By: Kat Harlton
Photos: LoneStar PR
Known for capturing hearts across America on Season 12 of ABC‘s hit television series The Bachelorette, country singer-songwriter Luke Pell was riding horses before he could even walk while growing up deep in the heart of Texas in the small town of Burnet.
By age 12, Pell was spending his summers breaking horses, hell-bent on becoming a professional horse trainer until he graduated high school and accepted a football scholarship to The United States Military Academy at West Point in 2003. During his time in college, Pell found an escape from the stress and demands of everyday life in his guitar.
After graduating and serving in the Army for five years, Pell came to the realization that his true passion was in songwriting. Now, Pell finds himself in Nashville chasing his dream while networking with publishing companies and established songwriters, including country music superstar Cole Swindell, Josh Hoge, Brandon Kinney, Ash Bowers, and more
We had the opportunity to delve deeper and discover where Pell gets his inspiration from, what’s next for his career and what he holds close to his heart.
Kat: What inspired you to become a country artist? Has country music always been a part of your life?
Luke: I’ve always had a love for country music that takes me back to my roots every time I hear it. Becoming an artist and songwriter is something I knew I always wanted to do even when I was in the military and working in corporate America I always came back to country music and this undeniable urge to move back to Nashville.
Kat: Is there a specific country song or artist that has left a lasting impression on you?
Luke: Jamey Johnson‘s “In Color” is one of those songs that lyrically just resonated with me and was personal to me like a conversation I would have actually had with my grandfather. Song’s like that are the essence of what makes country music powerful and timeless.
Kat: Musically speaking, who would you consider to be your role models, as far as sound or career?
Luke: Dierks Bentley and Jason Aldean have always been two of my country music heroes and have careers I would love to model mine after.
Kat: Could you speak a little bit about the inspiration behind your first single ‘pretty close’?
Luke: Most people assume songwriting is based off personal experience and it couldn’t be more true with my songs. I haven’t told many people that the hook from “Pretty Close” came from a time in my life when I literally almost died and I had been off and on with an ex-girlfriend for a while at the time.
When I was in the ICU in El Paso, TX my family and close friends were coming to visit me and my ex-girlfriend came as well. In that moment all our differences didn’t matter it was just about being surrounded by those you loved. So born was the lyric “If I died right now I’d be fine yeah holdin you’s how I’d wanna go out”
Kat: What can fans expect at a ‘Luke Pell’ show?
Luke: Our shows are all about energy! I know that any show I’ve ever been to it was more about how I felt when I left than how well the band played or even the content of the music. It was about the high of the experience and energy.
Kat: Do you feel ‘The Bachelorette’ has had a negative or positive affect on your music and career as an artist so far?
Luke: I think honestly The Bachelorette, although delaying my artist project almost a year, in time still turned out to be a positive experience because so many more people that relate to my life and my personal story now know me and are connected with me and support me in relationships and my career.
Kat: What’s next? Can fans expect an album soon? More tour dates?
Luke: We are currently booking dates for the remainder of 2017 and will spend much of this year on the road meeting people, playing new venues, and writing the rest of the story of my life and career from being a CPT in the Army to an Oil and gas engineer in Oklahoma now back to Nashville as a country music artist who’s lived the songs I write and the dream I chase every day.
Kat: If you could scream 1 thing out to the world, what would it be?
Luke: Hug somebody you love because tomorrow is never guaranteed for any of us.
2 thoughts