Kip Moore is as real as they come in country music. And for him, it all comes down to conviction.
In a recent interview with ET Canada’s Graeme O’Neil at Boots and Hearts Music Festival, Kip recently discussed his new single “She’s Mine,” his upcoming album, and the kind of advice he would give to a young artist trying to make it in the country music industry.
As always, Kip hit the nail on the head.
For me personally, it was all about conviction from day one. To me, that’s the most important word. Do you have conviction in what you are doing? And if you’re chasing something… you know the minute Sam Hunt blew up, he was doin’ his own thing, and his thing was different than anybody else, and he did it well. And, then you had 20 other people trying to capture that and they’re still trying to do it. To me that’s already gone now, Sam can come back and do it, but the minute you’re chasing that… and you might get some fans for a little bit, because it’s a thing for the moment, but the minute that thing is gone, only the guy that started it is going to be able to continue it… I always tell artists, ‘are you going to want to play this song in 20 years?’ and I think if you can say ‘yes,’ you might have something.”
If you’re a young artist, please, please listen to this. It’s probably the best advice you’re ever going to hear. In fact, words like conviction, authenticity, honesty… these are all words we’ve used countless times to describe what’s missing from artists in country music. On our podcast, Whiskey Riff Raff, we’ve specifically mentioned the Sam Hunt copycat phenomenon multiple times, coming to the same exact conclusion that Kip did here. Trying to be the next Sam Hunt, by trying to recreate the sound he pioneered years ago, is never going to earn you lasting success or a passionate fanbase in the country music world. It’s mind-blowing how many artists are still trying to do it that way.
Kip is currently finishing up his 4th studio album, featuring the new hit single, “She’s Mine.” According to Kip, there’s one song left to record and we can expect the album to drop sometime in January.
Get excited people, I can already tell you, we’re in for something special.
