later, the song did go number one with my name on it, which was insane. And it changed my life, was a breakout song of my career. And I saw Jason at an after party and I went up and said, thank you. And he was like, man, I have been following the life of this song. He's like, I've been watching it all the way up the chart.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
He's like, I want to tell you. He was like, it reminds me so much of my path because Broken Bow, the label that he's on now. And then he started, he was the first artist on the label or like the startup artist on the label. He was their first number one. Um, it was a long shot for him and he had had a couple of failed record deals before. And he was like, it reminds me a lot of my path.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And he was like, I was rooting for you. And it was really cool to see. So like that, I was 10 feet tall after that conversation.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
You just try to capture the energy when we're out there. And I will tell you, standing side stage with Lana, I've gotten to do some cool stuff, right? Like when I was with Jason and Brantley and I'm direct support for Luke Bryan all summer, which is 20,000 people in the theater is amazing.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
hearing that crowd scream for lana before i went on stage i had my in-ears in i had my pack turned all the way up like we're just supposed to mute the crowd so you can hear what you're doing and it was so loud i couldn't hear anything and my heart was beating so i was like i don't know if i can say my last name in the microphone right now but you know you get out there and you start and adrenaline kind of kicks in and it went incredible but it is a rush like no no that's for sure
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
I think that's such a good question. I grew up on country music. It's basically all I ever listened to. And it's sacred to me, right? Like it's my memories of my dad and I in the truck and songs that like I would just get lost in and I would plug my own memories in it.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And like I still remember my dad like showing me his favorite songs and Willie Nelson and George Strait and falling in love with it. And I think that country is such a unique genre because it is super family and friends based and it's so connected and it's values based. And I think there's a lot of strength in that.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
But I also think that I'm so excited that the genre that I personally love and that I've made my life goal to grow is in such a huge spotlight right now. Now, I do think that there's a right and a wrong way to do it. I think that if you want to come into country music,
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
I think having a background in it, you know, knowing who the stars before you were, knowing their songs, knowing what the influences were and using that to like create the country sound that you're wanting to create, I think is an awesome way to do.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
I think Post Malone coming and living in Nashville for two years and writing with all Nashville songwriters and featuring Nashville artists on his record. I think he did it in such a perfect way. And I think he's making genuine country music. And I think it has been such a blessing for us to have him over here because it's grown the genre like crazy. And that's not a flash in a pan thing either.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
I mean, he's been a country fan for a long time. And I think that that kind of reverence shows that you genuinely care about the genre and genuinely want to be part of it rather than just like capitalizing on a pop moment, you know, or like a flash in a pan. I have a crazy story about Post Malone. My first record deal, I was in a band and I got signed by Toby Keith and Toby and I went on tour.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
It was me. And then I think it was David Lee Murphy and then Toby on the tour. And it was the coolest tour I've ever been on. Right. These legends. And I'm kicking off the show and I'm playing when there's like a thousand people there. You know, nobody's gotten to their seats yet. Everybody's like pouring a drink and we're on stage to an empty amphitheater. But it was awesome. Right. Yeah.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And this had been 2018. And it was Toby's birthday in Virginia Beach. And he was like, hey, man, after the show, we're going to party on the bus. And I was like, hell yeah. I'm going to get to party with Toby Keith tonight. Like, this is going to be awesome, right? So I finished my show. I was probably like...
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
gosh I'd have been in my late 20s like yeah yeah um 27 something like that yeah and uh so we go to the bus with Toby and he has like a little tailgate area set out outside so I'm sitting there I have my agent because everybody's always got like their handlers right somebody to like keep you from doing something stupid but also point you in the right direction so my handler's taking me over here putting me in the chair making sure I'm in the right spot when Toby walks up and stuff
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
and I see this group of guys walking behind Toby on the way up to the bus and my manager's like tapping on his shoulder and he's like hey man that's Post Malone and I was like who's Post Malone I have no idea who that is because this is like a long time ago right I think he's like fresh off of White Iverson blowing up and Post was on tour and had made a point to come out to that show because he was a huge Toby Keith fan and this is what eight years before seven years before he makes a country record so I mean he's loved country for a long time so we go up on the bus
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And the other guys were with him were Seal Team 6. So it was me, Seal Team 6, Post Malone, and Toby Keith. And we passed around like one of the giant, giant handles of Jack Daniels. Everybody was smoking inside the tour bus and a guitar. And we passed it around and played covers until like 4 o'clock in the morning. Were you just like, what the fuck is my life?
