Country star Jimmie Allen joined RADIO.COM host Coop over the weekend to talk about his brand new hit “Freedom Was A Highway,” plus he gave some advice to anyone chasing their dreams, and how to put together the perfect outfit while you're at it!
Jimmie's latest single is his collaboration with Brad Paisley, '"Freedom Was A Highway," off of his all-collabs album Bettie James released in November 2020, an emotional record dedicated to Jimmie's late father and grandmother also featuring songs with Darius Rucker, Mickey Guyton, Nelly, Noah Cyrus, Rita Wilson, Tim McGraw, the late Charley Pride, and more.
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Following the release of his 2018 album Mercury Lane, named after the street he grew up on, Jimmie knew that he wanted to steer away from the traditional album cycle and release more music to keep fans satiated. "I feel like if you're a new artist, and want to stay current, you gotta keep pumping music out," he says. Jimmie decided to take the concept of a collaboration album and make it a reality in order to continue offering fans something new.
"So, I reached out to some of my favorites, people I got a chance to meet," he says and named the record Bettie James after his grandmother and father, respectively.
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The next project in line would be Tulip Drive, once again named after an important street to him -- the one on which his grandmother lived. "My process of wanting to release that is not an album," Jimmie explained, "it's four songs every three months," releasing the record in pieces to keep listeners excited. Looking ahead even further he says he's got a beach-vibe album in mind, "where every song is kind of like a Jake Owen meets Kenny Chesney meets Jimmy Buffett kind of record," as well as another project he'd like to name after the street his mother grew up on.
"That's how you always find a way to stay in front of people positively," Jimmie says. "I don't want to be the guy that's out here getting arrested and stuff, being crazy."
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It's not just music that keeps him busy. Jimmie's already told us about the multiple businesses he's started; the father of two has also branched into the children's reading realm, he's producing with new artists, and has been working on TV and film projects, all of which he plans to incorporate when life on the road resumes.
Invoking one person who Jimmie strives to emulate in business in comedian Kevin Hart. "To me, nobody hustles harder than Kevin Hart. Nobody. So, if I can match his energy, at least half of it, let's do it," he says.
All of this work that Jimmie's put in and plans on cranking out in the future, rest assured, has and will be done while dressed to impress. Known for his unique and flashy fashion-sense, he explained how his stylish ideas come to him based on his mood at the time.
During his New Year's Rockin' Eve performance, for example, he started with a blue jacket and sketched ideas of commemorating his father and grandmother with wings, as well as stones that represented all of the people who helped him get where he is today, before ultimately handing it off to be completed by a stylist. The cheetah pants he says represented being "fast and effective" in the music industry, and the blue boots, well, he had to spraypaint "them joints." It's just the way Jimmie realized that particular dream.
"If other people's vision of who you are don't fit with yours, they ain't for you. That simple," Jimmie offered as advice for younger artists making their way up. "I don't care if they're the president of the biggest label in the world. I don't care if they got a million dollars... I turned down a deal from a record label in L.A. that was gonna give me a 1.5 million dollar advance because their vision didn't fit mine. It's bigger than the money, it's about being happy doing what I love. Going to sleep at night knowing I'm proud of the decisions I made today.""
Watch the full interview with Jimmie above where he breaks down his hectic daily schedule for us, which typically starts with morning cuddles with the fam followed by Zoom meetings and ending with all-night studio sessions, all while squeezing in a little time on the Bowling lanes of course.
Honestly, the way Jimmie works he could be going pro soon. Watch out!
Catch more in-depth conversations and great music on Coop's Rockin' Country Saturday Night -- 7PM - Midnight on your favorite RADIO.COM Country stations.
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