Corey Kent Opens Up About the Songs That Changed His Career

During Corey Kent’s time co-hosting Backstage Country with Elaina Smith, the Oklahoma-born singer gave listeners an inside look at the real-life experiences that fuel his music, and it's safe to say his songs hit even harder once you know the stories behind them.

Kent describes “This Heart’s” climb to the top of the US Country Airplay as an “uphill battle.” “This song took a really long time to kind of get legs and take off running, especially at country radio,” Kent explained. “It felt like for a long time this was not going to happen. It  was just sitting outside the top 40 and just kind of hovering there. But we were seeing people at the shows sing the song the way that they were singing ‘Wild As Her.’ So we had a little bit of something to compare it to. And we're like, ‘Man, these people love this song, and it's working here. I wonder why it's not working there.’ And not too long after that, I don't know, just something changed.”

He remembered at one point trying to not make a big deal of the chart, “I remember being so concerned about where it was. And then at a certain point, I just went, ‘I’m gonna drive myself crazy by worrying about this song. And if it becomes a quote unquote hit, it's already a hit with our fans. So you know what? I had a very succinct short moment where I just prayed, and I was like, all right, ‘God, I'm done trying to outwork you. Like, if you want this thing to happen, you got it. I'm done.’”

Smith asked how the collaboration with Koe Wetzel for “Rocky Mountain Low” happened. Kent chuckled, “It kind of sounds like Koe wrote the second verse for sure. And that's what led to me reaching out to him. We've been billed on a lot of the same festivals, especially recently. Koe's been touring at a high level for a long time, and I've always had a lot of respect for how he's gone about his business, like how he's stayed true to himself. He silenced the noise and just focused on building what he wanted to build.

He added, “And, you know, especially living in Texas, like, you talk to a lot of people in that area, and you go, Who's your favorite country artist? Koe Wetzel.’ There's a lot of people who feel that way. So I've always had a ton of respect for how he's just done his own thing. He beats to his own drum; he doesn't really play by the rules. And you know, he's had success in ways that don't make sense to the status quo.”

For more of Corey Kent’s music, visit his website and pre-order his upcoming album, Heartland Rock and Roll.