Rising country artist Corey Kent relishes in the moment with his newest single, “How You Know You Made It.”
Penned by Kent, AJ Prunis and Smith Ahnquist, and produced by Jay Joyce, the track encompasses the singer’s signature heart and grit through the lyrics and performance.
Heartfelt lyrics such as, “I’m takin’ in the moment/ And watchin’ that red sunset fadin’/ I’m already holdin’ that dream that I’ve been chasin’/ Wall Street can keep the money/ Hollywood can have the famous/ I’ve got a house that’s home/ I’ve got a can that’s cold/ I’ve got a hand to hold/ That’s how you know you made it,” highlight what is truly important in life for the Season 8 of The Voice contestant.
“I spent years trying to ‘make it’ in the music industry,” shared Kent. “Trying to make a name for myself. Trying to make a dollar. I was newly married to my wife, just had our first baby girl and I was more focused on providing for her than being there for her. I took for granted the things in life that really mattered.”
He continued, “I was so busy chasing a dream that I couldn’t see that I had THE DREAM right in front of me the whole time. Now after moving to Texas to be closer to family, working for a pavement company through COVID, and playing over a hundred shows in 2021, here we are with an unimaginable year of success. A lot of people are telling us we just might be the next big thing; that we are going to ‘make it.’ And hell, maybe they’re right. Maybe it’s our time.”
“How You Know You Made It” follows the singer’s breakout single “Wild As Her.” The song has accumulated more than 136 million on-demand streams, becoming RIAA certified Gold before even reaching the Top 40 at Country Radio. The free-spirited and lively single secured Kent’s first-ever entry onto Billboard’s Hot 100, the #15 spot on the Hot Country Songs Chart and continues to climb the Country Radio charts.
Written by megastar Morgan Wallen, along with Brett Tyler and Kelly Archer, Kent knew it was a hit from the get go.
“I’m very picky when it comes to outside songs,” Kent shared with Everything Nash. “For a long time. I knew what I wasn’t, and the hardest part was transitioning from what I know I’m not to knowing what I am, what I want to say and what I wouldn’t say, what aligns with my brand and what doesn’t align with my brand and getting to the point where I could filter songs through those lenses.
“Songwriting-wise, [Morgan Wallen] is one of my favorites that’s in the game currently, and is great at what he does and he didn’t cut this song,” he continued. “I was kind of surprised, because it’s right up his alley too. But hearing Morgan’s voice on it, knowing that it aligned with my brand, knowing that my team was jumping up and down about this song — they were like, ‘Man, you’ve gotta sing this song. Your voice would be incredible on this.’”
Watch the “Wild As Her” music video below.
The RCA Nashville/Sony Music Nashville signee recently shared another track, “Hood of That Car,” written by Kent with Blake Chaffin, Jack Hummel and Jacob Lutz, and produced by Chris Farren.
Fans can catch Kent on the road for his remaining headlining dates as he plans to wrap up the stint on December 31 in Austin, Texas. For dates and more information on the tour, visit https://www.coreykentofficial.com/#tour.
