With his brand-new album Unlearn due out on April 28, 2023, Big Loud recording artist Griffen Palmer is primed and ready to capitalize on the buzz that’s been swirling around him ever since his appearance on Songland found his “Second Guessing” getting picked up for Florida-Georgia Line’s Life Rolls On album; a song that he’s since released as his own, reimagined version while also teasing his album with well-received releases “25 to Life” and its title track, “Unlearn.” We had the amazing opportunity to catch up with Griffen and chat with him about the new album, what we can expect from it that the teaser releases haven’t shown us, songwriting, his appearance on Songland, and much more!

(Interview by: Jeffrey Kurtis) 

1) Your brand-new album Unlearn is dropping on April 28, 2023. Tell us more about the album. What can we expect from it that we haven’t heard from the teasers you’ve released ahead of it?

This album is really all about what it’s like to be finding yourself and navigating relationships for the first time as a young person.  So aside from the more serious songs like “Second Guessing” and “Unlearn,” I think there’s a lot more fun, lighthearted moments involved with that process, too! There’s a lot of really cool sonic moments in these songs as well that give a nod back to some of the music I love and grew up listening to, which feels really exciting for me. I just hope to give everyone a broader sense of what my brain sounds like in these remaining seven songs!

2) You first teased the album with “Second Guessing.” Most people will recognize that song from Florida Georgia Line after your appearance on Songland had landed you that cut. Why did you feel that it was important to release your own version of the song to jumpstart your artist career?

Aside from it being such a big part of my journey up until this point, I really just wanted to give a little something back to all of the people who had been following me since that episode aired.  Seeing so many people use this song on their wedding day, and reading their messages asking if I would ever release my own version was super inspiring, and I felt that it was important to re-imagine this song for them.

3) On the Songland experience; Take us back to that day and tell us what that was like for you, but then also tell us what you learned from doing that show that you’ve since applied to your career going forward?

That whole filming experience was a whirlwind for a ton of reasons. It was my first time filming anything on a big TV show, but it was also my first time playing a song for some of the greatest songwriters in the world!  It was very nerve-racking, but also super rewarding to receive some of the nice feedback they offered me. I find myself constantly thinking back to some of their advice when I’m in a writing room, because it’s not every day that you get to learn from the greats.

4) You’ve also shared “25 to Life,” an amazing tune that was met with high praise. What does that song mean to you personally and did you expect it to resonate with fans the way that it has so quickly?

It’s very cool to see so much love for “25 To Life.” This song was the first track that my team and I unanimously agreed needed to be on the record, and it kind of acted like an anchor for everything else. So, sonically and lyrically it represents what I wanted this project to feel like.  Seeing people relate to it and enjoy the song so much makes me really excited for them to hear everything else!

5) Just last week you offered a third teaser with the title track, “Unlearn.” In what ways do you feel that this song is the perfect definition of the albums overall feel and vibe?

Releasing my debut record, it’s important to me that new listeners feel like they’re getting to know me a little through these songs, and I decided to name the record after “Unlearn” because it does just that.  This song really is my story of growing up in my family, and if that strikes a chord with anybody discovering my music for the first time, that’s the ultimate goal of this music.

6) Is there a song from the album that stands out as a personal favorite for you that you can’t wait for your fans to hear? If so, why that song?

I feel like I constantly switch between what my favorite song on the record is. Right now I think my favorite is “Came Here To Leave”, mostly due to it being the most recent song we’ve recorded, but also because of its simplicity and its uniqueness amongst the rest of the record.  I think it offers a little “coldplay-esque” moment that captures an exciting, young relationship and I’m curious to see what people think of it!

7) Switching over to your songwriting; you’ve landed cuts with several artists including Keith Urban, Lily Rose, Jade Eagleson, and more. What does it mean to you when a song that you crafted from your own personal experiences strikes the hearts of an artist so much that they want to record it?

Now that I’ve gone through the process of making a record, I understand even more how difficult it is to select songs for a project.  Anytime an artist believes in a song enough to include it on the shortlist of tracks on their record is a huge honor, and I don’t think I’ll ever lose that feeling.

8) When you’re writing a song for yourself to record versus writing one for someone else, is your writing process basically the same or do you approach the session differently?

I think that the process of writing a song is essentially the same regardless of if you’re writing it for yourself or somebody else, it’s really just the ideas and stories that change based on how personal they are to you. The end goal of having a great song never changes, and neither do the tools you can use to get there. For the most part I try to not think about where the song is going to end up while I’m writing it, I just do my best to write the best song that I can and take it from there.

9) During your round at Tin Pan South you talked about living with songwriter Geoff Warburton over the pandemic. Fill us in on that experience, and how writing everyday with him really helped pave the way for the album that we’re about to get from you now.

During the stay-at-home order, Geoff and I decided to live together so that we could write songs every day. It made one of the more stressful times for all of us, one of my favorite periods of creativity in my life because it really took the pressure off from the outside world. Sure, we were writing songs with the hopes of being on a record someday, but we were also just creating these songs to have a fun and see if there was a way to create something in an otherwise dull time. We had so much time to talk about what we wanted this project to look and feel like, and honestly, without that time this all could’ve turned out very differently. About half of this project came from those sessions!

10) What one piece of advice can you offer to someone who is just starting out and trying to break into the music industry?

I honestly believe the best advice I could give someone starting out is to make some real friends and collaborators that you believe in, and that believe in you. The biggest difference makers in my career so far have been from the genuine relationships I’ve built over the years, and the best part of that is, it makes every little win along the way a ton more fun. I got into music because it was my favorite thing to do with my friends and family, so the more I keep that in my process, the better!

• Prev
• Next