Singer-songwriter, Mitchell Tenpenny made headlines as he became the first artist ever to celebrate two #1 songs on the Country music chart just three weeks apart from one another and he’s celebrating by putting himself to work.
LISTEN NOW: Mitchell Tenpenny talks to Coop at CMA Fest
Tenpenny recently joined Audacy’s Coop at CMA Fest for an interview, brought to you by Simple Green, where they discussed the recent accomplishment that Tenpenny said makes him more “nervous” than anything.
“That just makes me nervous, we gotta keep goin’” he said of the record-breaking accomplishment. “I’ll take it, that’s amazing, I’m super honored by that… but, all it did for me was make me want to do it again. I want to keep doing this for the rest of my life and when you get ‘em there’s the pressure to get another.”
So, back in the studio Tenpenny goes to start working on his next project, which he says he’s already cut five songs for, but they still have a ways to go before they hit the ears of fans due to Tenpenny’s perfectionism and desire to “get it right.”
“Every one of those [songs], I’ve got my notes on that I want to go back and fix,” he said. “It’s just nerd stuff that probably no one will notice the difference, but to me, if it’s going to be there forever, I want to make sure it doesn’t bug me forever.”
As Tenpenny works to perfect his next masterpiece, fans are more than happy to continue enjoying his most recent release, This Is The Heavy, which includes 20 tracks all co-written by Tenpenny, a process he dove deeper into in his conversation with Coop.
“I just go in and try to write the best song that we can get that day — whatever inspiration or whatever happens, you gotta pile ‘em [up] and then pick when it’s time to make a record,” he explained.
“I’ve tried my best to go in and just, whatever happens organically, that’s it. Then I listen back to them and [think] ‘Is this something I can see myself doing for the rest of my life?’ Honestly, that’s the easiest way for me to do it.”
While his focus remains on telling his stories authentically, Mitchell says he also thinks of his fans and what they’ll want to sing along to — especially when it comes to the language he uses. Known to throw a couple F-bombs and curse words in his music here and there, the 33-year-old says he does his best to remain sensitive to those who may not appreciate harsher language, but never in a way that will jeopardize the passion or point he’s trying to get across. “You don't want to intentionally offend somebody that might not want to cuss, but at the same time, I would not say ‘You mess me up at a bar,’ I would say ‘You F'd me up at a bar,’” he explained. “When it gets down to it… it’s the honesty, it’s telling it like we would say it if we were having a real conversation and I do not have the best vocabulary in the world,” he laughed.
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Hear more from Tenpenny about This Is The Heavy, new music, music videos and more by tuning into his entire conversation with Coop above. Want more CMA Fest? Check out all Audacy’s behind the scenes interviews, brought to you by Simple Green here.