McClendon

Mcclendon quickly made his stance in music clear with “Carnations,” his debut single as a solo artist. The song questions organized religion through the artist’s internal dialogue. The drive to challenge societal conflicts has become a trend in most of his early releases.



Growing up in Oklahoma allowed Mcclendon to flourish through acoustic, country, and folk music. As he matured in a band with his brothers, his passion for vocal layering, electric sounds, and taking risks through music became apparent. After performing around the country for over a decade, Mcclendon decided to branch out for his own sound.



Writing and producing his own music has always been top priority for this independent artist. He’s drawn to write honest thoughts about concepts he personally connects with. Self-producing simply came as a need for survival as a creator. This scrappy nature allows him to take risks that would otherwise be overlooked.



Every artist draws from life experiences to create meaningful music, but Mcclendon hones in on observing and questioning himself and the surrounding world. This young creative pulls inspiration from conversations with himself. “I just want to create what feels honest. Something that isn’t afraid of the moment,” Mcclendon said.

Mcclendon follows his debut EP, Room 33, with a self-titled collection of fresh, cutting tracks that capture a masterful synergy between darkness and warmth. The artist takes an extremely hands on approach - proudly writing, producing, and recording most of his music. With assistance from audio engineer Jeff Meelo and guitarist Ben Kitterman, Mcclendon took charge on the creative process behind the lead single “What I’ve Become.” The song’s message and global feeling alludes to evaluating one’s failures, relationships, hurdles, and changes - good and bad - that come with metamorphosing towards your true self. “I’ve woken up countless times thinking, ‘How did I get here?’,” says Mcclendon. “Just that realization of being a long way off who you were - and who you wanted to become - when you began.” Carrying a thoughtful and relatable message, “What I’ve Become” classfully demonstrates Mcclendon’s ever-growing ability to lyrically shift perspectives and entice the ear with stimulating production. The single is paired with a magnetizing music video directed by Josh Kranich.




Mcclendon is eager to further push boundaries between the storytelling of folk and dynamic strategies of alternative music. His sophomore project, Mcclendon the EP, is set to release everywhere June 22.