East Tennessee native Greylan James grew up immersed in country music, watching as another East Tennessee native, Kenny Chesney, amassed scores of hit songs and headlined Knoxville’s Neyland Stadium.
“I met him briefly when I was in a bluegrass band when I was 11,” James recalls. “He showed up where we were playing at and I talked with him for a couple of seconds. I told him, ‘Hey, I want to drop out of school and move to Nashville. How do I do it?’ He was like, ‘Well, hold on, stay in school. But learn how to write songs. A lot of country singers don’t write songs.’ And that always stuck with me. From that moment on, I started writing.”
That advice is paying off in more ways than one. James just earned his Billboard Hot 100 chart debut with his viral hit “Water at a Wedding,” which he wrote with Matt Dragstrem and Chase McGill.
The song’s ripped-from-real-life vibe and roller-coaster storyline about a guy attending his ex’s wedding, and noticing that she’s drinking water rather than wine, got the internet buzzing — and is now inside the top 20 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart as well.
And James keeps piling up new accolades seemingly every month; he made his Grand Ole Opry debut in October and on Nov. 13, will release his self-titled debut album. He’s set to hit the road as an opener on Chesney’s Original Vibe Room Stadium Tour next year. He’s also launching his own headlining trek, Wedding Season: The Tour, on Nov. 6.
“I’m just trying to hold onto my seat,” James says. “It feels like this year has kind of flown by with so many milestones that I’ve worked years and years for, to almost fit into one year…I’m really grateful that it’s all coming together the way it has. I feel like my whole dream is coming true all at once.”
He points to his Opry debut as another unbelievable watershed career moment.
“The Opry is one of those stages I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid,” James told Billboard shortly before his Opry debut. “My papa always told me that if I got into music, you’ll know you made it when you play the Grand Ole Opry. And to know that I”m finally doing that, just thinking about my boots stepping into the circle, it’s a surreal feeling.”
He may be just now coming into prominence as an artist, but he’s been building a reputation as a solid songwriter for the past several years in Nashville’s songwriting community. James is a co-writer on Jordan Davis’s ACM song of the year-winning “Next Thing You Know,” as well as songs recorded by Chesney (“Born,” “Come Here, Go Away”), Morgan Wallen (“Nothing Left”) and BRELAND (“For What It’s Worth”), among others.
Now, with a debut album filled with songs he contributed to — and a tribute song to another East Tennessee-born country music icon — James aims to continue putting his own stamp on the genre.
James, Billboard’s Country Up-and-Comer artist of the month for November, joins previously highlighted artists including Colton Dawson, Mack Geiger and Kaitlin Butts in our Up-and-Comer series. Below, James talks about the success of “Water at a Wedding,” his Kenny Chesney connection and why he hopes his debut album showcases fuller depths of his songwriting and artistic talent.
You started singing at a very early age, and taking part in singing competitions. What were some of the songs you performed early on?
One I sang was Toby Keith’s “Who’s Your Daddy” — which is a crazy song for a six-year-old to be singing, but I was. And one of the first songs I learned to sing was “Young” by Kenny Chesney. I asked my parents to take me to the Grand Ole Opry for my fifth or sixth birthday. They were like, ‘We can’t do that, but we can take you to a karaoke cafe and let you sing.”
And now, it’s very full-circle. You have not only co-written songs that Kenny – who is also from the Knoxville area — has recorded, but you are touring with him next year.
I remember everybody talking about the hometown boy Kenny Chesney, who made it and was from the high school down the road. I remember I dressed up as him for Halloween one year. My mom would cut the sleeves off my t-shirts, and she had a puka shell necklace that I got from her closet. Kenny’s mom worked at a hair salon, and my parents took me to get my hair cut there. Now, he’s become kind of a mentor, and it’s crazy that my childhood idol is now my tourmate and also a really good friend.
“Water at a Wedding” has become your breakthrough song. What was it about that song that kind of raised its hand as a standout initially?
I had another single at radio that was the exact opposite of the subject of “Water at a Wedding.” It was a very wholesome song, and it also wasn’t what I’d gone through on a personal level, wasn’t even remotely close. I was struggling with that at the time, having to promote something that I wasn’t super connected to. And so when I had this song, and I wanted to tease it, I made a fake account — because my label and friends, family, management were all like, “You got to stick to this other song.” And I was like, “But I want to post other stuff.”
