Let's all be honest with ourselves... we all have that one ex that no matter what, we just can't shake. Could be a few months or a few years and that ex always finds a way to make your mind go crazy. It's a feeling that many of us have felt more than once and often it doesn't make sense... Then all the sudden the one and only Brinley Addington swoops in and delivers this brand new single "Still Not Over You" and paints the perfect picture of that gut wrenching feeling. Instead of going to a therapist to talk about that crazy ex, just throw this bad boy on the speaker and BOOM it will all make sense. Who needs Dr. Phil when Brinley Addington not only drops an absolute heater, but also helps you sort through your feelings?
Get To Know Brinley
Hailing from Kingsport, Tennessee, Brinley made the move to music city in 2008. His plan - to go to college at Belmont University after having startied at Middle Tennessee State University in 2006. Brinley's already burning passion for music made him want to be close to the action. At Belmont, he was able to meet several people that he has since worked in the industry with - from playing in his band to others who he writes songs with. Brinley talks about how from an early age he was exposed to Country Music and quickly fell in love. One memory from his early years that Brinley used to describe his love for music was when he would stand on his family's coffee table and pretend he was performing at The Grand Ole Opry. And yes... there are pictures to prove it. After that moment, his grandpa bought him a toy guitar and it seemed like all Brinley was doing was playing guitar and performing. His first show in front of people was in the 4th grade at the school talent show. That translated to him singing in church. Brinley credits his drive to "do" music to the loving people around him who always gave him positive vibes and told him that he could have a career in music. This gave Brinley the confidence to chase his passion in Country Music. As he got older, Brinley began to dive deeper into the lyrical side of things and became interested in writing songs and being able to express all sorts of experiences and emotions through songs. From there, Brinley had the pieces to be successful in Music City. He describes his early experiences in Nashville as a "snowball effect". They went from just meeting some cool people at Belmont to meeting folks in the industry that took him under his wing to getting a band together and playing a small circuit at sorority and fraternities. These opportunities led to Brinley playing some big shows and festivals. Brinley Addington has became a veteran in the Country Music industry and is still just getting started.
Should Just Change His Name To Brinley "Hitmaker" Addington
For a long while I have been a fan of Brinley's. One thing that he brings to the table in every song is pure honesty intertwined with elite songwriting. I don't know what it is, but with every song he puts out, as I ride down an open dirt road listening, his lyrics just speak to me. No crazy beats, no voice mixers, just his made-for-country voice and killer instruments. "Still Not Over You" gives the perspective of a person struggling to get over their one significant other, reliving hard moments and questioning what went wrong. Like I said before, we all have been there. Mix his smooth songwriting with a bad ass kind of vibe and a little electric guitar and you've got yourself a jam-sandwich.
Inspiration Behind "Still Not over You"
Written By: Brinley Addington, Produced By: Brinley Addington (What a machine this guy is eh)
"This is about realizing you are still not over someone after a couple of years. I actually wrote this when I was over the person. For me to write about something personal, it usually takes me zooming out and getting past it to look at it honestly without being tore up. By doing this I can still remember the emotions, but I'm better able to write about them. It was funny, I wrote this back in 2016 and was over her, but was still carrying thoughts around and it all started pouring out. I wrote it at my kitchen table in like 45 minutes, it was pretty crazy. Of all the songs I have written by myself up to this point, this one really stuck out. This song is so real and important to me. I stumbled upon this song as I was moving things over to my new computer, so I listened and I was like "wow... this is really important to me, I'm just going to put it out and see what happens."
Q & A With Brinley Addington
Q: Who are the people that influence you the most to continue on the journey of the artist side of things and not just being a songwriter?
A: "The biggest encourager I have in my corner is definitely my mother. She, ever since I was a kid, has always been supportive. This industry is not easy to get into. I think it might be easier to get into the NFL. Anytime I ever brought up singing, taking lessons or anything along those lines, my mom was right by my side to encourage me. And she wasn't just someone who stayed in the background, she was always proactive. If I wanted to do something new, she was the first person to help me to figure out how I could achieve it. Mom popped the idea for me to go to a school down in Nashville so I could be closer to everything and that ended up being a major help. The most important thing to me was that she never pushed me in one direction of the other, just let me do what I wanted to do and figure it out on my own. Some people use the term mama's boy as a bad thing, but I am one for sure and I'm proud of it. My mom was always in my corner. I also have a great group of friends. Someone who has been involved in all my records is Aaron Eshuis. He played in my band and has been a good friend. I could go on and on about people who have supported me."
Q: Favorite thing about Nashville?
A: "So many things I love about this place because it's where I've always wanted to be. I love the community in the Country Music industry, it makes it feel like a small town. I have never wanted to live in a big city and I still don't. This place has grown so much, but everyone is so close here. Also, there is so much good food here and everywhere you turn there's live music. It's also not too far to go and do outdoors stuff. We've got it all, including pro sports. If you're bored, it's your own fault." (Hey Brinley, if you decide to quit music you'd be a hell of a tour guide around Nashville... could be your second calling.)
Q: If you could write a song with someone, who would it be and who would you want to cut it?
A: "Oh wow... that's tough. Back in the day everyone wanted a George Strait cut, because he's the king, but he always picked great songs. For me there are three artists I would love to cut one of my songs. Kenny Chesney because he has a great ear for songwriting. Also, Tim McGraw and then Blake Shelton. All those guys are at the top of their game and are great story tellers. As far as writing, I have writer heroes and I have been fortunate enough to write with a lot of them which has been cool. Dean Dillon has been a hero of mine. I love what I'm doing and I'll write with anyone and sometimes it doesn't work out, but I love what I'm doing.
Q: Growing up, what was a trend that you embraced that you look back and really question why you thought that was a good idea?
A: "Man, in high school everybody got into the like stove pipe jeans and that was more like if you were in the skater crowd, but everyone was doing it and we all looked so stupid. Even my mom was like "why would you ever want to wear these?" I was the one that realized how stupid they were."
If you are just discovering Brinley, head over to your favorite streaming service and check out some of his other jams including: "Come Back", "Those Kind of Songs" and "Changing My Mind".
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