The New Music Feature is just what it sounds like. A showcase for new music and new artists as they begin climbing the charts or making a name for themselves in the music industry.
This week, we have Kip Moore. A country singer who has wowed the critics with his hit single, and southern sound feel.
Kip Moore, also known as The South’s Answer to Springstee
About Kip Moore:
Kip grew up in a small town in Georgia called Tifton. His musical stylings were influenced by the music his father favored such as Jackson Brown, Willie Nelson, Bob Seger, Tom Petty, and naturally, The Boss.
In 2004, he moved to Nashville to hone his craft. He worked with local songwriters and performed small gigs until things finally took a turn. He was noticed by MCA Nashville.
Kip recently completed his debut album, Up All Night, which features the hit single, “Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck”. He wrote or co-wrote every song on the autobiographical album that addresses coming-of-age themes, love and loss.
“I think anybody that comes from a small town has lived that song,” he says about his hit single. “I lived that song 5,000 times growing up. When you are from a small town like I am, there’s not a whole lot to do. You have to make your own fun and there’s a lot of sitting in fields, and a whole lot of Bud Light and fishing poles. It’s real hot in south Georgia, so all of the girls were wearing sundresses. It was all you needed back then – a truck bed, beer, a radio and good company with you. It’s a fun song that everybody lived at a young age.”
What Critics Are Saying:
“For years, I have been searching for the missing link between blue-collar rock and country music,” says noted journalist Robert K. Oermann, who writes for Music Row magazine. “This year, I think I have heard it. His name is Kip Moore… the roaring, propulsive performances on his debut album sound like signposts on the highway to some Southern-fried Born to Run.”
He recently announced that his single “Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck” has been certified gold, selling more than 536,000 units.
“It’s really going to throw people for a loop when they get the record,” says Kip. “They might have a perception in mind of what it’s going to be because of ‘Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck,’ and I am anxious to see what they think when they hear the depth of this record.”
You can also see Kip Moore’s official video for “Hey Pretty Girl” below:
BSCkids: Kip Moore
Tell us about why you wrote “Somethin’ Bout A Truck.”
I wrote it because, anyone from small town America can relate to it. When you grew up in a town like I grew up in, there weren’t any outlets for us as teens. There was no where for us to go. We had to create our own good time. So most of the times that meant, going out to somebody’s dads corn field or a peanut field and we’d park our trucks out there and have a good time. We’d let the tailgates down and camp out there. That was Friday and Saturday night of my life as a teen. I feel like, if that’s what I did, then somebody else did that too.
How did you feel seeing your video surpass a million, even 5 million hits on YouTube?
I’m completely shocked by what’s happened with the song, the video, the whole thing. I’ve always believed in myself but you get so used to things not happening. Constantly getting hit in the teeth that when they finally do start happening, it’s just shock.
Does your album “Up All Night” have a theme with the songs included with it?
I feel like it does, I feel like the album takes you on a journey. I feel like there are a lot of highs, a lot of lows, a lot of the in-between. I feel like you’re gonn feel a big sense of loss, a big sense of hope, which has been my life. I feel likes it’s a theme of my life over the past 15 years. I’ve sacrificed a lot to get to where I’m at and I feel like I’ve let a lot of good things go. I feel like I’ve done that in this record. And there’s a lot of hope for a difference.
Tell us a little bit about the title track “Up All Night”
It’s about never letting your soul die. Keeping it youthful and ceasing every moment as it comes. And then it’s taken another meaning for me where I’ve spent the last 9 years up all night writing this record. You know, those are the moments where I can be completely honest and vulnerable with myself, and write the most honest lyrics I could.
You came to my city, Nashville, to work on your music, what is your favorite thing about Nashville?
The community of Nashville. The cool thing is that so many of us come through the ranks together and we pull for each other going through the ranks. I love that you get a city life with a small town feel. You see the same faces a lot of times but there is definitely a sense of community.
Were you ever scared that you made a mistake sacrificing so much for music?
Everyday. If anybody tells you a different line, I disagree. It’s a scary thing we do being artists and writers. You put so much into this and if it all collapses, I got nothing to show for it. So we all get scared because we’re not setting our feet in any concrete. A lot of times you feel like you’re not building towards anything. Where other people with other jobs you feel like you’re saving towards this, or you’re building a family, a life. This, you can put 15 years into it and have nothing to show for it in the end and that’s a scary scary thing. But it also can be the most gratifying thing like everything that’s happening right now for me. Every day, I’ve been scared of “what if it doesn’t happen” but at the same time, I’ve known that there’s nothing else I want to do in my life. So I try to push that fear to the side and just keep pushing through.
What is the biggest difference between where you live now to your hometown in Georgia?
Tall buildings. You wouldn’t see a building over 30 feet where I was from. Where I grew up, there were a few stop lights, a lot of dirt roads, not a lot to do, which is completely different from Nashville. You got a city life, places to go, and a music scene to hang out in. it’s opposite in a thousand ways.
Are there any cities on your tour you are the most excited about visiting?
I was excited about San Antonio. I just got done playing there. I love Texas crowds and that was a blast for me.
If there were one musician you could collaborate with, who would it be?
Bonnie Raitt. Everything about the essence of Bonnie Raitt is just so cool to me. So much soul in her voice. She probably has one of my favorite voices I’ve ever heard. So I would love to get up and jam with Bonnie Rate.
Visit his official website KipMoore.net for additional info about his album and tour, and check him out on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates or sign up here for email updates. His debut album, Up All Night, including a deluxe edition with three extra songs, is now available for order on iTunes.