Mitchell Tenpenny

Six years into his record deal with Columbia Records, Mitchell Tenpenny is leaning in even more. On his new album “The 3rd,” the Nashville native is leaning into his story, his fans, his roots and
his influences – all with an eye on the future.

Country radio knows Tenpenny as a reliable hitmaker and husky-voiced storyteller with an ear for undeniable hooks and unforgettable melodies. Fans who care to listen deeper recognize that
he not only produces country radio smashes but is also a genre disruptor unafraid of punctuating his country storytelling with edgy lyrics, hard-driving drum beats and heavy guitars. “The 3rd” is Tenpenny’s most authentic – and adventurous – album yet. Named after a song that was named after him, “The 3rd” is a testament to his personal growth and artistic evolution. No longer playing games, Tenpenny has crafted an album that resonates with his own experiences
and emotions. This honest and empathetic collection showcases his maturity as a man, singer, songwriter, and storyteller and invites listeners to join him on his creative journey through life
and music.

“I want this record to be all over the place,” Tenpenny said. “I want somebody to be able to find their song in the record, something that helps them or just something stylistically different from everything else. It just encapsulates everything I’ve done and all the genres I’ve loved.” Tenpenny’s music has generated more than 2.1 billion global streams since his debut. His chart-topping #1 songs include “Drunk Me,” “Truth About You” and “At The End of a Bar.” Fans of those will find plenty to love on “The 3rd,” but the gold and platinum-selling double ACM nominee wanted to dig even deeper.

To set the tone, Tenpenny returned to the first song he learned on guitar as a child – “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls. He has ended his set with the rock anthem for 18 months because he loved finishing his stadium shows with the song’s ending lyrics, “I just want you to know who I am.” Tenpenny approached recording the song similarly to The Goo Goo Dolls. His masculine, gritty voice slices through the lyrics with the conviction of someone who understands the nuances of
the beloved late-’90s rock smash. He didn’t plan to record it the day he did and gingerly approached the idea with his band, explaining it would be easy because everyone already knew it. When he put the song out, fans streamed it more than 1 million times in its first week. “We started recording it, and it’s not an easy song,” he said. “It’s actually very complicated and beautiful. We cut out a few parts but kept all the signature parts in there.”

The album’s title track – and first song – is so personal that it’s ripped from Tenpenny’s family tree. The tenderhearted chart-topper is the third James Mitchell Tenpenny in his family, and he feels the weight of the responsibility that comes with that history. The singer vulnerably wonders in the song if he’s making his family proud if he is living up to his potential, and what happens if he doesn’t have a son to carry on the name.

Tenpenny has always loved Dierks Bentley’s song “My Last Name,” and his co-writers, Andy Albert, Paul DiGiovanni, and Devin Dawson, suggested they use the song to inspire Tenpenny. “Whenever we get in the room, we just want to write something that makes us feel something,” Tenpenny said. “They all had the idea of coming in and writing something about my last name.”