Sam Hunt: ‘I Have Been Amazed’ By Success of ‘Body Like a Back Road’
It's been almost three years since Sam Hunt released his freshman album, Montevallo. The record spawned five hit singles, with four of the songs going to No. 1 and the multi-platinum "Take Your Time" becoming a Top 20 pop hit as well. Although Hunt has yet to release his sophomore album, the disc's debut single, "Body Like a Back Road," is a great hint of what fans can expect from his next set of tunes.
"I have been amazed," Hunt recently told The Boot and other reporters of the success of "Body Like a Back Road," which broke a record for most weeks at No. 1. "I think I’ve been impressed with the fans of mine, and the loyalty they show. Because a lot of the momentum early on came from the anticipation from the fans in the first place, I wanted to get more music out. I didn’t have a record finished, but I had that song that I was working on, and I had a tour coming up.
"I heard from the fans that they wanted to hear new music, and I wanted to play new music, so the excitement that they had for new music, I think, was the catalyst for that song taking off and reaching more ears," Hunt adds. "They’re finding the new record now because of this. It’s really doing a lot more for the whole deal than I could have ever anticipated."
While fans are eager to hear more from Hunt, the 32-year-old says he wants to make sure everything is perfect before he releases it.
"It’s flattering to know that people are anxiously awaiting new music," says Hunt. "Part of the reason I take more care with the writing process and the recording process and making sure the songs are right is because there’s an expectation that [fans] have, and I want to meet that with new music. And so, I work really hard on the songs in the studio, to make sure I’m not just phoning it in. As I’m writing the songs, I always appreciate that anticipation. It’s always inspired me to work even harder to make sure that the songs are ready and right when we put them out.
"["Body Like a Back Road"] has been out for a few months now, and it’s really done big things for my tour and career," Hunt continues. "I’m excited to keep building, almost, on that song and the song we put out before it, and just continue to put out music at whatever place the creative process allows."
As I’m writing the songs, I always appreciate that anticipation. It’s always inspired me to work even harder to make sure that the songs are ready and right when we put them out.
Hunt's also been busy in his personal life recently: In April, he married his longtime on-again-off-again girlfriend Hannah Lee Fowler, the muse for much of his music.
"Love is inspiring as a musician," Hunt concedes. "I’ve mentioned before that she was a huge inspiration for the first record. That didn’t necessarily mean every song was a literal reflection of something that happened in our relationship, but just from a musical standpoint, she inspired me to pick up the guitar and write and try to do a good job writing songs. So she absolutely still inspires me in that way. I continue to write songs that are more of an honest reflection of our relationship ... She’s a really good ghost co-writer that I can have behind the scenes."
While Hunt hasn't shared the title of or a release date for his upcoming record, the Georgia native has previously said he isn't afraid to share new music even before the album is finished.
"There is a traditional template ... where you have to have a big game plan before you put new music out," Hunt explains. "But I’ve always taken the approach of -- the music’s finished, the music’s ready. It’s going to sound the same today as it will a year from now, [so] why not give people the opportunity to hear it, regardless of whether you’ve got videos together, the photos together, a big marketing plan -- whatever it is? I just want to get new music out there and just kind of start from there and build the rest."
Hunt is currently on his 15 in a 30 Tour, with Maren Morris, Chris Janson and Ryan Follese serving as his opening acts. A list of all of Hunt's upcoming shows is available on his website.
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