One year ago this week, singer/songwriter Drew Parker released his seven-track EP While You’re Gone. The title track would go on to become the Georgia native’s first major label debut single on Warner Music Nashville, charting on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart after just two weeks, making Parker one of the fastest debut artists to hit the Billboard chart this year. Now, Parker is gifting fans with a stripped-down version of the track with “While You’re Gone” (Acoustic) (LISTEN HERE). Along with the audio, Parker has also released the accompanying video for the acoustic version, captured during Nashville’s Country Radio Seminar (WATCH HERE).
Co-written by Parker and Jameson Rodgers, “While You’re Gone” was the most-added debut single upon impact, tying for second overall. The “BP PBR” song is approaching 45 million global streams and claimed No.1 on SiriusXM’s The Highway, aiding in Parker’s inclusion on SiriusXM’s “Future Five For 2021” list. Parker recently took the single to the legendary Grand Ole Opry stage for his Opry debut, where he received a standing ovation. Watch the official music video for “While You’re Gone” HERE.
An Opry debut is just one of the few reasons Parker has had to celebrate lately, including receiving his very first CMA Awards nomination for Song of the Year for Luke Combs’ “Forever After All.” The multi-week No.1 single is one of several tracks penned by Parker alongside Combs, in addition to “1, 2 Many,” “Lonely One” and “Nothing Like You,” adding to Parker’s other major publishing credits such as Jake Owen’s No.1 single “Homemade.” The singer/songwriter is joining up with Combs now on the road as an opener on his What You See Is What You Get tour. He will join Jameson Rodgers’ Cold Beer Calling My Name tour in the fall, sprinkling in several headlining dates with openers Southerland. For a full list of upcoming shows, click HERE.
About Drew Parker:
Drew Parker knows exactly what he’s about – and country fans already love it. Some just don’t know it yet. Now, after joining Warner Music Nashville to supercharge his artistic ambition, they’ll soon learn. A native of Covington, Georgia, schooled on ‘90s country giants like Ronnie Dunn, Travis Tritt and Alan Jackson, Parker’s led a recent resurgence in organic country hits – they’ve just been for other artists. Tracks like Luke Combs’ “Forever After All” and Jake Owen’s “Homemade” have established his signature style, using whip-smart lyricism and actual country instruments to pen quality-driven Number Ones – a new-school-meets-old-school vision that’s proven itself at each turn. It’s that same wordplay that drives Parker’s solo work, too, and it’s all steeped in his love of the ‘90s. With a standalone single released in 2016 and a four-song collection following in 2018, Parker reached a creative high-water mark last year: The While You’re Gone EP – seven twangy, energy-filled lyrical masterstrokes that were too “him” for anyone else to sing. The title track recently became Parker’s first single at country radio, the most-added debut single upon impact. Co-written with Jameson Rodgers, the clever power ballad shows off everything that makes Parker stand out, from his powerhouse vocal to that unteachable Shakespearean spark – the ability to make people laugh while they cry. It’s the first true look at an artist who’s already developed a sound and style all his own, but it won’t be the last, as there’s much more in Parker’s tank, with unrecorded music waiting in the wings. But for now, the Georgia native is excited to have this batch of work out in the world. And his original dreams are coming true. In true Drew Parker double meaning, the tank is gassed up, and he’s finally ready to roll…both literally and metaphorically.
For more information, please visit:
