Second Guessing Archives

Love at First Listen (Round Two) with Griffen Palmer

We all have those artists and songs we hear that strike the right chord and make us fall in love at first listen. They’re the reason we refresh social media pages, tour schedules, and Spotify profiles — because we can’t miss a single release. This is Love at First Listen — a new series introducing you to the emerging, and established, artists with new music guaranteed to upgrade your playlist.

In February, I spotlighted rising country artist Griffen Palmer, who quickly established himself as an Artist to Watch in 2023 with his still-trending introductory release “Second Guessing.” There was certainly no “second guessing” his star talent and he is showcasing it again on his debut album, ‘Unlearn,’ out today (Apr. 28). Boasting some of the most vulnerable tracks of his songwriting career, ‘Unlearn’ is a musical journey covering life, love, family, relationships, and all the moments in between. The album also has several jam-out moments, perfectly suited for the upcoming summer festival season.

To celebrate album release day, I caught up with Griffen for a Love at First Listen (Round Two) to reflect on his whirlwind year to date (a single, two music videos, and this album — and it’s only April!), hear his message for teenage Griffen, and reveal where he will be performing this summer.

It feels like just weeks ago you were making your introduction to the world as an artist with “Second Guessing.” What was going through your mind when you pressed publish on that first social media post announcing today’s album release?

It’s crazy how last time we talked was before the first song came out and now here we are again with so much going on. At the time, I just felt like, ‘We’re here!’ This whole project has been four years in the making, so it’s fun now that all the hard work is behind me—for the most part—and I can share it all with people. It’s a really awesome feeling.

Rising country artist Griffen Palmer in the studio with a producer from his debut album, 'Unlearn.' — Griffen Palmer in the studio working on his debut album, ‘Unlearn,’ out today (Apr. 28). (via Griffen Palmer/Instagram)

Let’s talk about the title — ‘Unlearn.’ What does that word mean to you in the context of this album?

The title track is the most personal song on the record, by far. My parents split up when I was eight years old, so relationships looked a little confusing to me when I was a kid. The song is about growing up, learning to make the decision of what that looks like for yourself, and unlearning some of the bad habits or things you thought were true but aren’t necessarily true. It was one of the last songs we added to the record because it was one that I felt pretty overwhelmed about sharing, but the more I started playing it for people, the more I realized it was a universal feeling. It felt like if I was going to put out one song for people to get to know me and a bit of my story, this seemed like the one.

This album is the culmination of four years spent writing hundreds of songs. How did you narrow that all down to eight songs, and were there any that called out to you first?

“Second Guessing” was such a big part of my story. “Came Here to Leave” was a song I really loved and had a fresh take for the record. “Bottles on the Table” was also always a frontrunner in my mind. A lot of them just felt like they needed to be a part of this. They felt different, they felt like me, and they were ones I was most excited for people to hear.

I’m a big fan of weaving song titles into questions, so was there a song you were “second guessing” putting on the final tracklist but are ultimately glad made the cut?

“Unlearn” is that one for me. I’d never released a very personal song as an artist before, so I just wasn’t sure how vulnerable I really wanted to be. I’m so glad in the end I decided to do it.

You mentioned on Instagram that you’ve been “dreaming of putting out [your] own album for as long as [you] can remember.” What message do you have for young Griffen now that the big day is finally here?

This is actually funny. My dad just found a letter I’d written in seventh or eighth grade that was supposed to be written to myself in college. In it, I’m asking myself, ‘Are you still playing guitar and writing songs? What’s going on with that? I hope you haven’t given it up yet.’ So, this really has been something I’ve been doing for a long time. I would write a letter back saying, ‘All those times you are regretting or nervous about if it’s going to work out, just try to keep having fun and you’ll get there eventually.’ I would save myself some sleepless nights worrying if it’ll ever work out for me.

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You just wrapped a run of tour dates opening for your Big Loud labelmate, Lily Rose. What does the rest of this spring and summer have in store for you? (Last time we spoke, you mentioned more opportunities for fans to see you live!)

Our festival dates are just getting announced now. We’ll have the whole band out playing in British Columbia, Lasso in Montreal, and a bunch of shows in Ontario, along with some U.S. stuff including CMA Fest. I can’t wait to just sweat in the streets of Nashville with everybody. It’ll be great, and it’s all fun stuff on the horizon.

[Artists to Watch] Love at First Listen with Griffen Palmer

February 6, 2023 No Comments

There’s no “second guessing” that 2023 is about to be Griffen Palmer’s year. The 27-year-old rising country star from Pickering got his start in early 2020, appearing on NBC’s Songland and wowing the likes of judge Ryan Tedder and Florida Georgia Line, who ended up recording and releasing their cut of his song “Second Guessing.” Three years and more than 23 million Spotify streams later, Griffen is giving the song new life and re-releasing it as his debut single on Big Loud Records — the label also home to Lauren Alaina and HARDY. If that wasn’t enough to celebrate, it was also Canadian country radio’s most added song in its first week, and this is all just the beginning.

