A former college basketball player turned social media influencer, Adrien Nuñez is now emerging as a promising new voice in music. Most recently, he’s made waves with his newest release, “Don’t Wanna Go Home.”
Written by Nuñez with Jesse Fink and Peter Fenn, who also served as producer, the mid-tempo tune that offers a moody reflective tone as the rising artist describes a night of drowning his problems in the bar.
Since its June 6 release, fans can’t seem to get enough of its catchy beats and vulnerable storyline. It’s even become one of Nuñez’ favorite songs to play live on stage.
“Oh my God, it’s so cool. It’s the first song I did with a producer named Peter Finn and Jesse Fink. That was the first write I did out in LA,” he shared with Country Now at CMA Fest. “So I’m really pumped on this song and it’s doing well, and people like it. It’s doing its thing on socials too, so I’m pumped to see what it does.”
Building His Debut EP, ‘Low Road’
The release follows his debut EP, Low Road, which dropped earlier this year and came together in the rare moments he had off the road.
“We were putting out single, single, single, and yeah, I’ve just kind of just been on the road and every time I’m not, I’m writing. So we put that together in all the time that I’m not performing on the road pretty much. So it was fun though. It felt good to have a cohesive body of work.”
The collection features seven songs, plus an alternate version of the title track that he recorded with rising country act Avery Anna. Nuñez served as a co-writer on every tune.
Nuñez On His Songwriting Journey
Since stepping into songwriting just eight months ago, the New York native is still finding his rhythm, but he’s made it clear that being hands-on in the creative process is extremely important to him.
“I was writing a year ago, once every two weeks for fun when I moved here, and then it kind of became the job…I haven’t taken any outside songs yet. I like being a part of the writing process and being in the room. Also, I’m so new, people don’t know my direction and what I want to do and what I do want to say, what I don’t. So I think it’s important, especially right now, to do that.”
@countrynow.com Basketball player ➡️Social media star ➡️ rising artist. @Adrien Nunez breaks down his journey, his new song, and what’s next. 🏀📲🎤#adriennunez #dontwannacomehome #countrymusic ♬ original sound – CountryNow.com
And while he’s still experimenting with his sound, Nuñez doesn’t believe there’s a formula to making a great song.
“I don’t think there’s a set thing of what works and what doesn’t, and everything is ever changing. It’s like an algorithm of some sort in terms of it’s just whatever’s going to get the truest emotion out and how you can convey that the best is the best way to go about it, versus talking about this is going to work. I think it works better for me at least.”
Reflecting On First U.S. Headline Tour
Earlier this year, Nuñez also wrapped up his first U.S. headline tour, an experience that he can only describe as being “insane.” This time on the road also opened his eyes to just how much work goes into putting on a show.
“I mean, you have an idea of how much goes into it until you do it. There are so many people and so many different moving parts, and it is literally impossible to do it by yourself. So yeah, it was a cool experience and having people show up there for me, it was a first-time experience with that, so it was really cool. Had a great time.”
From Basketball Star To To Social Media Sensation
Before diving fully into music, Adrien Nuñez’s life looked very different. He played four seasons of basketball at the University of Michigan, and when the NCAA announced that NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals were coming, he decided to build his social presence.
“My sophomore year we got word that NIL was going to be a thing. So I was like, okay, I need to get some Instagram followers. And I started posting on TikTok to do that, and then TikTok became its own thing. Once I realized basketball wasn’t going to work out, I continued to do the social media thing and made it work there.”
Over the last year and a half to two years of building his presence online by helping his followers find new music and artists, Nuñez decided to switch gears and start making his own music.
“It worked out really well because all the people watching my stuff were like, oh, I go to Adrien for new music, and then all of a sudden they went one day and I had my own song. So yeah, it was kind of very weirdly smooth from each, the basketball helped me into socials, and then the socials helped me into the artists career,” he pointed out.
His Early History With Music
It doesn’t come as much of a surprise to Nuñez that he has ultimately found himself in music because growing up, that was a big focal point in his life as his dad was a musician.
“I wanted to be a little Jonas brother,” he said with a laugh. “My dad was in a band. I just started growing so tall by the time I was 11, 12, my dad was like, ‘go get your butt on the court.’ So I was like, alright,” he explained. “I was really big into guitar and drums, and he was a bass player, obviously, so I was around that a lot. I grew my hair out. I wanted to be like Nick and Kevin and Joe and all that stuff.”
His early musical influences were a mix of metal legends like Metallica, Pantera, and Iron Maiden, thanks to his dad. But over time, his tastes broadened. “I started to get more into pop stuff. And in basketball there’s a lot of hip hop.”
Now, he pulls from everybody from Giveon to Teddy Swims, Prince Royce and beyond. Both his early influences and his current favorites come alive in his original music today.
“You’ll hear a little bit of influences from everybody. I feel like that’s really accurate to what I’ve been listening to in life.”
New Music On The Way
Adrien Nuñez isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Following the release of “Don’t Wanna Go Home,” he is already planning his next music drop, which he wrote on the same trip. From there, he hopes to keep rolling out singles until it’s time for another project, whether that be an EP or a full-length album.
Fans can currently find Nuñez on the road, serving as support for Luke Bryan’s County song Came On Tour on select dates through September 6.
The post Adrien Nuñez On His Journey From Social Media To Music, His Latest Release, ‘Don’t Wanna Go Home’ & What’s Next appeared first on Country Now.