Backstage with... Greylan James

December 28th 2025

Nikki Blackburn

Over the last several years, Greylan James has been solidifying his place as one of Nashville’s most exciting emerging songwriters. The Knoxville native moved officially to Nashville 8 years ago and has since penned songs for some of the genre’s biggest artists with cuts from Jordan Davis, Chris Young, Morgan Wallen, Kenny Chesney, Cole Swindell and more. He earned his first #1 single and an ACM Song of the Year win with his Jordan Davis co-write ‘Next Thing You Know.’

But in 2023, James released his debut single, ‘Young Man’ and started making waves as a singer in his own right. 2025 has seen his biggest year as a singer-songwriter yet with the release of the viral hit that had everybody talking, ‘Water at a Wedding,’ which became the first in a trilogy of songs that told one over-arching story with the release of ‘Give Me a Second (the before)' and concluding mid-December with ‘Hold it Down (the after demo)’. I caught up with Greylan to chat about the trilogy and what’s coming up for him in 2026.

Photo credit: Jesse Paul

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GJ: What's up?

NB: Hey, Greylan, how are you doing? It's nice to meet you.

GJ: So good. I’m excited to be on here with you.

NB: Cool, me too. The first time I saw you live was at C2C in Rotterdam last March on the Introducing Nashville stage and man, you were my favourite discovery from that festival; I was telling everyone “this guy's the real deal” so it's really cool for me to be getting to chat to you now.

GJ: Oh, thank you so much. That means a lot. I had a great time over there.

NB: That was your first time playing overseas, right? Which is a huge moment for any artist. What did that mean to you to get to come over here and play your music?

GJ: Oh, man, it meant a lot. You know, I've always heard from my buddies about how the listeners are just different over there. Like, they actually listen, and they don't just go to a show, like they feel the show and just kind of make it an experience. And so I got over there and I knew it was going to be unique for me because, you know, being a songwriter too, I was excited to see if that was true because I tell a lot of stories before my songs. I'll just kind of get into them. And man, you could hear a pin drop before I'd play my songs and I was telling my stories and then while I was playing, people were just like super enamoured with every word I was singing, and I'll never forget that, and it's one of the reasons I'm really excited that these songs are taking off because it's got people talking about UK shows, and Europe shows. So I'm excited to bounce back over there and play the new songs.

NB: I mean, we're definitely excited for that. It was only like two months later, I'd turned on the ACMs and you're up there on stage with Jordan Davis and the guys getting Song of the Year. That must have been so crazy.

GJ: Yeah, it was insane. And you know, I played that song over there and it just shows you what a big song can do because I'm in a place I've never been and people are singing every word of, you know, my thoughts, that just come from here in Tennessee, that's just, that's a crazy thing to try to describe, but it's an incredible feeling for sure.

NB: Speaking of people listening and paying attention, I've got to talk to you about ‘Water at a Wedding.’ You released that one this past July - I also love that you leaked it first on a burner TikTok account - because I read people had told you not to do it? What was it about that song that you were like, I just need to get this out. I want people to be able to hear it?

GJ: I think, seeing the reaction and a lot of the comments, I think that it was just such a controversial thing. And I think that's why it initially hooked people. You know, I went to my ex's wedding and people were like, “what? Why?” And so when I thought about it, when I wrote it, I was thinking the same thing, like, nobody can hear this. It was too unique and also just a hand grenade that I was throwing into my personal life and relationships. But I've kept my personal life kind of on the low for so long, mainly because my career has been my priority. And so with that song and with the last handful of songs I put out, I've kind of just wanted to show myself and to put that part of myself out there. It's not just my music, but my soul and my heart and what I've been through. And at the end of the day, that's what country music's all about, you know, my favourite artists of all time; I knew about their wives and their girlfriends and all the shit they've been through. So for me to be able to take that step was huge and ‘Water at a Wedding’ was the first step.

NB: Was it kind of scary? I mean, like you say, you're thrown a grenade into your personal life. Was there a part of you that nearly didn't do it, or did you just feel like, no, this is real songwriting, this is what I have to do to, like, go to the next level?

GJ: Yeah, no, I mean, I didn't even think past the point of just posting it, I mean, that's why I put it on a burner account. You know, I made it an account specifically for teasing that song. And I genuinely thought - I was actually in Las Vegas when I teased that song -and I’d had a few drinks and I was just kind of struggling because I'd been promoting a song that really wasn't super relatable to me. I put it out because other people told me to. I'll always care about that song, but I wanted to promote something or just sing something and post something that was relatable to me. And so I posted it that night, thought I was going to get four or 500 views and then the next day I woke up and it had, you know a few million and I was like, ‘oh my God!’

NB: People like this.

GJ: Yeah, yeah. And it was people kind of making it known that they needed to hear it and needed to have it. That kind of changed everything for me. So I'm blessed that people responded the way they did and gave me an opportunity to put it out.

NB: It must hit so different when, I mean, first that you'd releasing music in your own right, not just as a songwriter, but when it's a song that's that personal, that means that much to you as opposed to like a song that people are telling you to put out because it's maybe more radio friendly or would be better for you.

GJ: Yeah, absolutely, which is crazy because this little song that I was scared wouldn't be on the radio because it was too controversial is my fastest climbing song I've ever had go to radio. So you just never know. And I think that's an amazing thing about country music, you know, there's no subject that's too crazy to sing about as long as it's relatable and told in a way that makes it easy for the listener to feel that they've lived that story too. And I feel lucky that we accomplished that with this song.

NB: It's safe to say people have been invested and then with the last few singles you've put out over the back end of this year, there's been so much conversation about it and people debating like, first off, is it true and then just wanting to know what happens next. You finally concluded that chapter last Friday with the release of your latest single, ‘Hold It Down.’ What can people expect from you going forwards, now that this story is concluded?

