Written by Dean Dillon, Jessie Jo Dillon and Jesse Frasure, Texas natives Jake Worthington and Miranda Lambert teamed up to make musical magic in arguably the best collaboration to come this year, releasing “Hello Shitty Day” on all music streaming services today (September 27) after weeks and weeks of anticipation.
Although the song officially hit music streaming services today, the traditional-leaning track is already a fan favorite amongst country music lovers — as Worthington has teased it extensively on social media, as well as performed it live on numerous occasions — with the fast rising country star exclusively telling Music Mayhem that “fans seem to be hooked onto it more and more” each time he either teases or performs the tune.
“That’s a pretty cool feeling. I can only hope to do stuff I believe in, and as the kids say, ‘Stand on business,’” Worthington shared with a smile, prior to delving into further details about “Hello Shitty Day” in our one-on-one interview.
“Hello Shitty Day” with Miranda Lambert
When asked the meaning behind “Hello Shitty Day,” Worthington immediately cut to the chase, telling Music Mayhem that although “it’s a song about not a good day,” he is hopeful that it relates to a majority of listeners “and makes their drinks even colder and smoother.”
Naturally, the lyrics exemplify the bad day Worthington mentioned above: “Hello shitty day (hello, hello) / Glad you came my way / Brought all this pain and all of this rain / Washed my joy away / I was doin’ just fine / In this world of mine / Now the skies are all gray and all I can say is / Hello shitty day.”
He then began to share the overall sound of “Hello Shitty Day,” describing it as “It’s traditional country music” with his signature Jake Worthington flair.
“It’s a song I believe in… I think that Miranda singing on it is, to me, it sounds timeless, and I hope folks like it,” the country crooner added, transitioning to talking about what it was really like working alongside Lambert, who doubles as one of his longtime inspirations within the country music community.
How the Collaboration came to be
Lambert and Worthington were initially connected via the team at Big Loud Texas, with the latter sharing the story in our exclusive interview. “Miranda had sent me that song via text, and I asked her if I could cut it, and she said I could. I asked her if she would sing on it with me, and she said she would, and we did it… I really ain’t got words for that other than ‘Holy cow! How about that shit?’”
Lambert then shared her side of the story in an Instagram reel onstage with Worthington, “When we wrote this song, it was one of my first times ever writing with Dean Dillon, who is obviously a hero of ours… It was cold and rainy and shitty outside, and Dean was standing out there, and he was smoking, and I went out there to hang out, and he said ‘Hello Shitty Day,’ and I was like ‘Can we write that?’ The first person I thought of was you.”
“I’m glad I remind you of a shitty day,” Worthington replied in said Instagram reel, exemplifying the cheeky banter and overall bond the pair developed while working on this soon-to-be hit song.
Looking Up To Miranda Lambert As His Musical Hero
“Just as a fan and a singer and a writer, I was completely beside myself not only to be trusted on a song, but to experience what it is Miranda Lambert does when she sings a song, and that is nothing short of one of the best experiences you’ll ever get,” Worthington gushed, praising his phenomenal duet partner. “I think she’s one of the best singers I’ve ever witnessed. I mean, it’s a naturalist thing for her, and I’m just amazed.”
He continued to gush about the talented singer/songwriter that is Miranda Lambert, admitting that although his nerves were at an all-time high while being around the “Wranglers” singer, the creation of “Hello Shitty Day” came naturally to the pair.
“I know where she comes from. She knows where I come from,” Worthington explained, alluding to the fact that both he and Lambert stem from the Lone Star State. “I felt like I’ve been singing with her forever, and I just couldn’t believe it… I don’t know how to explain it.”
Admitting that Lambert “definitely set the bar high,” Worthington added that he learned more and more after every session together, taking lessons from the newest PCCA Country Icon Award recipient that he will hopefully implement into his budding country music career.
Worthington’s Dream Collaborations
With “Hello Shitty Day” out on all music streaming services, we then looked towards the future, discussing what other collaborations Worthington would love to be a part of in the future and his dream collaborators include Jamey Johnson, George Strait and more.
“I’ve always been a fan of Jamey Johnson, George Strait, Mark Chesnutt, I mean, you name it, all of them,” he explained, passionately. “A lot of people influence me musically, but I’ve actually been thinking about it lately. There’s a lot of my musical influences that I’ve never got to see or hear live. A lot of it was records and things of that nature. What remnants we have of, you know, the body of work that they’ve left for us to listen to.”
He confirmed that prior to “Hello Shitty Day,” Miranda Lambert was one of his greatest inspirations and dream collaborations as well, but it looks like that dream came true sooner than he had anticipated.
What’s Next For Jake Worthington?
Aside from “Hello Shitty Day,” Worthington has a record in the works that greatly exemplifies these musical influences as well, spilling the tea in our one-on-one interview: “I’ve got I’ve got a record cut. All I can say is that I feel that like we went deeper into the vein of the roots of my musical influences… I feel like this next record will be another example of the kind of music that I make, and I hope that folks enjoy it.”
The neo-traditional country singer will also hit the road as support on select dates of Riley Green’s upcoming Damn Country Music Tour.
To keep up with Jake Worthington and his future endeavors, you can connect with the rising country star via Instagram @jdw_music. In the meantime, you can listen to “Hello Shitty Day” via your favorite streaming service as we speak.
