Meet Collin | Country Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Collin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Collin, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
The decision to move from Missouri to Nashville may have been the one decision that’s defined my entire life up to this point. I was never one of those people who hated their hometown and couldn’t wait to leave. I just knew that if I wanted to write songs and make music for a living, I’d have to move to Nashville.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My songs are reflective of a bygone era and style of country music. When you look at the writing styles of Tom T. Hall, Merle Haggard, Roger Miller or someone like John Hartford, they’re very much so rooted in storytelling. I’ve always found storytelling very comforting in that I grew up around older people who had all the time in the world to tell their stories. Over the past few years with the growth of social media platforms like TikTok, the term “cottagecore” has become very popular, so when it came to the visual aspect of my content, I wanted the artwork to look like picture books and things that people of my generation find comfort in. I think what separates my art from others at the moment, is the way I’ve woven these things together to create a space where people can escape and find comfort in the uncertain times we’re living in. It’s taken me awhile to find my niche and where I fit in with the ocean of new content we are served every day. The biggest thing I’ve learned from this experience is that the thing that has made the most sense, was something I had all along, which was being my true self. Authenticity lies in embracing all the weird quirks you have and showing them to the world.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Anytime I have friends in town who are looking to have the full Nashville experience, I always start the day with breakfast at Wendell Smith’s. It’s my favorite little cafe here in town and you can find me in there at least once a week. After that, I like to take them to the Country Music Hall of Fame. The Hall of fame has done a fabulous job of preserving the history of country music and presenting a detailed through-line on how we got where we are today. After that, some beers at Bobby’s Idle Hour, then some lunch at Jack Browns or Las Palmas. I am a huge fan of going to the Planetarium at the Adventure Science Center to catch an educational hour on the night sky. Obviously, I would take them to the Grand Ole Opry to finish off the day. Going to the Opry is my favorite thing to do in Music City. There’s loads of other things to do here as well, Cheekwood, Gruhn Guitars, The Stardust Drive-in out in Watertown. We would need a month to do it all!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I will forever be in debt to Kenny Beard. Kenny wrote a lot of big hits in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. He took me under his wing when I was 18 and new to Nashville. As a mentor, he taught me how to write songs, a lot about what’s good and what’s not good, and most importantly, how to maintain yourself and what’s important in the midst of the chase. My grandfathers were also extremely influential and important to my journey. Everything I know about guitar, and all my favorite artists, I got from them.

Website: https://www.collinnashmusic.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itscollinnash

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/collinnashmusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/itscollinnash

Other: TikTok @itscollinnash

Image Credits
Aubrey Wise
Brooke Stevens
@neonjackrabbit