Adam Hambrick – most of you probably don’t know his name, but definitely know his music. Adam Hambrick has created a name for himself in country music by co-writing some major hits over the last couple of years including Dan + Shay’s “How Not To,” Justin Moore’s “Somebody Else Will,” and Lindsay Ell’s “Waiting On You.”

Growing up outside of Little Rock, Arkansas, Adam began his musical career in church long before he moved to Nashville and began co-writing songs for country artists like Miranda Lambert, Josh Abbott Band, Eli Young Band, and more. He was actually “discovered” in an unconventional way. Justin Moore, also an Arkansas native, was channel surfing and stopped on a morning TV show that was doing a segment on Adam Hambrick. Moore contacted his “people” and the rest is history.

After experiencing success in a more behind the scenes role as a songwriter, Adam Hambrick is stepping into the spotlight, grabbing a microphone, and embarking on his career as a country artist. Stay tuned for new music coming soon from Adam!

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Recently, we sat down with Adam for an exclusive Q & A where he shared his plans for the summer, who he enjoys writing songs with, where he finds inspiration, and the pressures of switching from a songwriter to an artist. Keep reading to learn more about this Country Clones Artist of the Month!

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CC | Now that you’ve shifted gears and are really focusing your career on becoming an artist, do you feel like you’re starting from scratch? Has the process been more difficult than you expected?
AH | Starting from scratch? From a fan perspective, yes it feels pretty “scratchy.” I haven’t built much of an audience yet. I really look forward to getting some new music out there and seeing how it connects.

CC | You have released EPs in the past, are you taking a different approach this time?
AH | The approach has been to let talented people do what talented people do. My producers Paul DiGiovanni and Andrew DeRoberts have done an amazing job of letting me be me on this project and I’ve tried to do the same with them. They’ve centered the production around the vocal and the songs themselves. I do feel like we pushed some boundaries and took some risks, and I believe they are going to pay off. I like to think we are setting a good baseline for what an Adam Hambrick country record is supposed to be.

CC | Can you describe your sound for those who may not have heard your music yet?
AH | My sound is sort of like if Garth Brooks and Sam Cook had a musical kid who grew up on 90’s country, who appreciated Ryan Adams and also played in some pop-punk bands in college but then got out of the scene and moved to Nashville to try to write songs like Lori McKenna.

CC | What song are you most excited about right now that you’re putting out?
AH | Rockin’ All Night Long.” That one is special to me, and when you hear it, it’s pretty obvious why. It was the first time I wrote a song that tipped the hat to me being a dad. Side note: being a dad is the best thing I’ve ever done and it’s not even close.

CC | Do you feel more pressure with songwriting now that you are putting songs out under your name?
AH | If anything I feel less pressure The excitement around the music I’m writing just makes me more excited to write it. It’s let me hone in on ideas that move me and really go for it in the writing room. Last week, I wrote a song called “Kill A Man.” We probably wouldn’t have even tried to write that if we were pitching to Luke Bryan or Keith Urban.

CC | Who are the go-to songwriters that you like to work with now that you’re focusing on being an artist? Do you still write with the same team?
AH | Some of my go-to crew are Kelly Archer, Jeremy Stover, Paul DiGiovanni, Gordie Sampson, Andy Albert, Pete Good, AJ Babcock, Nathan Spicer, Blake Chaffin, Andrew DeRoberts and there’s a lot more in there. I try to write with a lot of different people to keep things fresh. There’s somebody probably mad I didn’t mention them, but you know I love you too, unnamed writer pal.

CC | Tell us about the inspiration behind your song “Blank Slate Sessions”?
AH | Blank Slate Sessions was the video series I did last year where I took 2 of my songs (“Do the Math” and “All You, All Night, All Summer”) and a cover song (“The Truth” by Jason Aldean) and did live versions with a stripped down band. It was sort of a reboot for me as an artist, a re-introduction for people who had seen/heard me before but not recently. It was just fun to flex a little creative muscle with some good friends in the studio.

CC | Are there any songs that have been released over the last few years that you wish you had written because you just love the lyrics?
AH | “Humble and Kind” [by Tim McGraw] still hits me right square between the eyes in the best way. Go ahead and try to tell me you don’t taste root beer popsicle every time you hear that song.

CC | What are your plans this summer?
AH | I’ll be doing some select tour dates (CMA Fest and some shows back home in Arkansas in July), but mainly getting the plan together to put out this music that we’ve been working on.

CC | Who are some of your favorite up and coming country artists and who do you think we should keep an eye out for?
AH | Travis Denning. This dude is a star and “David Ashley Parker From Powder Springs” is the best song anybody’s ever written about a fake ID. He’s a great friend and I love him to the moon.

CC | We cover country music festivals throughout the country, what was your first country festival?
AH | My first big country festival was Watershed last year at The Gorge playing guitar for Bobby Bones and the Raging Idiots. That was pretty wild.

CC | What is your must-have item for any festival?
AH | This is gonna sound very old of me but… earplugs. Good ones though. I’m talking about the custom fitting ones that still let you hear the vocal but cut the volume and take out the harsh highs and lows. Truly the Maserati of earplugs. Get you some of those and thank me later.

Listen to music from Adam Hambrick.