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
Worst hangover of my life, first of all, right? Seal Team 6 is singing like karaoke style with us. Me, Toby, and Post are passing it along. And Post Malone's singing like Randy Travis and George Strait. And like, he's not Google anything. He knows all the chords. He knows all the words. And I was like that. He genuinely loves country music. And I think that's incredible. My phone died.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
They were on tour buses. We were not at the time. We were we were flying to shows and staying in hotels at the time. So I knew I was in a Holiday Inn and I got in a cab because my phone was dead. I couldn't take an Uber. And I went to five holiday inns before I found the one that I was staying at and watched the sunrise. To this day, the worst hangover of my life. But an incredible night.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
We'll try the next one.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
Gosh, I love to do The Fireman by George Strait, One More Last Chance by Vince Gill, and then Party Crowd by David Lee Murphy are kind of like my go-tos. But I'm a country fiend. So if you're playing something between 90s and now, country music, I'm singing along with you.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
I would say like Nietzsche, like more dated inspiration would probably be Gary Allen. He's kind of like dark, smoky, mysterious. Today, Cameron Marlowe is incredible. He's got a big husky voice that just like it makes you feel something when he sings it.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
About a, I want to say a year ago. There's different types of shows that we do as artists, right? We do the big full band stagecoach or like the Luke Bryan tour in amphitheaters where you're rocking and it's smoke and it's pyro and huge. And then country radio is still a huge part of breaking careers. We say that like as big as streaming is, country is very much radio as well.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
It helps you sell tickets. It helps break a career. And so we put a lot of time into radio and we'll go do these acoustic concerts for radio stations in big markets where they'll, have a bunch of listeners get to come for free and it'll introduce us and we'll just play us on a guitar on a barstool and kind of tell the stories of how the songs came about.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
That way, when they hear them on the radio, they know the artist, they have some familiarity and they also know how the song came about. And so Zach and I, about a year ago, because I had my first hit just before him and then he started blowing up and we were doing it together. And we're sitting on the stage and I think it was me, Zach, Cameron Marlowe and Tiger Lily Gold was the other act.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And I had not heard Zach play before. I've done this for a minute and I've played with some of the biggest artists in the world and I've never once felt like I can't hang or I can't do that. Like I've always felt like for whatever reason, I've always had a rational confidence like I belong here and I can do this. I was watching Zach play and sing and I was like, oh shit.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
I was like, I don't think I can do that. What was it about it that you... He's just so flawless. He doesn't look like he's trying at all. He doesn't miss a note. He's got that twang where he can have the breakup in the top of his voice, but also hit those low Randy Travis notes at the bottom of his range. And meanwhile, he's flat picking guitar like he's got a lead guitar player on stage with him.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
and half the time he's smoking a cigarette or drinking a whiskey while he's doing it. It's not as easy as he makes it look, I promise you.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
So we've become fast friends, actually. Zach and I have kind of both been having crazy years. His has been very crazy, but he's a super down-to-earth guy. We both love a lot of the same things, and I am definitely rooting for him to take over the world because he's a great guy.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
I think it's something that I had a longer past than most to get here. Like, I fell on my face a lot. I joke, like, if there's a bear trap to fall in, I've fallen in it. From bad management deals to bad lawyers to lost label deals. I had five failed singles in a band before I even started a solo career. Wow.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
um i very much uh thought that it might never happen and so the fact that it has opened up to me now and people have given me a chance and like the biggest thing about country music is no matter how good you are unless somebody gives you a hand up you're never gonna get a big enough platform to break all the way.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
You have to have somebody tap you on the shoulder and say, you're good enough to be here and kind of give you that credibility. Jake Owen did that for Zach top. He posted on his social media. He said, this kid is going to be the biggest thing in the world. And he wasn't wrong about it. Brantley did it for me.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
um so you have to have that and i think you're so right in that like country fans are so loyal they buy tickets they show up there's enough to go around for everybody i think if you're scared of the guy that's opening for for you or you're scared of helping out a new artist you're probably in the wrong place and you probably need to look in the mirror a little bit right like yeah so well it won't be long as your current single yes how did that come about how are you feeling about it oh my gosh response has been amazing
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
It's my favorite song I've ever written. I am in a new chapter of my life, which is exciting and scary at the same time. I had my first two number ones last year. All of a sudden, my world's turned upside down. I feel like there's a lot more people that care what I have to say now. I still get a little bit of anxiety playing shows. Are people going to show up?
