Parker McCollum Takes Next Step With His Latest EP "Hollywood Gold"
For many years, Texas Country Music and Nashville Country Music have, for the most part, stayed separate and had different styles, ideas and fanbases. In the last few years, the two worlds have collided as Cody Johnson signed a record deal in 2018 with Warner Music Nashville to partner with his own label CoJo. After releasing 6 independent albums that quickly make a name for him in Texas, he now is getting the recognition he deserves from Nashville. This partnership acted as a major gateway for other rising artists who have recently signed record deals in Nashville. These artists include Koe Wetzel (Columbia Records), Randall King (Warner Music Nashville) and Parker McCollum (Universal Music Group Nashville). There have been artists from the Texas scene in Nashville before, but it’s definitely rewarding to see Texas natives thrive in Music City in this age of Country Music..
Parker McCollum took a big leap from performing around Texas for a few years - starting around 2013 - to releasing two independent albums. The first was in 2015 with "The Limestone Kid" and the second album in 2017 titled "Probably Wrong". These albums helped give Parker momentum which turned into a record deal with Universal Music Group Nashville in 2019. Parker started out with a bang for the new label by dropping his single "Pretty Heart" on August 30, 2019 followed by "Like A Cowboy" releasing on April 10th, 2020. That was followed by "Young Man's Blues" that dropped on August 14th, 2020. The three singles have combined for over 53 million streams on Spotify and are all featured on Parker's EP "Hollywood Gold".
Parker McCollum Showcases "Songs of Gold" in New EP
On October 16th, 2020 Parker dropped his highly anticipated 6-track EP "Hollywood Gold". This included three of his previously released singles as well as three brand new songs "Hallie Ray Light", "Hold Me Back" and "Love You Like That". I think what makes Parker McCollum's music appealing is his story telling ability, intertwined with a smooth talking sound that takes up all of your attention from start to finish. To top it off the man has SWAG!
In a press conference about the EP, when asked about what he wanted people to take away from this batch of songs, Parker said:
“I don’t say it out loud really well. I feel kind of nerdy, but honest. These songs, when I write, they really take a hold of my mind. I just want to make sure I put out music that feels real and people can believe it. Whether they like it or not,it’s important that it doesn’t feel fabricated.”
As many artists do, Parker relies heavily on personal experience to influence his writing and put out music that is not only honest, but relatable to everyone listening. His ability to weave honest experiences with witty songwriting is why Parker is at the forefront of this next wave of rising artists in Nashville and Texas. Every song written by songwriters has importance when they put pen to paper. When Parker was asked about his favorite song on the "Hollywood Gold" EP he had this to say:
“My favorite off the new EP would be “Young Man’s Blues”. I think of my previous records and everything I have written both this year and last year. Everything I write is about what I’ve already gone through or am going through at the time. It seems that after a few months, these songs are even more relevant, which is weird. “Young Man’s Blues” was one of those - even though it was hard to admit that when I wrote it. It was relevant at the time and it’s even harder to admit I still feel like that. Wish I could move on, but it holds a little weight with me and was the most honest I was on the track..."
Head over to your favorite streaming service and check out Parker McCollum's new EP, this man has what it takes to make it to the top of Country Music and he's just getting started. If you are just discovering Parker and his music check him out on Apple Music or Spotify as well as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.