Listening to Tim McGraw‘s brand-new single, “Shotgun Rider,” it’s easy to think he’s singing a song of devotion to his wife, Faith Hill. You shouldn’t assume you’ll see Faith acting out that role in Tim’s upcoming video for the song, though. In fact, Tim doesn’t want fans to think of him or his famous wife much at all as they’re listening to his new album, Sundown Heaven Town. Instead, he hopes his listeners find pieces of their own stories in his new collection of songs.
Tim says, “They might not necessarily have lived thematically what that song is talking about, but I think they find a way to adapt a part of their life to what that song is talking about or sort of superimpose a piece of what they’ve done in their life, or what they think they might wish they’d have done in their life, and they find a way to live through that vicariously.”
Tim and Faith’s video for their collaboration on “Meanwhile Back at Mama’s” left room for fans to create their own story line for the song. The traditional-leaning song also served as a contrast to the rock and hip-hop influences heard on country radio lately. Tim is excited to see country music evolve so fast in the last few years, and a few of those new sounds show up on Sundown Heaven Town, too.
“I love the broad spectrum of music that you can find on country [radio] these days. I think it’s the most dynamic and diverse genre of music that’s out there,” Tim explains. “‘Meanwhile Back at Mama’s’ was a spot that needed to be filled — that needed to be filled in the entire landscape of country music, and it’s cool that you can do that. It’s cool that you can have a genre that allows that big of a spectrum.”
Tim will promote Sundown Heaven Town with a performance on ABC’s Good Morning America Tuesday, followed by an appearance on ABC’s The View on Wednesday. He follows that up with another performance on NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Wednesday night.
Passengers flying on Southwest Airlines flights to Los Angeles Tuesday evening will also get free wifi and exclusive content from Tim on the Rapid Rewards in-flight network in celebration of Tim’s new album. The airline is also offering fans a chance to win a VIP trip to Los Angeles to meet Tim and see him perform at a private event.
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