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And then I'll peek behind the curtain. I'm like, holy shit, it sold out. So it's very much new territory for me. And the crazy thing is you have your whole life to write your first couple of hits because you have your whole life to write your first record.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
and then they need the next one in six months and so it's like you have to very quickly find out like who you are what do you want to say how do you want to evolve how do you want to grow it and I was having a bit of a panic attack at the end of last year of like I just got to the dance I don't want to leave now like I need to back this up and I didn't have a song that I was in love with yet I had a bunch of stuff that sounded like it had kind of been run through the Nashville filter like it had just sounded like
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
If you try hard enough, you could make this a hit, but it's not going to inspire anybody to go dance in the kitchen or it's not going to inspire anybody to like make memories. And that's what I want to do. That's why I make music. And around Thanksgiving of last year, I'm from Texas and my dad's an old cowboy, tough old son of a gun. And he had come visit me in Nashville.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And I have two little guys of my own, like we talked about. And I was looking through the window in the backyard and the old cowboy was That taught me everything I know was teaching my little guys the same thing, like how to shoot a Coke can with a BB gun, how to throw a football. He was helping to put a log on the fire in the fire pit.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And I specifically remember that old man teaching me all the same things. And it just hit me like a ton of bricks. I was like, all of those things that seem like such nothing moments at the time, right? Like they're fleeting little one second. Here are their moments. They seem just like mundane life.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
When you fast forward and you look back on them, a lot of them are core memories that you like hold on to forever for whatever reason. And I was watching that happen in real time and it hit me like a ton of bricks. And so that song ended up falling out that afternoon. And I think it was just like, It was a way for me to peel back the curtain a little bit as my fans are getting closer to me.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
I wanted to get closer to them and tell the story a little bit more. And I just it felt like a really special time in my life. And I wanted to capture that because it moves fast if you let it and you got to grab onto those memories while you can. So that was how the song was inspired. And I was a little bit nervous because it's as vulnerable as I've gotten songwriting.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And it's not a big banger tempo. It's very like piano vocal based. So you always get a little bit scared to put out a ballad as an artist because you got to have an intent listener to listen to a ballad.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
It ended up being the biggest release of my life and has been the fastest climbing the chart ever. So it was really exciting to see it land. And yeah. This is country music. It's real life.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
i didn't get out of that you know so i think this is such a great take on it to the when you said uh it's a different season of life because we were talking about other artists coming to country music and i think that it like as you grow up and like as you look for more depth and lyric and as you have a few more memories to maybe attach to the songs or life experiences that you have to attach to the songs um it has a little more weight on it so like that's why ed sheeran has said he wants to make country records and
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
Post Malone saying when he turns 30 years old, he's going to be a country artist. I think that's what country is. It's love, it's loss, it's life experiences put into songs. And I think once you have enough of your own memories to plug into those songs, they maybe hit a little bit different.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
Is it weird up there sometimes? So I told you all this is I'm learning as I go, right? Because these size of crowds are pretty new to me. And when I was playing for 20 people, I was just so damn thankful that they were there. I was like looking at every single person.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
I hope I see you at the next one and thank you for being here you promise you'll come to the next one and so like I would come out to these big shows with that same attitude and you can't like there's just too much going on and you have to put on a show and you have to think about the lyrics that you're saying and who's coming out and what's the next song on the set list and your drummer's talking in your talkback mic saying hey I don't have click in the house right now I need the sound guy so like there's so much going on
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
that the crowd doesn't see that when you look out there and somebody is holding up a cell phone that says like, you know, take your shirt off or play wagon wheel or whatever. Like, and you're trying to read those while that's going on. Like you will fuck up. I promise. So sometimes you have to just like, look at the broader picture.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
Anything that they're writing on the phone screen and holding up, I promise you don't want to read it. It's like,
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
We are working on an album right now. I've got a bunch of writers out on the bus with me on tour this summer. So we're just trying to catch the energy from playing the shows, come back on the bus and write a song that we feel like they would want to listen to.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
And so an album in the works, but and maybe some duets, some huge duets that I can't believe I'm a part of coming out. I can't say any names, but I would say in the next two months, you will see some pretty awesome songs. We all have brown hair, I guess.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
Hey, Lana Del Rey is a huge fan and so am I. So I promise I won't.
The Viall Files
E926 - Laura Lee & Manny MUA, George Birge, The Valley, Dorit vs PK, Mormon Wives, and Love Island Drama
Nick, Natalie, you guys are awesome. Thanks for having me on.