Making it in the country music world is no longer a linear, road-dog friendly path. Tanner Usrey joined the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast to talk about how a car accident jumpstarted his country music career, his biggest musical influences, having his songs featured in Landman and Yellowstone, how TikTok has changed the music industry and much more. And since I just mentioned TikTok, I’ll use that as a segue into Tanner Usrey’s current thought process as an artist. He just recently released his sophomore album These Days, which is an introspective blending of southern rock and Texas soul (A.K.A. what Tanner Usrey does best). Though it’s only been out for just over a month now, there’s somewhat of a pressure to keep things moving along, as the country singer explained: “I’m always kind of on to the next thing. I’ll take a moment and go, ‘Alright, cool. It’s done. It’s out there.’ (Then I say), ‘Alright, let’s get back to work.’ I’m kind of focused on the tour right now… and I guess social media. I’m trying to pick up the social media game.” For better or for worse, social media has become something that goes hand in hand with being an artist. So Tanner Usrey says he’s doing his best to hone in on his “Twitter personality” and present that to the online world, even though it’s something he wishes he didn’t have to dedicate a lot of time to: “I’m a goofy guy, so I try to be goofy and just… I don’t know, it’s such a weird time for music because it’s all about the content. And I hate it.” @whiskeyriff “It’s all about the content, and I hate it.” @Tanner Usrey // Check out the full podcast with Tanner Usrey, available on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube now. #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff #tannerusrey ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff It’s a weird time indeed. The good news is that Tanner Usrey can rest assured knowing that he’s not the only one that despises the recent trend of artists being discovered on TikTok. Many other artists, including Luke Combs, have expressed their concern with singers blowing up and having their first gig be an opening slot for a larger artist at a stadium. Usrey even admitted that he was helped by social media when one of his songs went viral prior to TikTok even existing. But still, that doesn’t change Usrey’s view on how artists should be breaking into the industry. The country singer prefers the way that he did things over the modern way of artists blowing up on TikTok: “I’m a road dog for sure… I’m not anti-TikTok. I understand it’s a necessary thing. But I’m a road dog. I think I was one of the last ones that went and hopped in a van and played as many shows as possible. I think Cody Canada said one time, ‘We played as many shows as possible, for however many people as possible, for however much was possible.’ That’s always kind of stuck with me. It’s evolved so much.” Enough said. To hear more from Tanner Usrey, download the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or click here. We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts. Cheers, y’all. Audio Video The post Tanner Usrey Favors The “Road Dog Mentality” & Hates That Artists Have To Worry About TikTok first appeared on Whiskey Riff.