If you want to hear “Second Guessing” live, you don’t have to wait long. Having just played three Canadian shows with The Reklaws, Griffen is now gearing up to tour the United States with another Big Loud labelmate, Lily Rose, starting Feb. 9 in Massachusetts. But first, he will be appearing on a TV screen near you, performing “Second Guessing” on tonight’s episode of The Bachelor (yes, he’s from *that* Palmer family).

In this edition of Love at First Listen, get the inside scoop from Griffen himself on the song that continues to open new doors, what it’s like being a Keith Urban fan and co-writer, and when you can expect to hear his debut album.

If “Second Guessing” sounds familiar to anybody, that’s because Florida Georgia Line put out their own version after Songland and featured it on their album ‘Life Rolls On.’ What goes through your head whenever you hear their version?

Florida Georgia Line was a band I listened to for years before I ever even conceived that they would cut one of my songs. So, hearing their voices on it still to this day is crazy, and it never really gets old when you hear other artists that you admire singing your songs.

With your ‘songwriter’s version’ out now, “Second Guessing” is having its second coming. As it comes full circle, how has its meaning evolved?

It’s just such a big part of my story. It’s been the one song that, after hundreds of songs I’ve written, has opened all these doors and acted as this launchpad for my career. So, any time I get to share it with someone and it unlocks another door, I’m reminded of how special it is to me.

**When you appeared on Songland, did you have “Second Guessing” already written with Florida Georgia Line in mind?**

I wrote the song about a year beforehand without even knowing about the show and then submitted it myself and went through all the interviews and steps to get it there. When we remade the song on the show, Shane [McAnally] and I thought, ‘OK, how can we make this better?’ So, it was really legit in terms of taking it from where it was originally—a song I wrote in a room with my friend Geoff [Warburton] and Ben Simonetti—and getting it to the finish line with FGL.

Is there an artist that you would love to have do a third version of “Second Guessing”?

Oh man, I would love for Chris Stapleton to sing it. Even if he could sing a line. His voice is wicked.

In addition to writing for Florida Georgia Line through Songland, you have writing credits for artists like fellow Canuck MacKenzie Porter and Keith Urban (no big deal!). Who’s left on your bucket list of artists to write for?

As many people as I have worked with, there’s 100 times more I haven’t. I just want to keep meeting all these awesome creatives and help them with their work. I admire so many artists. Someone like Sam Hunt would be amazing. Maren Morris and other amazing female artists would be super cool to get in touch with. But who knows what’s going to happen. I never expected to be working with Keith, FGL, or anyone like that.

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For fans who will be seeing you on tour soon, how would you describe your set?

I’m coming out of this newfound artistry as a songwriter first. So, I feel like I’m playing all these songs for people like it sounded when I wrote them — just me and a guitar without the big band and lights. I’m really trying to get across the stories and messages of the songs and keep it super intimate.

In fact, I remember seeing Keith Urban three different times at Budweiser Stage [in Toronto], and I thought he was like the master. Between the instrumental guitar playing and the stripped-down songs, I’ve always imagined what my set would be like based off Keith and his energy.

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A little birdie told me that you’re working on an album due out later this year. Can you tease anything about that for your fans and when they will be able to hear it?

We first have another song coming out in a couple of weeks called “25 to Life.” Then, we’ll try to get this whole eight-song project out in the spring, start touring, and try to meet everyone that wants to hear this music.

Any collaborations in the mix there?

Nothing on this project, but I’ve been collaborating a lot with other writers in town and have more songs written for other artists coming out soon. There’s always some collaborating going on in Nashville; that’s the whole experience of the Music City.

With so many amazing announcements happening at once, is it even possible to sum up how you’re feeling?

It’s just really exciting to finally be in the process of sharing all this music with everyone because we’ve put a lot of hard work in the past couple of years to get everything ready. It’s a cool moment that it’s all finally getting out in the world.

Country artist Griffen Palmer in Toronto — *Griffen Palmer photographed January 27, 2023 at Harriet’s Rooftop at 1 Hotel in Toronto.*

**This series is called Love at First Listen, so I would love to know if there’s any fellow Canadian country artists that you’ve had on your playlist recently!**

I know Brett Kissel just put out his new record as an independent artist, so I’ve heard a couple of those songs. He’s doing this Compass Project combining multiple albums, and it’s cool to see all the thought that goes into a release where the artist is thinking beyond just putting out a song but also the bigger picture. I think that’s inspiring.