Corey Kent’s 2023 included many firsts. The singer kicked off the year with his Grand Ole Opry debut in January and celebrated his first No. 1 at country radio with “Wild As Her” in May. In an interview with American Songwriter backstage at the Grand Ole Opry during the Opry NextStage Live concert in early December, the Texas-based artist reflected on his whirlwind year, shared songwriting advice, and detailed what the late Country Music Hall of Famer Roy Clark taught him.
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The country singer/songwriter got his start performing Western swing and opened for the late Grand Ole Opry members Clark and Dr. Ralph Stanley. He tells American Songwriter he learned by osmosis from studying each of the acts he performed with over the years.
[Corey Kent Shows in 2024 – Get Tickets]
“I remember there was a specific moment where we were playing a string of shows with Roy Clark,” Kent tells American Songwriter. “At the time, I was playing and I was singing and I was writing, but I wasn’t focused on my instrument. I wasn’t focused on becoming great at playing the guitar. I was like, ‘I’m good enough. I can sing the songs. I can write. I know a handful of chords. I’m good enough.’
“I saw Roy Clark play live and it changed how I viewed playing acoustic guitar,” he continues. “There’s a lot of artists that get into music and by default, they pick the acoustic guitar because that’s what you do as a frontman. Roy Clark was equally a frontman and equally a great rhythm guitar player, a great acoustic guitar player. I mean, world-class, one of the best to ever do it. I remember watching him go and thinking to myself, ‘Where I’m at is not good enough.’”
Kent cites Clark as a true entertainer and “a master of commanding a room.” He recalls Clark’s many “punch lines that would get the crowd rolling.” He says it was Clark’s performance that made him want to practice and become more proficient in his craft.
“It wasn’t even direct advice,” he notes. “Being around that caliber of artists, you’re gonna soak up so much, and I think that’s how I learned. Osmosis is the best teacher. You just soak up the knowledge through watching how they handle themselves, watching how they treat people, watching them play, watching them perform. You learn so much more than some lecture.”
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Meanwhile, Kent is hoping country fans will learn more about him from his latest single, “Something’s Gonna Kill Me.” The singer calls the track a “brand identity song” that details who he is, how he thinks, and the things he likes to do.
“It’s a really important song for people if they want to know more about the guy that sings ‘Wild As Her,’” he explains. “This song is going to tell you a lot more. It’s gonna peel back another layer of that artist. … I love the heart of it. It makes you want to go for a drive and put the pedal to the floor and live in the moment and enjoy it like tomorrow’s not promised.”
Kent says this idea was “the whole heart” behind the song the day he wrote it with Austin Goodloe, Joybeth Taylor, and Lydia Vaughan. He says the original idea came from the fact that he loves riding motorcycles, just like his father. The singer fondly recalls his father dropping him off at school on the back of his motorcycle. When it was his time to ride, though, his father was more protective.
“My dad was like, ‘Son, I’m worried about you riding. I don’t want you to get yourself killed,’” he recalls. “There’s a great quote that says, ‘Get busy living or get busy dying.’ That was always my playful response to someone else’s concern about me. I enjoy riding so much that if that’s the way that I go, I’ve made peace with that. That’s okay with me. I would never want that to happen, but in the same breath, I’m not going to live in fear and not do something that I really enjoy for the sake of playing it safe. That’s what this song is [about]; living life to the fullest, deciding what risks are worth taking to you, and living by those convictions.”
The devil is always on my heels
But I keep him on his toes
Kent says it’s these lyrics in the second verse that he’s most proud of. He recalls the “magical” moment the line popped into his head. Today, he says he always smiles when he hears the verse.
“I love that,” he says of the lyrics. “Trouble follows you around but you’re doing your best to evade it. … I had so much fun writing this song. It’s such an intense song, but the spirit behind it is so lighthearted and fun and about enjoying the moment that you’re in.”
While Kent’s lifestyle and music are authentic to him and his experiences, the singer also stresses the importance of writing songs from that personal place.
“If I had one piece of songwriting advice I could give to somebody who’s aspiring to be a professional songwriter I would say, ‘Don’t chase the trends,’” he says. “It’s one thing to see something working and follow after it and it’s another thing to master what you think is cool and be the first person in line when that thing becomes popular.
“I think the songwriting community is only going to benefit from more individuals doing what they are convicted and writing songs from the heart, writing songs that you believe, writing songs that are from your real experiences. Don’t follow the trends. Write what makes you excited. … I think the recipe for long-term success [is] just be you and let other people find it.”
While “Something’s Gonna Kill Me” continues to climb up the charts, Kent has more opportunities to take his music to the masses. He’ll be spending the majority of 2024 on the road, first with Parker McCollum before going overseas to play in Ireland and Scotland with Ashley McBryde. He says performing abroad is a personal bucket list item.
“To bring our music over there and introduce people to our sound there and see how they like it, that’s something I never dreamed music could do for me,” he says. “I think playing as many places as I can and getting as much life experience, squeezing all the life experience out of where the music takes us is what I’m excited about.”
(Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)
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