Chase Matthew Digging Into the Stories Behind His Songs

Rising country music star Chase Matthew is stepping into the co-host seat alongside seasoned host Elaina Smith on Backstage Country. Think of it as the backstage pass you always wanted, with Matthew sharing the stories behind his songs.

Smith asked Matthew if “Darlin’” charting hits differently. He agreed, “Oh yeah, absolutely. Especially on live shows. We’re on our fall tour right now, and people just go crazy for that one. It's one that definitely sticks a lot. It feels like everybody is waiting for that. So, we do it on the last song in the show, and everybody goes bananas. It's crazy.”

Smith next asked about “Love You Again,” the lead single from his second album, Come Get Your Memory, which was his first major hit. Matthew reflected, “I remember the day we wrote it. I think it goes all the way back to the day. We wrote it, and it's a song I've been really confident about for a long time. There's something about it. I don't know what it is, but I love the record.”

Matthew shared the day they wrote the song, “I came up here. I was driving an old '90s model Dodge Ram 1500, picked up one of my buddies, Taylor Phillips, and Casey Brown. We went over to Casey Brown's house, and we wrote that song in like 30 minutes. You know, sometimes you can't recreate what you come up with that day. So, we had made a demo that day, and I sang into the microphone a lot like this one I'm talking to you on right now. And that ended up being the vocals that we used on the record, like in everything.”

He admitted right then and there that they knew the song was going to be a hit. “I remember I was riding around with my managers later that night. We went down to the cookout, and my manager, Ken, was coming out of his seat, dancing to that song. He was like, ‘This is a hit. This is a banger.’ I think we knew right then and there, we had a good one.”

In his collaboration with Lauren Alaina, Smith asked how the two of them ended up doing a song. Matthew said that they met during Jason Aldean’s 2024 Rock the Country Tour and that he’s also been good friends with her husband, Cam. In fact, it was Cam who floated the idea of a collab. “He told me, ‘Hey, man. I got this song on my phone that Lauren's got, and she's been looking for somebody to make a duet with on this song. I think you would sound awesome on this song. I'm gonna convince her that she needs to do this all with you, but you can't say anything.’”

Matthew chuckled, “And I'm like, ‘Okay.’ So, about a week goes by, and we're out on the run again with Aldean. And he tells me, ‘Hey man, come to the bus real quick. Come to Lauren's bus.’ So, I'll go on the bus, and she goes, ‘Chase, I got this song I want to play for you.’

The “Saltwater Cinderella” singer laughed, “I had to play dumb. I said, ‘Wow, that's really good.’ She's like, ‘Yeah. What do you hear?’ I was like, ‘I hear a hit. Let's do it.’ And then she found out about all that a few months ago. So now it's our running joke. She's like ‘So what secret are you and Cam keeping from me this week?’ You know, it's funny. And the song was great. I remember the day we went in and finished it up and did vocals, and it turned out to be another song that I feel like is paving the way for me and for her and for anybody else who can agree with the lyrics.”

This week on Backstage Country, from November 10-14, is your chance to meet Chase Matthew, the man behind these hit songs. Don’t miss it!