Cole Swindell was recently honored with the songwriter/artist of the year award from the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI). He moved to Nashville with the dream of somehow becoming part of the music industry, no matter what form that may be. Swindell accepted the award via video message saying:
“It’s the biggest honor of my career by far because I moved to this town to be a songwriter…All I ever wanted to do was to write songs.”
He went from selling merchandise at Luke Bryan concerts, to opening for him, to headling his own tour!
Swindell has written #1 songs for himself as well as other huge acts. Just las year alone he earned 4 BMI awards for #1 songs he wrote for Thomas Rhett (“Get Me Some of That”), Luke Bryan (“Roller Coaster”), Florida Georgia Line (“This Is How We Roll”) as well as his own No. 1 “Hope You Get Lonely Tonight.”
LIVE FROM COLE SWINDELL’S #1 PARTY “You Should Be Here.”
Since signing his record deal just over three years ago (July 13, 2013), Swindell has been the writer on eight No. 1 songs including five as a solo artist. His latest No. 1 included his career-defining Platinum-certified “You Should Be Here,” co-written with the NSAI Songwriter of the Year winner Ashley Gorley. The song joins Swindell’s first four No. 1 consecutive singles as a solo artist (including Gold-certified “Let Me See Ya Girl,” along with Platinum-certified hits “Hope You Get Lonely Tonight,” “Ain’t Worth The Whiskey” and “Chillin’ It”) from his Platinum selling self-titled debut album which tops his own record of being the only solo artist in the history of Country Aircheck/Mediabase to top the chart with his first FIVE singles. His current self-penned single “Middle of a Memory,” off of his second album You Should Be Here, is sitting at No. 5 on both the Billboard and Country Aircheck/Mediabase charts and still climbing.
Swindell took the time to pen a letter to Nashville, thanking the beautiful city for being there for him, his family, his friends and his fans.
Dear Nashville… my letter to all of you https://t.co/4gyy3JDVUx pic.twitter.com/iyipV1Pq2A
— Cole Swindell (@coleswindell) October 10, 2016
I signed my record deal with Warner on July 13th 2013, and had my first single picked, “Chillin’ It”. It was the best year of my life and I was in the middle of my radio tour when I got the call that we had lost my dad in a freak accident. How could that possibly be in the master plan? He was the best guy in the world, my biggest fan and was the first person I ever heard play the guitar and sing. I was in shock and lost. Who did I turn to?
Nashville. This town. My family. Country radio … It was like everyone had my back no matter what media partner, label, publishing company or PRO they worked for and I’ll never forget it. I realized that some of my heroes, like Dierks Bentley, had also lost their dads and were there for me. Things like that make me proud to live in THIS town and proud to be a part of this format.
“Country” means a lot more to me than the sound coming out of your speakers. To me it’s a big family. It’s how you treat others, how you were raised. It’s lyrics that can change your life. All that. We are all getting to do what we love and that’s because somebody took a chance on us.
Swindell just celebrated his latest #1 “You Should Be Here” which was inspired by the death of his father. Although the song is deeply personal to him, it has taken on a personal meaning for millions of others.
“You Should Be Here” will always be a special song for me. The first day it was played on country radio the messages I got on social media from fans everywhere broke my heart. I wanted to release a song that would help other people but hearing their stories made me know I wasn’t alone… it wasn’t about me anymore, it wasn’t about only my dad. It was for everyone that had been there and knew that pain. Your stories have and will continue to change me for the better. People asked, “How did you film the video and release a song that personal?” I never looked at it that way. The fans give me all they have and I will always do the same. Although I don’t like the circumstances of why I had to write the song. I know for a fact if my dad knew leaving this world a little early would inspire a song that would help so many, he would’ve had no problem with it. That’s the kind of guy he was. That’s the kind of guy I want to be. Every night I sing that song I know he’s there, best seat in the house no doubt.
Read the full letter: Cole Swindell Letter
