Tucker Beathard Forges Ahead On New Album ‘KING’

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In 2018, Tucker Beathard had recently gotten out of a record deal and was determined to make music on his own terms. He teamed up with a group of his favorite co-writers, and poured his frustrations and musical ambitions into a hefty batch of songs. The result was Nobody’s Everything, the first in a two-part album project that served as his freedom song, the chance to record music he felt fully represented him as an artist.

That project caught the attention of another label, Warner Music Nashville, and he signed with the label in January of last year.

“Before I signed, I had 20-something songs recorded, and I told them, “Look, this is what you’re signing up for, take it or leave it.’ That’s what made them want to sign me, which was cool. They just let me do my thing.”

Now he’s set to finish what he started, with his latest project KING, the culmination of that 20-song project.

KING centers on a boisterous country-rock vibe, throbbing with propulsive energy on tracks like the opener, “Better Than Me.” And for Beathard, that was the idea.

“A catchy guitar riff, just upbeat rock, and one that just sets the tone. When I make an album, I think about set lists for live shows. ‘Better Than Me’ is an all-around just a perfect opening one, in my opinion, just to hook you and lock it in, and just in your face, to set the tone for it.”

“Paper Town” captures a risk-it-all attitude, the tale of two kids in search of acceptance and freedom.

“I’ve always loved that song and talking about just the attitude of feeling like you’re bigger than a town. They are just like, ‘Man, let’s say screw this town.’ It’s just definitely a different substance lyrically and sonically, it definitely brought a different feel to it.”

The son of country songwriter Casey Beathard (known for hits such as Kenny Chesney’s “Don’t Blink” and Eric Church’s “Like Jesus Does”), Tucker grew up entrenched in Nashville’s songwriting scene, and connects with that essence of “Paper Town,” as it ponders whether a change of scenery would be the right move, especially as an artist whose own work veers more toward punk rock than straight-forward country.

“I ask myself that question every day, because it’s tough when you’re doing your own thing and when you have a tough time fitting in. Where do you go when it doesn’t fit in a specific category or box? I think it’s always natural to feel like you don’t fit in somewhere when you’re not easily accepted somewhere. It’s like a chip on your shoulder, and that’s definitely a personal song that stems from just that feeling, for sure.”

Instead, he’s synthesized his penchant for country wordplay and his need to wrap those in slabs of hard-driving rock, and welcomed his father Casey as a co-writer on four of the album’s songs, including “You Would Think” and “You On.”

“Me and my dad, we’re totally different, as far as writing, our preferences and styles. When I started getting into writing, I realized that a lot of the songwriting format and style that was naturally ingrained in me is that ‘three chords, and the truth’ attitude.’ When we started writing together, I was even surprised myself sometimes of how great it was and how well we work together. He loves writing with me because sometimes I bring a fresher thing that he didn’t think about to the table, and I love writing with him because he’s just one of the best writers in town, to say the least.”

Fans will be familiar with “Faithful,” as Tucker first began sharing acoustic renditions of the song on social media back in 2015. Now, the song takes on a full-fledged coat of earthy-rock sheen.

“That might be the oldest song on this record,” he says. “Through my journey through the music business, and getting out of a signed deal before, and just sitting on that song for so long, I’ve recorded it multiple times, but I’ve never had the opportunity to release it. I just kept thinking of ways to keep it exciting.”

But for all of the album’s devil-may-care swagger, it quietly concludes in “I Ain’t Without You,” a tribute to Tucker’s late brother, Clayton Beathard, who was tragically killed at age 22 during an altercation at a Nashville bar in December 2019. KING is a tribute to Clayton’s middle name.

Tucker and his father co-wrote KING‘s stunning and hopeful closing track just weeks after his brother Clayton’s passing.

“it was a product of just everything that I was starting to learn and grow in during that event pretty much. To be honest, I’ve always been scared of not being the first person to go in my family, just because I’ve always been scared of not being able to handle the weight of an event like that. I knew I wasn’t strong enough, and then it happened and I found out pretty quick that I wasn’t necessarily wrong about me personally not being strong enough to get through that. But honestly, I learned the strength and power of Jesus Christ in that moment. The whole situation made me think about the idea of, ‘I’m strong enough to get through this, but not without you.’

“There’s a lot of things that I think I am, that I wouldn’t or couldn’t be without [Clay]. It was just a truth that I was starting to see, and more than ever, and my dad was the only one that could relate to that, and understand where I was coming from, because we were dealing with that tragedy together. I realized pretty quickly that was a song that would make this whole album feel full circle and just put the stamp on this whole book, so to speak, that I wanted to release.”

Mere months after his brother’s passing, tours began shuttering as the COVID-19 pandemic intensified. But for Tucker, being forced to stop touring ended up as a blessing.

“I’m glad that I didn’t have to just jump right back into the swing of things, because, it just definitely helped having time to just be with family, grieve and get through a lot of the emotional stuff. I definitely miss playing, but it’s been great.”

Tour or no tour, Beathard is thankful to have finally released the long-awaited project, one where he can offer every facet of his artistry.

“I’m always going for uniqueness when putting together a project,” he says. “I think a lot of people won’t even know what you’d call it, but as long as they know it’s me, and they can’t find that anywhere else, then that’s what I’m going for.”

Jessica Nicholson
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