Nearly a week after Parker McCollum released his self-titled fifth studio album, he took to social media to reflect on what he’s calling an “overwhelming” response from fans, peers, and the entire country music community.
“Record’s been out for six days and the response that I’ve gotten has been crazy overwhelming. That’s the only word I can use to describe it,” he said in the heartfelt message.
He explained that he has been feeling the love from the massive number of friends, family, fellow artists, both rising acts and well-established stars, who have been reaching out since release day to praise the project.
“Everybody that I can possibly think of that I’ve known in my life has reached out at some point or another in the past six days and told me how blown away they were by this record. And I will tell you all that is the most humbling and flattering and gratifying feeling to know how many people really gave their time to this record, to listen to it top to bottom, because that’s exactly how it was put together,” he shared. “That’s how it was thought of.”
Returning To Social Media
McCollum then revealed that up until the album’s release, he hadn’t been active on social media for nearly nine months. However, he says promised his team that he’d get back online and engage with his fans as part of the rollout plan. What he found was an outpouring of support that appears to have caught him off guard in the best way.
“It’s been, like I said, overwhelming, watching all the love the record’s gotten. And all I can say is thank you for actually listening to it. And I knew when we left New York last October that this was the best record I had ever made. I knew it was special. I did not know people would respond to it like this. It’s really been absolutely incredible to witness the impact that it’s had so far, so quickly,” he shared honestly.
Even with all the buzz that the album has caused, McCollum made it clear that he won’t be relying on social media tactics to push the album forward.
“I’m not going to have my team post a thousand videos a day of one song or another hoping that it goes viral or hoping that it falls into some algorithm or something like that’s not what this record is. I’ve never done that with my music. I’m not going to do that with this record either,” he stated.
Putting His Trust In The ‘Slow Burn’ Approach
So instead of chasing viral moments, he’s leaning into a slower, more organic approach and trusting that the power of word of mouth will continue to carry the album forward.
“This record is not meant to be a flash in the pan or be an overnight anything. I’d really like a slow burn is the best way I can describe what I think this record is supposed to, the kind of life it’s supposed to have. And so word of mouth and y’all talking about it and sharing it and telling people about it is the only way it’s going to be heard. And y’all have done that. It’s apparent. The response has been crazy.”
Parker McCollum reiterated just how truly grateful he is to everyone who has taken the time to listen to a record that he is so proud of. This reflective body of work was born from hunkering down in New York city’s legendary Power Station for seven days with Grammy-winning producer Frank Liddell and his band.
The result of their dedicated studio time is a 14 song collection that mark the Texas native’s most personal and creatively freeing collection to date. To thank fans for their support, he has promised to share a slew of behind-the-scenes photos from the recording process in New York over the coming weeks.
Feeling Joy And Living In The Moment
McCollum also noted that he may not know what his next musical chapter will look like, but he’s also not worried about what the future will hold because he is enjoying being present in this moment.
“My cup has never been fuller and I’ve never been happier in this business as a songwriter, as an artist, as a singer, than I am right now. And I have all of you to thank for that, for believing with me, for sticking with me for so long, and allow me to get to a place where I can make a record like this. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart. It has been absolutely incredible watching how big of an impact this thing has had so quickly.”
He capped off the video message by saying, “sorry this video is so long, but it’d take me a lifetime to say thank you in a proper way. So hopefully four minutes isn’t too bad and I’ll see y’all on the road. Peace.”
As the album continues to resonate with fans, Parker McCollum is bringing these songs, alongside his fan-favorite hits, to life on stage during his ongoing headline tour, with stops scheduled across the U.S. throughout the year.
The post Parker McCollum Gets Candid About ‘Overwhelming’ Response To New Album appeared first on Country Now.