As Ashley Cooke wraps up her most successful year to date and second consecutive tour with country megastar Cole Swindell, the powerhouse singer proves that she’s only getting started with the release of two fresh new tracks, “running back” and “dirt on ‘em.”
Following the singer’s most recent releases in August, “getting into” and “back in the saddle,” these two new tracks embrace Ashley’s signature style of energetic pop with the depth of country.
Co-penned by Emily Weisband and Will Weatherly, “running back” takes listeners on a journey as the singer wonders what could have been if things had worked out with the high school football star that once held her heart.
“Running back, number forty-nine/ You had me from the sidelines and in the back of a Pontiac/ Something ’bout that first time that puts your walls up when it don’t work out/ You’re still holding on to it years from now/ I bet you probably put my memory in the ground,” Cooke sings in the first verse.
She continues in the chorus with wistful lyrics, “And I’ve had a few somebody new’s/ Thought about forever too/ But I run away when it gets close to that/ ‘Cause no matter how far down the road/ The crazy thing is I know if you called and said you’re missin’ what we had/ I’d come running back.”
The reminiscent track is accompanied by a nostalgic music video inspired by “Friday Night Lights.”
“dirt on ‘em” — written by Cooke alongside Jessi Alexander and Alysa Vanderheim — finds the Spotify Hot Country Artist to Watch accepting that she has a type: a guy with a reputation for trouble that’s rough around the edges.
“I ain’t afraid of a little whiskey stain/ On your name going round this small small town/ I don’t mind a little static on the station/ A little nitty-gritty with a messy reputation,” sings Cooke.
Watch the official music video for “dirt on ‘em” below.
The two releases come hot on the heels of some of the singer’s greatest career moments, including the sellout of back-to-back nights at the legendary Ryman Auditorium and Cooke’s national television debut on ABC’s The Bachelorette in July.
The Big Loud/ Back Blocks Music artist’s career is clearly on the ups, as she made her debut on the iconic Grand Ole Opry stage on October 26. Cooke performed tracks “getting into” and “Never Til Now,” earning a standing ovation from the Opry crowd. The career-altering moment got even sweeter for Cooke when Gary LeVox, lead singer of Rascal Flatts, invited her to join him for a duet of “What Hurts The Most.”
“Making my Opry debut was one of the most surreal moments I’ve ever experienced. I got into country music because I fell in love with and found comfort in the storytelling of Rascal Flatts,” explained Cooke. “Having Gary LeVox invite me into the circle and ask me to sing one of the songs that got me into music in the first place was completely full circle. I’m so thankful to have stood where every country great has before me and I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the tradition.”
Cooke will kick off 2023 with a bang as she joins Brett Young and Morgan Evans for Young’s 5 Tour 3 2 1. The 17-date stint is set to kick off in Columbus, Ohio on March 30 and will hit major cities including Pittsburgh, Boston and Philadelphia before wrapping up on May 20 in Los Angeles, California.
