Mason Ramsey Details Viral Fame & Retro Revival [Interview]

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Mason Ramsey. Photo: Alex Crawford

Calling Mason Ramsey’s viral moment in 2018 a “meme” may miss the point. While an 11-year-old yodeling on aisle four was certainly unexpected, what left people talking was how exceptionally well he did it.

The Golconda, Illinois native has come a long way since his Walmart-yodeling days. In the aftermath of his sudden viral fame, he made appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and performed at Coachella, Stagecoach and the Grand Ole Opry, quickly becoming a household name.

“It was a domino effect, really. It opened a door for me to get a taste of the music industry. After that, I got to be a feature on ‘Old Town Road,’ do a Grammy appearance in early 2020 and then COVID happened,” Mason shares with MusicRow. “That was a good time for me to practice my music and listen to other artists. Between new musical influences and my voice changing, my style of music changed.”

Mason Ramsey. Photo: Alex Crawford

After three years of honing his musical chops, writing songs and settling into his deeper voice, Ramsey decided it was time to make his way back into the public eye with a new outlook on his music. Now, Ramsey is determined to bring back big collars, vintage mics and Elvis-inspired tunes—and his execution of that interest is intriguing fans.

“I found my natural sound, a sound that I really like, earlier this year and I have just been sticking with it,” he says. “I wouldn’t consider myself a commercial country artist. I would just consider myself an artist—with unique sounds and styles of music.”

In pursuit of his natural sound, Ramsey found himself influenced by the likes of Elvis, Chuck Berry, Roy Orbison and, recently, Donny Hathaway. Taking these inspirations to his producer Dan Fernandez, they got to work crafting a sound reminiscent of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.

“I really didn’t know how my fans were going to react to [this change]. We posted a video online to tease ‘Blue Over You’ a little bit and everyone loved it. So, we released it and it sort of went viral.”

YouTube video

The now 17-year-old star is obviously no stranger to virality. Since his original hit video, Ramsey has continued to create moments for himself. His contribution to the remix of internet sensation “Old Town Road” along with artists Young Thug, Billy Ray Cyrus and Lil Nas X came over a year after he sprung into the spotlight. In 2022, his track “Before I Knew It,” from his 2019 EP Twang gained traction on TikTok after he used it in a few “life update” videos.

“Every time that I’ve had something go viral, I’ve always gotten really excited. I don’t know if that’s just the kid in me, but I love it,” Ramsey says. “Every now and then you will get a few hate comments, but if they’re hating on you, they’re still your fans.”

Growing up in a small town of only 700 people, Ramsey’s positive outlook on fame transcends his comment section and seeps into real-world interactions with fans.

“Meeting fans is such an amazing thing for me. There have been several times where I’ve been in downtown Nashville and someone will say, ‘Are you Mason Ramsey?’ I am always happy to take pictures with them. I love meeting new people, going to new places and doing different shows. I love what I do.”

Mason Ramsey. Photo: Alex Crawford

This kind of recognition will not soon slow down. Since its release in February, Ramsey’s “Blue Over You” has garnered over 18 million streams on Spotify alone. He even joined Grammy Award-winning artist Lana Del Rey on stage at Boston’s Fenway Park to perform the track in July. Adding to this surge, Ramsey was recently featured on the Twisters soundtrack with his song “Shake Shake (All Night Long),” joining stars like Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson and more.

“I’ll never forget when I got the call [to be featured on Twisters: The Album]. It was such a big moment for me and we hadn’t even planned for it. It was a ‘they picked me’ moment—I was in shock that they had picked me. It was such a huge honor and I thank them for thinking of me.”

Ramsey has even more on the horizon. He is soon to hit the road on his “Falls Into Place Tour Pt 2” and will release his first-ever album on Friday (Sept. 20). Titled I’ll See You In My Dreams, the project includes 14 tracks, all of which Ramsey co-wrote.

“This is my ‘coming of age’ album. I’ve done EPs, but I have never done an album before, so this has been a work in progress for several years now,” Ramsey notes. “It definitely leans into the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s feel, however, we did end up writing a few country songs that just kind of happened. I am really happy with it, and I am so excited for fans and people who have never heard my music before to hear it.”

John Nix Arledge
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