Following the September release of his third studio album, aptly named “The 3rd,” country star and Music City native, Mitchell Tenpenny proved he still has many “1sts” left. Up for his first CMA award as a New Artist of the Year nominee, Tenpenny tried his hand as Raising Cane’s Crewmember for the first time as he worked a pre-awards “shift” at Raising Cane’s Nashville Flagship on lower Broadway. Tomorrow night, Tenpenny will gear up for one of the biggest awards shows in country music just steps away at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena for the 58th annual CMA Awards, where he’ll also serve as a presenter for the first time.
“I had no idea I was nominated, so I woke up to a bunch of texts and had to ask my manager what was happening. I was born and raised here and grew up loving country music, so it’s such an honor and truly humbling to be nominated for New Artist of the Year – I have to pinch myself. My wife and I are going to be on the red carpet tomorrow and I’m so excited. It’s amazing what my career has been,” said Tenpenny. “The journey of a song is so wild, from writing it to releasing it. The inspiration for my album came from my name – I’m the “III” – so I wanted to pay homage to my dad and grandad, and I hope I made them proud.”
Continuing his breakout year, Tenpenny was featured on Brooks & Dunn’s new album “Reboot II” that dropped last week, covering the duo’s famous “That Ain’t No Way to Go.” Other artists featured on the album include Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll, Riley Green, Lainey Wilson, HARDY, ERNEST, Megan Moroney and more.
“The best thing about working at Cane’s today was the people, they were very kind and welcoming – very ‘Nashville,’” said Tenpenny. “I’m a Nashville boy, so you know I love my chicken. You gotta get extra Cane’s Sauce, though!”
Tenpenny dusted off his boots and stepped into Raising Cane’s as he checked Fry Cook & Cashier off his “Bucket List” and performed his hit songs “We Got History” and “Truth About You.” Out of the dozens of fans in line, one said she had seen Tenpenny perform more than 30 times and was once again adding to her ownbucket list during his two-song set. During his “shift,” Tenpenny traded music sheets and mics for Chicken Fingers and fries as he worked the front counter, greeted fans, and built Box Combos.
Tenpenny also spoke with media about the CMAs and his new album. “I can’t wait to give my family a big hug and see all my friends and the music community tomorrow night. Walking the red carpet will be awesome,” said Tenpenny. “I’ve never presented an award before, so I’m a little nervous. I hope I say all the right stuff! I know my mom will be watching so that’s pretty cool.”
“I’ve always wanted to be in the mix, so having songs at the top of the charts and collabs with great artists is so much fun and makes it really special,” said Tenpenny. “‘The 3rd’ is different from my other albums because there’s depth and more life – I’ve lived more and wanted to tell my story. I want people to walk away with a sense of authenticity when listening to this album because the songs are real and emotionally driven.”
Media asked about his latest collab with Brooks & Dunn and the inspiration behind the songs he played during his two-song set, “We Got History” and “Truth About You.”
“Watching all the people I’ve collaborated with this year has been amazing. I look up to them and have learned from them and it’s a true testament to their careers. I was born and raised in the music industry and thought meeting artists was the coolest thing and I always wanted to write songs people knew,” said Tenpenny. “Brooks & Dunn have always inspired me and we just came out with a new song, which was an awesome experience.”
“I’ve always loved ‘God Bress the Broken Road, and it’s meaning, so I wanted to mimic that and pay tribute to my history with my wife Meghan, and that’s the inspiration behind ‘We Got History,’” said Tenpenny. “For ‘We Got History,’ I always wanted to write a song that everyone could relate to. In breakups sometimes people say things that didn’t happen, and even though Nashville is a big town, it’s very much a “small” town where people talk.”
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