Luke Grimes. Photo Credit: Hank Chafin
Singer-songwriter and actor Luke Grimes (“Yellowstone”) chatted about his self-titled debut country album, which will be released on March 8.
Song selection process of the new LP
On the song selection approach for the new album, Grimes said, “Dave Cobb had a lot to do with it. I trust him implicitly. He obviously has been doing this a lot longer than me.”
“We had plenty of songs to choose from, and every day we would come in and we went through what I had, and he would be like ‘I feel like doing this today’. Then, we did enough songs, and that was how it worked, and I think he was right every time. Dave nailed it and he picked all of the right ones,” he elaborated.
Theme of the album
When asked if he was going for a certain theme, Grimes responded, “It was important to Dave from this first album to be really honest and personal. I wanted to get listeners to know me as Luke and I wanted to know what’s on my mind and the things that I was going through.”
“Since I am also an actor, and I am coming out of another world, I wanted to be really honest about who I am, especially because my other job is about pretending to be someone else on purpose,” he explained.
“The theme for this album was ‘me,’ which is weird to say,” he noted.
Personal favorite songs on the album
On his personal favorite songs on the album, Grimes said, “I have a couple. I really liked the way ‘Hold On’ turned out. That was a surprising one because it was one of the ones that I didn’t write.”
“The demo sounded really different, and part of the reason we liked it was that it was written for a woman to sing,” he noted.
“We thought it would be really cool to have a man sing these really vulnerable things that you are not used to men saying. The way that it went from the demo to how it turned out was a really cool process to see, as well as to see what a genius Dave is,” he explained.
“I also love ‘Ain’t Dead Yet.’ That is also one of my favorites, especially since it is so unique,” he added.
He also noted that his song “Oh Ohio” has a universal meaning behind it, and it’s not necessarily about one specific place. “It is just an apology letter for anybody who has ever left home,” he said.
Grimes shared that he hopes to get out on the road soon to perform this new music for the fans. “I would love to tour. We will get out there soon,” he hinted. “We will take this thing off the ground, and we will hit more cities this time.”
Biggest musical influences
His greatest musical influences include “The King” Elvis Presley and Christian music. “Elvis was always playing at our house,” he said. “I grew up in church, playing drums in church. There were a lot of hymns and gospel music.”
Taking cues from outlaw country musicians
Grimes noted that he took cues from some outlaw Country Music Hall of Famers. “I also listened to a lot of the outlaw country artists such as Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson. Those are who my dad really loved, and that was my first introduction to the country music genre,” he elaborated.
Speaking of Kris Kristofferson, Grimes praised him for being “very talented as a really great songwriter and a good actor too. Kris was a really great actor.”
Music and songwriting inspirations
Regarding his music and songwriting inspirations, Grimes said, “First and foremost, the need to make things. I don’t have a lot of hobbies or a lot of interests outside of being creative, and clearly, I wanted to do film and television, but music has always been a part of my life. I am happy with just making things.”
“I have always been a huge music fan, and then, I got the opportunity to make some of my own. That right there was pretty inspiring, especially to have a platform to do it,” he added.
The digital age
On being a recording artist in the digital age, now with streaming, technology, and social media being so prevalent, Grimes said, “It’s weird. I never had social media before my music venture. I never really felt the need to.”
“When you play characters, it is not really necessary to tell people who you really are; however, with music, it is very important. You can connect with your fans and tell them when your new music is coming out and where I would be performing. Now, I understand the need for it,” he elaborated.
“The digital age is different,” he admitted. “I’ve felt probably a little bit exposed in the beginning, but I’ve gotten used to it. The one thing about me is that I don’t have the password to my Instagram because I don’t want to get too far in though I do write all the posts myself. I just don’t want to be looking at social media all day.”
Dream duet choices in music
Grimes revealed that he would love to do a duet where he would be featured on a song with Chris Stapleton even though he feels that “singing next to Stapleton would be a little embarrassing because he is so good.” “That would be on my bucket list,” he admitted.
“I would also love to work with Jamey Johnson,” he said. “I can go on all day with a list of choices. There are so many amazing people out there right now.”
In the female duets department, he listed Sierra Ferrell and Alison Krauss. “Sierra is awesome and rad. I would love to do something with her,” he said.
Dialogue-heavy
When asked how he handles being dialogue-heavy, he responded, “Well, in ‘Yellowstone,’ I’ve been pretty lucky because my character, Kayce Dutton, doesn’t talk very much so that makes it easy. Kayce is a man of few words.”
“In my career, I have played characters that have talked a lot,” he admitted. “That is one thing that I’ve never really had a big problem with. I am lucky in that way. Learning lines and dialogue comes pretty easy for me. The better written a script is, the easier the dialogue flows.”
‘Yellowstone’
Speaking of “Yellowstone,” he described this western series as “the craziest experience in every way.” “It has been really intense, really fulfilling, and it has changed my life in every way possible,” he said.
“The show has been going on for seven years now, and we will be doing our last season pretty soon. I can’t even imagine my life without it now. It will certainly be quite an adjustment to put that character, cast, and crew away. They have all become a second family,” he elaborated.
“There are definitely some things in my character that have inspired songs and things of that nature,” he added.
Advice for young and aspiring entertainers
For young and aspiring entertainers, Grimes said, “When you want to start anything like that, it can be very daunting and very scary. There are a lot of things that can go wrong.”
“When I was coming up, I had to leave things that I know in order to pursue something that might not even work, or I might get humiliated, or I might be terrible at it. I don’t think you will ever regret going for it,” he said.
Grimes continued, “No matter where you end up and what happens, you should go for it and give it a shot because you are going to learn something, and you are going to end up somewhere.”
“You will end up where you are supposed to be anyway so no matter what, you should go for it, especially if you think you have something to offer,” he added.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Grimes responded, “How did this happen?”
‘Fifty Shades’ film trilogy
On being a part of the “Fifty Shades” trilogy films, where he has played the role of Elliot Grey (the lead character Christian Grey’s brother), he said, “That was a chess move. I only worked a couple of days on each ‘Fifty Shades’ movie so it wasn’t as big of an experience as it was for the people watching it. They were awesome people in the cast, even though I wasn’t there very much.”
Superpower of choice
If he were to have any superpower, it would be to “freeze time.” “Then, you can do anything when time is frozen,” he admitted.
Favorite mottos to live by
On his favorite mottos to live by, Grimes shared, “Keep on truckin’.”
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, he said, “Being fulfilled, having joy, and liking what you are doing every day.”
Closing thoughts on the new album
For fans and listeners, Grimes remarked about his new album, “I just hope that people can connect to this album in some way. My favorite music has always made me feel like I’m not alone in the world. We are all in this together.”
“If there is something that I’ve gone through or some emotion that I’ve had that I don’t know how to articulate or how to fix, and someone sings a song about it, now I know that I’m not the only one,” he acknowledged.
“If there are some songs on the album that can do that for anyone, then my mission would really be accomplished,” he concluded.
His eponymous country album is available for pre-order on digital service providers by clicking here.
To learn more about actor and singer-songwriter Luke Grimes and his new music, follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and check out his official homepage.