I made a fake account on TikTok and just called it Grayson Jones, which is just what people accidentally call me when they don’t know my name. The first song I posted was “Water at a Wedding,” and I just said, “Wrote this about going to my ex-girlfriend’s wedding.” I had zero followers, but a few hours later, I had like 400 views, and the next morning it was like thousands and thousands of views. It was funny, because some artists were reaching out to me on that page, like, “You need to move to Nashville,” and I wanted to be like, “It’s me, bro,” but I couldn’t really tell them. Then I went to the label and was like, “I think this song needs to come out, and I think I have proof that people are going to like it.”
On your album, you have a new version of “Water At A Wedding” with Gabriella Rose. Why was she the right artist for this new version?
She put out her debut album recently, and one of my buddies said, “Have you listened to this record?” All my buddies loved it. So I listened to it and became a fan. And then I was talking about a version with a bride’s perspective [of “Water at a Wedding”] on social media, and that became an organic thing that people were asking for. So I was trying to find the perfect fit as a songwriter, too, someone I could trust to tell the bride’s perspective. It’s pretty sick to listen back and hear her voice on this, pretty badass.
For fans who know you from songs like “Water At A Wedding,” what do you most hope they take away from the album?
That I’m more than just the “Wedding” guy, for sure. I always talk about “Don’t build a song, build a career,” and with “Water At A Wedding,” I just feel like there’s fandom now, and I think people want to see a different side of what I do and what I’ve been through. And this album’s more of a compilation of the past three years of growth that I’ve gone through.
You signed with HARDY’s Relative Music Group a few years ago, for publishing. What have you learned from him about being an artist and writer?
It’s been awesome to see my career grow because of him. He’s been such a compass for me, and he’s so secure in who he is as an artist. You know when you’re writing a HARDY song, and then you know when HARDY’s writing for somebody else. You can just see the look in his eye. I’ve tried to develop that same kind of aura — and I don’t know if I would know that even existed if it wasn’t because of him.
I think a lot of what’s happened with “Water at a Wedding,” and the identity I’ve taken with it — when he is putting out a song, he puts his entire identity into it, and his storytelling, even into the content. When I was dressing up in a suit and having a bride walk down the aisle for just TikTok [content], that was mainly stuff that I learned from him, just watching him dive into a character. He’s affected me on all levels.
How has your approach to social media evolved?
I just try to post stuff that I would like to see, and that would make me stop for 10 or 15 seconds. When you’re confident in a song, I think you got to be confident on social media with your music. I think it’s just giving your songs the best opportunity to win and to survive. And I’m very proud of the songs that I write, and it would be a disservice to not give them that same kind of love with the visual side of it. Because at the end of the day now, people are seeing music more than they’re hearing it, and you’ve got to match that energy. You can’t just write a badass song. You got to show a badass song, too.
What is one song you wish you had written?
“The Good Stuff.”
What is the first album you remember loving?
The first album, front to back, I would say Songs About Jane, Maroon 5..
Is there an artist that your fans might be surprised to know that you are a fan of?
It’s obvious that I like John Mayer. I love Chappell Roan, I loved her debut album. It was incredible, and it definitely inspired me to be a little bit more graphic and confident in my lyrics. She definitely kind of changed my approach — so Chappell Roan, lock it in.
Your album also features a tribute to another East Tennessee native, Dolly Parton. Why was that important for you to include?
She meant a lot to my family. I mean, just as my family didn’t grow up with a lot of money, and I always heard about how my grandparents came from one-room shacks, and she was the first person that they could listen to that they felt like they related to, and she was from our area. And then just watching what she did for the Smoky Mountains, she made that place thrive, and it’s still thriving because of her. She just always had such a positive attitude.
I’d always been just enamored with who she was — and so when she passed away, it hit me like a freight train. I didn’t even know that she made a wine, but I went and bought her wine, and I called my manager. I was like, “I’ve got to put a Dolly Parton song on my album, bro.” She passed away on a Tuesday, and they needed my album due that Friday, and it just felt divine to honor her, especially because she had such a big impact on everybody. It just felt right to honor her, as an East Tennessee kid.
