EXCLUSIVE: Nashvillains Talk New Single ‘Who Don’t’

On Friday, May 14th, country music trio Nashvillains consisting of renowned singer/songwriters Brett Boyett, Troy Johnson, and Scott Lindsey. release their latest single titled ‘Who Don’t’ which is expected to spearhead their global chart success this year and kick-start an exciting new chapter.

Here we chat exclusively with Nashvillains to discuss the track in more detail ahead of its official release:

How does it feel to be so close to the release of your new single?

Troy: Definitely exciting! This is a big push for the Nashvillains and I can’t wait to see the response.

Brett: I’m always on edge, wondering how the public is going to react to a new song but, it’s always exciting to have new music coming out. We have great expectations for this song.

Scott: It’s exciting and a bit nerve-racking. We want everything to go great and the song to take off. We also want everyone to love the music as much as we do.

What’s it been like creating and releasing music during this time?

Troy: Well, in the beginning, we weren’t doing much. We were just assessing this new world we were living in. The first few months of the pandemic were so surreal –worried about my family and worried about society… But, as we settled into the new paradigm, I think we did the best we could. We really worked on upping our social media game, so we’ll see if that pays off… lol

Brett: It has definitely been a challenge creating and releasing music during the pandemic. We’ve had a lot of time to work on our sound and on dialing in specific productions. The writing process has also definitely taken on a more interesting direction.

Scott: Strange to say the least. We had to work around all the COVID Protocols and then someone would get exposed and/or sick and so that left us constantly being worried about everyone getting exposed or sick. It was tough to stay focused on a song because of all the distractions this past year. It took a bit longer than usual to finish anything.

Have you used the last year as inspiration for any future songs?

Troy: Sure. There are still some residual effects of 2020 that’ll come out in our writing. We’ll just have to wait and see how that manifests. It’ll either be subtle or a big middle finger… lol. The emotional swings were pretty big in 2020.

Brett: Every year and every day is an inspiration for future songs. We are always taking inspiration from our daily lives. We haven’t written anything in particular about the “pandemic,” but we have definitely written about some of the darker emotional context derived from isolation and our own struggles through the past year.

Scott: I’ll be the odd man out here and say, no. They would be too depressing and full of angst. I’m ready to put this past year behind me. I don’t think I’m alone in that sentiment.

With “Who Don’t,” who have you worked with to bring the vision to life?

Troy: Well, we let Steve Dorff take a big piece of that musically. He produced the track and we were really happy with how it turned out. It was a departure from how we worked the rest of the record, but he’s got very capable hands so we were confident in the outcome. Our team at Fate Records has done a fantastic job at facilitating the release and Brian, our director, did an outstanding job with the video. We are very excited to push this song out there.

Brett: We worked with Steve Dorff specifically to bring this vision to life. Steve’s late son Andrew Dorff, who was a very famous hit songwriter (“My Eyes” and “Neon Light” by Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney’s “Save It For A Rainy Day” and Hunter Hayes’ “Somebody’s Heartbreak), wrote the song so we thought that it was important to have Steve produce it. Steve is a hall of fame songwriter and composer in his own right. Steve brought the energy and direction of the band to life with this song. It’s the only song on the album that we did not write and produce and we’re happy to have worked on it with Steve and honored that he let us record his son’s song. We also worked with video director Brian Vaughan who directed hit videos for such artists as Brantley Gilbert and Gabby Barrett.

Scott: Steve Dorff…I mean, wow!!! He approached us with this song with a vision and I got to say he was right; this song does fit us. It was an honor to work with him and I’m glad I/we can call him a friend.

What are you hoping listeners take away from the song?

Troy: It’s a fun song, so really, I just hope it gets their body moving! Lol

Brett: I’m hoping that they get an introduction into the energy, talent, and direction of this band. It’s taken each of us a very long time to get here and we are here to stay.

Scott: That it’s ok to have fun again.

Do you have any set goals in mind for this [Who Don’t] release?

Troy: I would hope the success of this release sets us up for future releases. We have some stuff coming out this year that I think is really unique and we hope to gather a base of fans that’ll ride with us through the long haul.

Brett: We would like this to be our first radio hit. I think it definitely has the potential. We also think the video is going to be a viral sensation. I don’t know how else to say it, but it kicks ass.

Scott: I want it to shoot straight to #1.

Is there one line from the lyrics you’re most proud of?

Troy: Well, we didn’t write “Who Don’t,” but I’m just proud Steve thought we could do it justice and I hope that Andrew is smiling down on us and proud of the way it turned out. I’ve had songs cut by artists that just nailed it and exceeded my expectations, and songs cut where I was like…. hmmm… ok… well, good luck with that one. I just hope we are in the former category.

Brett: Well we didn’t write the song but the line that I love the most is… “It’s cool cuz it’s cool and never gets old cuz good shit don’t go out of style.” I just love the line. It’s edgy and fits us.

Scott: I actually have two. “Good sh** don’t go out of style,” and “I like beer ice cold.” Those two lines really pull at the heartstrings. Well, they do mine. Haha

Looking ahead, what else does 2021 hold for you?

Troy: We are having a blast with our online show Nashvillains’ Happy Hour every Tuesday at 5:30 PM CT, so we will definitely keep that up and keep bringing in guests that up the cache of that event. We also can’t wait to get out and play and we’ve got a bunch of songs we still need to record. Overall, 2021 is going to be pretty exciting for the Nashvillains, I think.

Brett: We’ll be releasing the remainder of our album. We are so proud of this album. It is so unique and cool. I think people will really love what we’ve put together here.

Scott: Touring, and we have other singles set for release later in the year along with a full album release in the Fall. It’s going to be a busy and fun year – looking forward to it.

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Feature photography credit: Annie Noelker