On The Row: Chris Bandi Looks To Break Through With “Man Enough Now”

Chris Bandi. Photo: Haley Crow/MusicRow

Chris Bandi is ready to make his breakthrough at country radio with his single “Man Enough Now,” which he co-wrote with Jason Massey and Jason Duke.

He signed with RECORDS, a joint venture label between Barry Weiss and Sony Music Entertainment. “Man Enough Now” will head to radio in January, and the track has already earned more than 60 million streams on Spotify.

“I was thinking about a relationship I had been in in college and some things I wouldn’t do now that I had done then,” he says of writing the song. “I brought this title in about ‘If we were in a relationship now, I would probably get a few things right because I’m man enough now.’ They put it on Spotify and it’s changed my life.”

During a recent visit to the MusicRow Magazine offices, he performed “Man Enough Now,” and even when a guitar string broke during his performance, he powered through. He also played “They Make Whiskey,” and noted he expects to release an EP early next year.

Bandi began writing songs in high school and joined a band. “They would write all the music and they would send me MP3s and I would write all the lyrics for it.”

While in college at the University of Mississippi, this Missouri native began making regular trips to Nashville, ultimately relocating to Music City about six years ago. He began pursuing a music career in earnest in college.

“My worst job was working as a server at a restaurant in college,” he recalled. “Then I figured out you have a lot more fun and make a little more money making music in the bars. I started playing all the bars in Oxford, Mississippi.”

He was inspired by artists such as Eric Church and Luke Bryan who performed shows in Oxford.

“They were singing about trucks and dirt roads and things I could relate to,” Bandi recalls. “High school football, and the lyrics were great, so I started focusing on writing songs like that. I signed with BMG in 2016 as a writer. Mom and dad say I have a day job now,” he quipped.

This month, Bandi joins Laine Hardy on tour.

Chris Bandi with MusicRow owner/publisher Sherod Robertson. Photo: Haley Crow/MusicRow

Chris Bandi with MusicRow staffers.

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Jessica Nicholson

Jessica Nicholson serves as the Managing Editor for MusicRow magazine. Her previous music journalism experience includes work with Country Weekly magazine and Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) magazine. She holds a BBA degree in Music Business and Marketing from Belmont University. She welcomes your feedback at jnicholson@musicrow.com.

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