Mitchell Tenpenny Comes Full Circle With Riser House Entertainment [Exclusive]

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Mitchell Tenpenny. Photo: Sarah Partain

Mitchell Tenpenny is kicking off a new chapter of his career today with the release of his single “Ain’t My Problem.” The track marks his first radio single released solely via Riser House Entertainment. The song will officially impact country radio on Monday (Sept. 28).

The brand-new track was written alongside Chris DeStefano, Andy Albert and Thomas Archer during a beach writers’ retreat. Tenpenny recalls wanting to get the inevitable beach song out of the way early, but with a different approach. Rather than writing explicitly about the beach, he wanted to capture the carefree feeling of leaving life’s worries behind. The song came together quickly, but it wasn’t until the group listened back to their work after the retreat that it began to stand out. While the track offers a lighthearted take on letting go of everyday worries, Tenpenny says it also carries a more personal message about protecting mental health and learning you can’t fix every problem.

“We try to take on so much in this world these days and put everything on our shoulders, and it just seems to do more damage than good a lot of times when we think we can fix every problem, and you just can’t,” Tenpenny tells MusicRow. “For me, it’s kind of a hidden secret message of something that’s personal to me too of [learning to] let go of things as I get further in life.”

The decision for this to be the song to launch his new chapter came easily. Tenpenny says the song is different than anything he has sent to radio before and fits well into his live set. “I wanted a song live that gets everyone to be lost in the moment,” he says. “I know we all have lives and things going on outside, but at a concert is your place to be free. I’ve always felt that when I go to shows, so I wanted that live, but didn’t have it in my set.“

Tenpenny’s new single also marks a new phase for Riser House, the label he co-founded in 2017. After years of releasing music through a joint venture between Riser House and Columbia Nashville, Tenpenny is now releasing music solely through Riser House, bringing his career full circle.

Jennifer Johnson, President of Riser House, recalls that early in his career, Tenpenny’s music was gaining momentum faster than Riser House’s small team could handle alone. Sony’s early confidence in Tenpenny and his team gave them the support they needed to foster that growth.

“Things were going so fast, and doing so well, we did not have the team to support the velocity of the growth that he had,” she says. “And so when Sony came into conversation with us, it made perfect sense, and truly they were the best partners we could have ever had.”

Tenpenny is looking forward to building on the platform he has already grown through a more focused approach. “I’m excited to be here, to be back home. I love Sony, but it’s just time to come back home.”

Pictured (Back Row, L-R): Lauren Spahn (Buchalter), Brandon Perdue (Riser House SVP A&R + Publishing), Alex Heimerman (Riser House Head of Marketing and Label Strategy), Kristen Ashley (Red Light Management) and Allie Vidunas (Red Light Management). (Front Row, L-R): Shane Allen (Riser House EVP Promotion and Artist Brand Strategy), Mitchell Tenpenny and Jennifer Johnson (Riser House President).

The full-circle moment extends to the team surrounding Tenpenny as well. Tenpenny first met Shane Allen, who is now Riser House EVP Promotion and Artist Brand Strategy, during his early radio run, when Allen was part of the Columbia team working his music. He was instrumental in breaking Tenpenny’s first single at radio, and now the pair is working together again.

“It is just great how this has come full circle,” Allen shares. “I remember back when I was at Columbia with Sony, us just wanting Mitchell so bad and lobbying to have him signed to the Columbia imprint. I enjoyed the way that Mitchell worked and his deep desire to support radio. It just made sense to do it again with folks who I really appreciate in the business.”

With the new chapter officially started, Tenpenny is already looking ahead to more new music. He says work is well underway on his next record, with a number of songs already completed and more writing still to come. As his life has changed in recent years, so has the perspective he brings into the writing room.

“I think it’s some of the most real stuff I’ve ever written,” he says. “I think it’s kind of impossible not to when life happens as fast as it does and changes, like getting married and having a baby. A lot of things get put into perspective quickly.”

For Tenpenny, that new perspective has also brought a renewed focus on authenticity. As the industry continues to change alongside social media and technology, he says he wants to return his attention to the foundation that started his career.

“I want to get back to the song again,” he says. “I’m born and raised here [in Nashville]. I grew up on a song and I’m all for promoting songs in every way possible, but it’s got to start there. It’s got to start with a song.”

Lauryn Sink
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