Parker McCollum Opens Up About His Most Private Album But: ‘This One Floored Me’

For Parker McCollum, music has by no means been nearly melodies and chart positions. It is all the time been about connection.

Whether or not it is pouring his coronary heart out in a love tune or capturing the sort of gritty realism that made followers fall in love with him within the first place, McCollum’s method has remained fiercely genuine.

Now, as he prepares to launch his self-titled fifth studio album, the nation star finds himself standing at a crossroads of confidence and vulnerability.

Parker McCollum, identified for platinum hits and uncooked lyrics, says this upcoming mission is in contrast to something he is made earlier than, not as a result of it is radically completely different in sound, however due to what it represents personally.

At a current occasion at Elevating Cane’s, by which The Blast attended, McCollum joined the quick meals chain in marking a big milestone, 20 years of serving up Field Combos throughout the Lone Star State, making their partnership a correct match made in Cane’s Sauce heaven.

Over the previous twenty years, the model has served greater than 787 million items of toast and donated over $23 million to greater than 8,750 native organizations all through Texas. Throughout that very same time, McCollum has carved out his Texas-sized legacy, releasing 5 studio albums and acting on levels throughout the nation. Their collaboration would not cease on the celebration; Cane’s can also be supporting McCollum’s upcoming album launch with in-store promotions throughout 200+ Texas places, that includes every little thing from digital menu boards and posters to standees, bag stuffers, and extra.

“There isn’t any masks on this one,” McCollum stated on the occasion relating to his new album. “I put every little thing into it.”

What began as a spark of inspiration was a 70-day recording marathon in New York Metropolis, a spot far faraway from the dusty again roads of Texas, the place his musical journey started. But, by some means, the town’s chaos helped him discover readability. It was there, surrounded by noise and neon, that he fell again in love with the method.

“That is the primary document I’ve ever made the place I do not care if anyone likes it,” he stated with conviction. “I adore it a lot. I’ve all the time puzzled if I might ever make a document like this.”

The album, set to drop within the coming weeks, represents a big second in McCollum’s profession. It is his fifth studio launch, however the first to bear his identify as its title.

“That in itself is a press release,” he admitted. “It is one other model of myself. One other chapter.”

The mission got here collectively throughout a transformative 70-day stint in New York Metropolis, a metropolis that challenged and reignited him. “Once I left there, I knew that is what I’ve all the time wished to do. I made this document precisely the way in which I wished to. That is why it is so particular.”

Whereas he jokes the document is “for anybody who likes cocaine and suicide,” shortly clarifying that he is simply kidding, McCollum says the reality of the album lies in its vulnerability and honesty. “I do not need to set expectations. I simply need folks to hearken to it prime to backside and reside with it. In the event that they do this, they will perceive.”

That rawness extends to his personal self-doubt. “I saved questioning, ‘Is it nonetheless there?’ Do I nonetheless love this? Am I nonetheless a ok songwriter to make one thing that flooring me?'” He pauses, then solutions his personal query. “This one floored me.”

Every monitor, he says, appears like a fruits of every little thing he is ever created. “It is like each document I’ve made confirmed as much as assist make this one. All of them got here to New York with me.”

McCollum is not shying away from introspection, both.

“The older I get, the much less I do know, and the much less I care about attempting to know all of it,” he admitted.

Whereas his sound hasn’t shifted a lot as a brand new dad, the expertise has modified him emotionally.

“The primary six months, I did not know if I used to be lower out for it,” he stated. “However now? He is the best factor I’ve ever seen. He lights up after I stroll in a room. His first phrase was ‘Dada.’ It is unimaginable.”

Regardless of his busy schedule touring with legends like George Strait and Chris Stapleton, fatherhood stays a grounding drive. “I actually stand on stage generally and assume, ‘That is every little thing I ever hoped for after I was in highschool.'”

Because the album launch approaches, McCollum’s anticipation grows. “I have been sitting with this music for therefore lengthy. It appears like a lifetime,” the nation music artist stated. “I simply need it out on this planet. Not as a result of I would like validation, however as a result of I understand how a lot it means to me.”

And whereas there’s all the time part of him that hopes followers join, he is lastly reached a spot the place their approval is not required. “Clearly, I would like these songs to hit,” he continued. “But when they do not, that is okay. As a result of they hit me.”

For McCollum, this album is not about perfection or public notion; it is about capturing a sense. “I do not understand how lengthy the thrill will final,” he stated. “However I’ve bought it proper now. And that is sufficient.”

His new self-titled album will probably be launched on June 27, 2025.