Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Levi Hummon

Rising country artist Levi Hummon has always remained true to himself and his roots. Throughout his career, he’s stuck to his guns, singing and releasing the music that he wanted, even if it meant taking a step back. From being signed to a label to going independent, these experiences have shaped the man we see (and hear) today. Pop Culturalist caught up with Levi while he was in New York City promoting his new single, “Wedding Dress,” and spoke to him about his journey to becoming one of the most buzzed-about talents in country music today.

PC: Your career has gone through a lot of different chapters, from studying visual arts to rediscovering your passion for music, being signed to a label, and then going independent. When you look back, what moment has had the biggest impact?
Levi: I left Nashville to go pursue the visual arts in Florida. I was sitting in my dorm room in Florida playing and writing songs and sending them back to Nashville. At one point, my dad and his publisher were like, “If you want to pursue this and do this for real, you need to come back to Nashville.” Legitimately that night, I transferred to Belmont University. It was a no-brainer for me. I packed up everything and came back to Nashville. That was the moment where I was like, “I’m 100% in. I’m going to go for it.”

Another moment was my first time opening at the Ryman for Alabama, the band. They were on the Back to the Bowery Tour, and it was a night that they had all their friends come play. It was Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, and Luke Bryan, and we got to open up the show. It was my first big show ever. I got to open for all these amazing artists and meet them. It was pretty cool to see how cool and laid back they all were. It set the tone for what I wanted to do in my career and how I wanted to interact with other artists.

PC: In 2016, you signed with a label and said in many ways you weren’t releasing the music that you wanted to be releasing. How scary was that decision to go independent, especially that early on in your career?
Levi: It was all a whirlwind, even when I think about it today. Every year I changed. Every day I feel like I’m a different person, and every show is better. When I signed with Big Machine, I was young, had one song demoed, and hadn’t done any of the artist development process on my own. I felt like I could stay there, grind away, and pursue it that way or I could go out and find my voice, make fans on my own, and find out who I was an artist. That’s what we chose to do. My manager and I had a really, really amicable separation with Big Machine. It was the right move for us at the time. Then we started putting music out. We were like, “Let’s do it, why not? There’s Spotify, Pandora, and Amazon. Let’s use that as our platform.”

Honestly, I don’t regret it at all. At first, I was like, “What is this going to mean for me?” But we’ve been able to do a lot like open for Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Lady Antebellum, and all these amazing artists. It’s totally been worth it.

PC: After you parted ways with the label, your dad said to you, “This is the moment you’re going to see how much do you want it.” What did you learn about yourself during that time both as a person and as an artist?
Levi: Yeah, oh man. I remember I had a dinner with my dad because he didn’t even expect me to leave Big Machine. He was like, “What are you going to do?” I was like, “I just need to separate myself. I needed to start putting out music independently. I just got to do it.” My dad was like, “Now you get to figure out how much you want it.” I was like, “Well, I really want this. I want this dream to come true. I believe in music.” He instilled this passion in me to give it my all.

PC: Your dad’s obviously a notable figure in the music industry. How challenging is it to pave your own way and not be held up to those expectations?
Levi: It’s crazy because my dad is a really notable songwriter. He’s written songs like “Bless The Broken Road,” “Cowboy Take Me Away,” and all these amazing songs. In the Nashville circle, it’s really helpful. It’s really helpful to be able to step into a cowriting room and have some history or go into a meeting and people know who my dad is. But when you leave the Nashville circle and go to Chicago, Grand Rapids, New York or whatever, they don’t know who my dad is. They don’t really care. It’s like you got to start paving your own way and path.

So for me, it’s like yes, it helps, and it’s definitely been helpful to have my dad as an advisor and creative figure. But when I leave the Nashville circle, it’s all about who am I? How am I going to get my name out there? How am I going to make my own fans? How am I creating my own image and brand?

PC: You’ve also talked about how the rise of streaming services like Spotify and Pandora have changed the industry into a singles market. When you released your 2018 EP, there were a couple of songs that were overlooked. Which ones have been the most underappreciated?
Levi: It’s crazy because we learned a lot from that experience and how fans are digesting my music. We focused on the title track off the Patient EP, and then we focused on “I Still Do.” But we had other songs, like “Tough Love,” “Earthquake,” and a few others, that got overlooked. I felt like each of the songs were super special. I wrote one of them with Devin Dawson, and it was a really, really cool song, but we never got the chance to highlight it.

So I would say “Tough Love” was definitely the track that got overlooked. It bummed me out because I was like, “I’d rather put these songs out one by one and give it a little bit of separation so fans can digest it and see how they react to them.” But I feel like there’s still a place for EPs and albums. For me, I know how my fans are reacting to music, and I know what I want to do with it. That being said, I feel like I do want to do another EP soon.

