Diving headfirst into the country music community with chart-topping tunes like “Chillin’ It,” “Ain’t Worth The Whiskey” and more, Cole Swindell is starting to let his vulnerable side shine more than ever before with his forthcoming fifth studio album, beginning with the release of “Forever To Me” on April 12.
Written by Swindell alongside both Greylan James and Rocky Block, “Forever to Me” is described by the Georgia native as one of the most personal songs he has ever written — with the exception of “You Should Be Here” — sharing his love story with his fiancée, Courtney Little.
In an exclusive interview with Country Chord and other media today (May 21), the talented singer/songwriter spilled exactly how the tune came to be, stemming from an impromptu road trip to Houston, Texas for a concert, as well as the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Swindell spilled, “I had a show booked the night before the National Championship out in Texas, when Michigan and Washington played… The night before we left, I just had a feeling I’m not done. You know, I was trying to finish up this next album, and I called Greylan James and I was like, ‘Hey, would you want to ride to Texas with me? It’s a short trip. We’re going out there for one show and to go to the Natty,'” and naturally, he obliged. The pair then extended an invitation to Block — an individual that the “She Had Me At Heads Carolina” singer had not worked with before — and the rest is history.
Writing a soon-to-be released song on the way, the trio chatted with one another and wrote some more after Swindell’s show in Houston as well, discussing his relationship with Courtney and what exactly their wedding will entail. Sharing with both James and Block how much he loves his fiancée — utilizing the words “Forever To Me” — inspiration struck instantaneously, and the group hit the ground running the following morning:
“We ended up going to bed and the next morning started working on it, nd we were about late to the National Championship game, because we were finishing that. I was like, ‘I don’t care if I miss this game. I don’t have a dog in the fight in this one. I just wanted to go watch some football,’ but we ended up finishing the song right before we got a ride to the stadium. I remember telling people in the suite like ‘I just wrote one of my favorite songs, and it’s probably going to be my wedding song,’ and here we are. Pretty crazy story, but that’s how some of the favorite songs happen.”
Not only is “Forever To Me” going to be his wedding song, but country music lovers have embraced the track wholeheartedly as well. With individuals all across the globe participating in a social media trend where they share their love stories — sharing a montage of photos and videos set to the tune — Swindell has described the fan reaction as “pretty special so far,” and it will likely only get bigger and better as more tunes from his forthcoming fifth studio album start to surface.
With four previous studio albums — Cole Swindell, You Should Be Here, All of It and Stereotype — released in the past decade, Swindell teased that his fifth studio album is “gonna be a little more grown up Cole,” sharing some stories that he has yet to tell in his career thus far:
“This is going to be probably a little different album for me… I still want to perform live and still have those songs that are fun. I look back on the hits I’ve had, it’s like ‘Hey, that might not have changed the world, but man, has anybody seen it live?’ I still want to have those kinds of songs, and I feel like me getting older and being in a different phase of my life, those are becoming harder to write, and finding what I can say and what I can pull off and what I can get away with. I’m not 23 anymore, so it’s just interesting.
I’m excited to get it out there. We’ve got some great songs. We’re going to be putting out music until the album comes out, whenever that that time is, but you know, right now I’m still writing every day and it’s just crazy. When you think you’re almost done, you go out and you write a song that’s like ‘God, what would this album have been without that?’ The same as ‘She Had Me At Heads Carolina.’ That was the last thing we recorded, and you know, if we’re going to be putting out music anyway, I don’t want to call it over and call it done until we get every last pitch in. With the writers in this town, you never know what somebody’s going to send you, and you know, I’m writing all I can as well.”
Admitting that his previous project, Stereotype, was “one of the best albums of [his] career and some of the biggest songs of [his] career,” there is an added element of pressure this time around, but the country crooner is extremely excited about his forthcoming fifth studio album nonetheless. Adding that he and his team are almost done with the record, fans will just have to wait and see what exactly it will entail, but Swindell did manage to tease that a collaboration is in the works.
Given the success of “Never Say Never” featuring Lainey Wilson, the troubadour teased that a collaboration is “something that [he] definitely wants on this next album” as well, prior to delving into the details. “We haven’t zeroed in on exactly who yet, but I think that’ll be something that I’m definitely looking forward to. Obviously had a fun song with HARDY on the last album, so I think another collaboration with some fun too, I think it’s a good goal for this album. I’ll let y’all know when I figure that out though,” he shared with a smile.
Aside from working on the record, all while wedding planning in between, Swindell recently embarked on his highly-anticipated headlining tour titled the Win The Night Tour, which will hit the United States on Friday (May 24). With Dylan Scott as the opening act — as well as sporadic support from Jon Langston, Lily Rose, Mackenzie Carpenter, Meghan Patrick and Restless Road — we already know that this set of shows will knock the socks off of each and every attendee.
Opening up for his Thomas Rhett last year, this headlining tour is a stark contrast from what Swindell is used to. According to the Georgia native himself, while he had a blast with his buddy, the timing was just right to embark on a solo stint this time around:
“I remember me and Thomas, we went back on tour this last year together cause we had so much fun on the first one. It was right when ‘Heads Carolina’ was blowing up, and I was like, ‘Man, I could probably headline this year,’ but I didn’t want to miss a opportunity to go out with my buddy one more time. You know, his crowds are huge and it’s just some of those things, but this year we just felt like it was right for me to headline, but to headline, you got to have a good lineup. You got to have people that can help out.
I’m so thankful to have Dylan out there with me. He’s on the whole tour, and then we’ve got, you know, some different acts that I’m a fan of all of them, so I feel like we’ve got a great lineup and the first weekend has been great, but it’s different. It’s a little more pressure when you’re, you know, responsible in the matter… I love being a headliner though, and I’m just happy to have some good folks out with me.”
While he is looking forward to tour stops in Boston Massachussetts, Guilford, New Hampshire, Orange Beach, Alabama and more, a special show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a major bucket list moment for the 40-year-old, coming towards the end of 2024 once the Win The Night Tour comes to a close. “Ever since I’ve been in high school, I’ve just always wanted to go see a show there… I never got to open for anybody there and I never went to a show there, and so the first time getting to see it in person, getting to headline it, I don’t know. That’s just another one of those moments,” he gushed.
With support from Clay Walker and Tucker Wetmore at this special show — as well as his fan club buying out the whole second row — the energy at Red Rocks Amphitheatre is certain to be off the charts when September 23 rolls around, and we seriously cannot wait to see what surprises Swindell has in store.
Until then, country music lovers can listen to “Forever To Me” below, as well as connect with the country superstar on social media for updates regarding his forthcoming fifth studio album, his Win The Night Tour — as well as his show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre — his wedding and more.