GJ: Yeah, you know, I think it'll always be kind of a part of my career and my journey for sure. And I think people will always wonder who the song’s about and that’ll always be a thing going forward, but I'm also evolving as a person. This was a situation that went down a while ago and I'm just now singing about it. And so there's been a lot of life in between back then and now, so I've got a lot of songs from the past few months that I've written that I'm excited for people to hear. And we’re working on getting in the studio, recording an album and just tell more of my story and the story and yeah, I'm excited to get to it.

NB: I'm excited to hear it. You've had country music fans just gripped, waiting to see what happens there. It's been like a book that you couldn't put down or like a season finale of Grey's Anatomy. It's just like people wanted to know what happens next. I think you've definitely proven yourself to be the king of the second verse plot twist, which is something I, as a writer, I really love to hear that storytelling.

GJ: I love to hear that; thank you for saying that because with the power of social media right now, a lot of people in the entertainment industry and the music business, they're telling a lot of artists, hey, all you need is 15 seconds of a song. That's all you need for it to work and, you know, people don't pay attention like they used to. Like they just want something quick and my songs are not that, and they never will be. They'll never be 15 second clips, 30 second clips. I struggle to even get my videos under a minute to post because I feel like every part of the song matters. And it was ‘Water at a Wedding,’ the biggest part for me has been the bridge. And usually people don't care about the bridge and they don't listen to the bridge. That's at least what they tell us. So the fact that this song is breaking a lot rules and boundaries is pretty badass.

NB: I love a good bridge, and you've certainly written a lot of really good ones already, so I'm looking forward to the album whenever it comes out. How far into the process are you with that?

GJ: Oh, it's going to be hard as hell because I've probably written close to a thousand songs in the past six years, and so to just kind of narrow down my favourites and honestly, what I want to stand on, I'm putting a lot of pressure on my first album because a lot of my favourite artists, their first albums were the things that made me fall in love with them. And so I want it to be one of those things people talk about like ‘remember that first Graylan record? That was a game changer!’ And that's how I want to approach it. And I am putting that pressure on it and I think it deserves that. I think these songs deserve that kind of approach to the whole thing. So it's going to be a lot, but I'm really excited. I'm chomping at the bit to get the studio.

NB: Have you found it difficult - now that you're gaining a lot more traction as an artist in your own right; you obviously have that duality that you're an accomplished songwriter, you've had a lot of success with songs for other people - how are you finding that balance of still writing for other artists but also holding some back to cut for yourself now that you are going in to make your first record?

GJ: Yeah, it's kind of a little easier, the more that the proof of concept is there, now, that people are actually streaming my songs and following along for the ride with me. Back when I first started, it was really hard to say, ‘no, no, no, like Morgan Wallen, you can't have my song.’ It was a lot harder because I also write a lot of these songs with really close friends and we're all trying to keep a roof over our head, keep our songs and our thoughts on the radio. And so it was a little harder back then, but now it's getting a little easier and, I know typically about 20 minutes into writing a song like, this feels like something I could sing for the rest of my life at my shows and something that I'll always be infinitely proud of. And so it's getting a little easier, but last week I was writing with Jordan Davis and Hardy the same day. And we were just sitting there and you’ve kind of got your pecking order of like: Jordan Davis, and then Hardy, and then way down the totem pole is me. So if Jordan doesn't cut it, and then Hardy doesn't cut it, I get it.

NB: I mean, that's not a bad room to be in, is it?

GJ: Oh, no, no, no. Could be worse.

NB: Yeah, that's gotta be a pretty good day. Before we wrap this, I gotta ask, one other thing I read that I found super interesting was when you were 12, you wrote to Scott Borscheta to ask for career advice? Is that correct?

GJ: That is correct.

NB: I love that. When I was 12, I think I was just playing Grand Theft Auto and you were thinking of career advice and now you're signed to Big Machine. Does it feel like you've manifested this?

GJ: I was playing Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty too, but yeah, I was just. I was always convinced that this is what I was going to be doing, So I figured I'd get a head start. And I don't know. Like, I think growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee, I grew up down the road from where Kenny Chesney did and before that Chet Atkins, Dolly Parton, Rodney Atkins, there was a handful from around the same 15 minutes back home and it never felt crazy to dream of that stuff. And to want to be a country singer and when I would play shows around my hometown, people would always be like, "You're going to be the next Kenny Chesney.” I'm like, "Yeah, for sure.” And so there was a band at the Tennessee Valley Fair called Steel Magnolia and they’d just signed a deal and I asked them, like, how did you get a record deal? And they were like, this guy Scott Borchetta, he signed Taylor Swift, too. And I'm like, oh, my God, this is crazy. And at the time she was brand new and massive. And so I was like, well, he doesn't have a young male artist. Like he doesn't have a male Taylor Swift. Let me just hop on in there and do that. So, somehow I found his address on the internet - very unsafe [laughs] - but I found it and wrote a letter; my dad was smart enough to make a copy of it, but he actually mailed it to him and 10 years later, I guess he got it because, yeah, he signed me to a record deal and I got to tell that story to him and I got to show the letter to him the day I signed, and it was pretty crazy.

NB: That is crazy. I love that. I mean, you make me feel like I was a very lazy 12-year-old, but I'm so excited to see what you're going to do next and I can't wait til you're back over here playing some more shows.

GJ: Absolutely working on it. We'll be over there and hopefully doing some kind of headline tour back half of next year. So it’ll be a blast.

NB: Awesome. I look forward to that and thank you so much for your time. I've really enjoyed getting to chat to you.

GJ: Thank you so much. Appreciate you.