PC: You’ve released tons of music throughout the year. If you had to pick one song that best encompasses you as an artist, which would it be and why?
Levi: There’s a song called “I Still Do” on the EP, and I feel like musically, lyrically, and melodically it’s where I am as an artist and what I love to release. That’s what I love to sing to. Another song I would say is “Wedding Dress.” Lyrically it’s so simple. It’s exactly the song that I see myself singing: those really simple ones that people can relate to and span a wide audience but also can appeal to a niche market.

PC: Tell us a bit more about “Wedding Dress” and the inspiration behind the track.
Levi: I wrote it by myself sitting down thinking about this moment that I had with my girlfriend at a wedding. The first verse is exactly what happened: “Here I am with my two left feet. You took my arm and said, ‘Come dance with me.’ I tucked my shirt and put down my drink.”

And the next thing I know we’re on the dance floor. I’m looking at the bride and looking at “you.” I see you and wish you were in that dress. The dress is a symbol for this idea of closing my eyes and imagining spending forever with you.

It’s basically just a conversation. It was a thought, and I put it into words, made it rhyme, and turned it into a song. But the song is special. We had plans for releasing new music at the top of the year, and we took them all and tabled it because I thought “Wedding Dress” was special.

I thought there was a lot of opportunities there, and I thought it was something I hadn’t released and talked about yet. Live is really trendy in country music right now. I think it’s a hot topic, and I feel like it also plays into where I’m at in my life and my relationship.

PC: You actually answered our next question. We wanted to know what it was about this particular song that made you scrap all your plans.
Levi: The songs are great. I have a couple of songs, like “Fade in Memory,” “Rock and Roses,” and others, that I put in my live set. They translated great on the Hunter Hayes tour and at the Keith Urban/Tim McGraw shows. But the song I wrote in December, I sent it to my publisher, a guy named Desmond Child. He’s a huge writer who wrote “Livin’ on a Prayer,” “Dude (Looks Like A Lady),” “Livin’ la Vida Loca,” and all those amazing songs. He literally said, “This is the perfect song. You have to put it out at the top of the year. So in June when it’s wedding season, this song is popped off and everybody wants it.” He’s a hyper critical guy when you send him your songs. So I was like, “If you’re saying that, it means something. I got to do it.”

PC: What’s one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you started your career?
Levi: Wow. I would say it’s easy to pin yourself into a certain category of artists. It’s easy to tell yourself you got to be a certain way, you got to chase a certain aspect of radio. I think if I could tell myself something back then, I would say, “Just write what you love. Do what you love and enjoy it. Don’t take everything so seriously.”

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Levi: Oh my gosh. I love so much music from Dolly Parton to Tupac. But there’s a new band called LANY, and I love everything they’re putting out. It’s really affecting me musically right now because I want to peel everything back on the records and stuff. I want to pull it all back and make it as simple as possible both lyrically, melodically, and production-wise.

PC: First album you bought?
Levi: I can tell you the first album I loved and listened to. It was Jeff Buckley’s Grace album. It had “Hallelujah” and all these amazing songs on it. I remember sitting in the car and it was sitting on the floor. I was ten at the time. I grabbed it and listened to it front to back. The first four hundred songs I ever wrote were all inspired by that album.

PC: First concert you attended?
Levi: It’s an embarrassing one. [laughs] I was really obsessed with Hanson. I was really, really young, and I finally got my parents to take me to Hanson at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. When I was young, I would get so excited that I would pass out. So they started singing “MMMBop,” and I literally passed out in the back. [laughs]

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Levi: The Grace album for sure. Tracy Chapman’s song “Fast Car” had a huge impact on me—just chordally, cadence-wise, how she sings, and her honesty. That song is so powerful to me. It affected me deeply. Then the Mumford & Sons record. When I first heard “The Cave” and “I Will Wait,” and all that stuff, every one of my songs after that was like that slow-slow-fast-fast thing that they did. That was deeply impactful, and it made me love country music. Also, the Loretta Lynn/Jack White album. That was massively impactful for me.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Levi: I’ve been saying this forever, but Red Rocks and Madison Square Garden.

PC: A must-have on the road?
Levi: I have like five T-shirts and two pairs of pants on tour. I just cycle it and try to find new outfits on the road. But I’ve been having green juice every morning. It keeps me from feeling sick, and it keeps me energized.

To keep up with Levi, follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify. Pick up or stream “Wedding Dress” today.

Photo Credit: CeCe Dawson