Has country music entered into it’s “Wild Wild West East” era? Ernest recently returned to the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast, and the Nashville-based artist and songwriter had a story and anecdote for just about everything. He spoke to us about how rewarding it is to give joy to others through music, why he’s passionate about giving back to the Nashville music community, working with artists like Jelly Roll (and non-artists like Pat McAfee), and the responsibility he felt producing a Toby Keith demo after the country legend’s death. Ernest also has a new album on the way titled Deep Blue. He described it as a “grown up version” of his very first album, Locals Only. Its beach themes and tropical feel should be the perfect soundtrack for the summer… and Ernest even tried to get Willie Nelson to sing on one track for the project, but you’ll have to listen to the podcast to hear how that turned out (how’s that for a teaser?). And speaking of the beginning of Ernest’s career, the country star told us that he’s felt as though things have been somewhat of a whirlwind ever since he found success in the year 2020. Thanks to his work on Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album (in 2021) and his own album and hit song “Flower Shops” (released in 2022), Ernest finally got on the country music map. Despite those big career moments being four and five years ago, Ernest feels like they just happened: “That feels like yesterday. It was a very impactful time. 2020 is such a year, you know? And the music that came out of it happened to be what it was. That’s another thing, just God’s timing for all of it. I had been writing with nothing really popping since 2013. I went into 2020 damn near negative money, and we got pregnant. As soon as Ryman was born, in the next six months, I had three number ones on the radio. It’s wild. They say it’s a 10 year town and I believe every bit of that. You can get success early. Earlier more so than ever now with TikTok and the way s*** pops off. But I think the 10 year town thing stands true. You are going to pay your dues on the front end or the back end. One way or the other.” Ernest is one of many artists and songwriters who had to “pay their dues” before experiencing success in Nashville. From his perspective, that struggle was a good thing, and molded him into the person and artist that he his today. When we asked how he felt about many young artists in the modern day waiting to move to “Music City” until after they’ve been discovered, he said that might not be the best route if you are trying to become a songwriter: “I don’t know. From a songwriting standpoint… get to Nashville. If you really want to do it, come to Nashville. I think getting into Nashville rooms, getting involved in the community, that’s important. That being said, that is, in my opinion, if you want commercial radio success. There’s a whole other route now where if you are in the Texas scene, Kentucky, West Virginia, Appalachia… you can pop off from anywhere. It just looks different, sounds different. They’re operating by a different set of rules, which is no rules.” What a beautifully, confusing, accurate way of putting it. Making it in Nashville and country music is no longer the linear path it used to be. That being said, Ernest still believes there are benefits to cutting your teeth in “Music City.” He even went as far to say that country radio is hesitant to give time to artists that “pop off” from elsewhere, but said that trend might be changing: “(Terrestrial radio) is starting to come around. You don’t have to pop off in Nashville. You can pop off anywhere. I think the widespread variance of the genre is very important right now. It’s the Wild Wild West… or the Wild Wild East.” The Wild Wild West East indeed. Just this week it was announced that Flatland Cavalry had the second most adds on country radio, and while they’ve been located in Nashville for a few years now, it’s quite the accomplishment for a West Texas country band, and a surefire sign that things might finally be changing for the better. To hear more from Ernest, make sure to 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 The Wild, Wild East: Ernest Says The Ability For Country Artists To “Pop Off” From Anywhere Is Good For The Genre first appeared on Whiskey Riff.