Warner Music Nashville’s Ian Munsick proves he is in it for the “Long Haul” as he becomes the most-added new artist and third overall at country radio this week with his debut single (listen HERE). Co-written and co-produced alongside Dave Villa and Jamie Kenney, “Long Haul” drew more than 12 million on-demand streams prior to radio impact. Twice it has entered Spotify’s all-genre US Viral 50 chart, and this week it is featured on the Hot Country, Release Radar and Breakout Country playlists.
To celebrate his country radio debut, Munsick released a special stripped-down performance of “Long Haul” to his YouTube channel (watch HERE). The video, featuring fiddle player Wynton Grant, is bathed in the beauty of the singer / songwriter’s native Wyoming. People described “Long Haul” as “a delicious look into his adoration for the West,” while MusicRow offered praise for showcasing Munsick’s “heart-tugging tenor voice and… marvelous sense of melody.” Fans who want to learn more about the single and its conception can check out the “Makin’ Tracks” feature in this week’s edition of Billboard Country Update HERE.
“Long Haul” hails from the recording artist’s debut album Coyote Cry, out now (listen HERE). Munsick describes the 10-track project as a firm handshake of the cowboy and the hippy, the traditional and the contemporary… and everything in between. Born an audiophile and bred a multi-instrumentalist, Munsick co-produced each of the album’s 10 “self-penned songs that conjure equal parts epic adventure and down-to-earth wisdom” (American Songwriter). He is sharing the project this month on his Coyote on the Run tour, featuring several sold-out dates across the western United States.
Munsick has spent the last half decade honing his craft in Nashville – and it shows. In January he was named to Spotify’s inaugural Hot Country Artists to Watch list. Rolling Stone praised his “riveting” tenor, while Sounds Like Nashville marveled his ability to “[tame] a soaring falsetto to fly higher than the mountains, and [match] pop power to anthemic tracks rooted in the rugged landscape of his home.” Blending his Rocky Mountain sound with progressive elements and new-school production, Munsick is geared up to bring western back into country.