The first you listen to John Prine's 1971 self-titled debut album can be a transformative experience. While you can feel the familiar folk tradition, his songwriting presents song after song after song of something altogether new. In 2016, Prine reflected on playing these early songs, including his classic "Sam Stone," for the first time in public.

"Some [of his first songs] were so different that I hesitated to sing them for anybody," he said. "Because I thought, 'I haven't heard anything like this before, like 'Sam Stone.'' I thought, 'Is it because it's really good, or is it because it's so awful. And the first time I sang it in public, people didn't applaud, they just looked at me, and I thought 'oh s**t this is worse than I thought.'"

The interview comes from a 2016 event presented by the Recording Academy at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles. This unforgettable evening featured an in-depth conversation with Prine and GRAMMY winner Sturgill Simpson, led by acclaimed music writer and author of Songwriters On Songwriting, Paul Zollo.

Tragically, Prine died this week at age 73 after falling ill with coronavirus. Fans and fellow songwriters everywhere in the music community mourn the loss of one of its greatest the masters, and Simpson posted a heartfelt tribute to his hero and close friend, writing, "So long old man. You will always be loved."

Believe it or not, Prine didn't always think he'd be a songwriter. 

"I was looking for something that would interest me, and these interested me, but I didn't know if that would appeal to anybody else," Prine said. "I really wasn't thinking that I was a songwriter, like Sturgill says, It was a hobby, but it took three or four beers for me to stand up and sing to twelve people."

"You were doing better than I was," Simpson joked, pulling one of countless laughs from the crowd that night. 

Zollo also asked Prine about his surreal experiences arriving in New York City to meet his iconic contemporaries like Kris Kristofferson, Steve Goodman and, of course, Bob Dylan, all of whom became big fans and supporters of Prine's unique songwriting talents.

Prine recounts the b-movie-esque scene of jumping out of a taxicab with Goodman to catch Kristofferson at legendary venue The Bitter End, calling Dylan up on stage with him, and other wild memories from the Big Apple. "I saw Stevie Wonder eating a banana split once," Prine remembered. "That was pretty cool"

Prine's humor, always understated and deceptively sharp, is present in the conversation just as it is in his songs. And at a time when the world is changing, full of uncertainty, he reminds us not only of the lasting power of songs, but of their intrinsic connection to the human experience. To that end, Zollo asked if songs will always matter, and if people will always want songs in their lives. 

"Songs are different from the music business and music and even records," Prine said. "If people didn't have music, they'd come up with it. They'd just drone and moan in the kitchen at night, and music would come out of it. It's something that people need, and they need to get stuff out of them[selves], so people would write songs. Otherwise you'd never get it out of you."

You can see more of Prine and Simpson's discussion in the video above, including a snippet of Prine performing his heart-wrenching tune, "Souvenirs." 

John Prine Was The Master Of Lyrical Economy

With the arrival of July, half of 2024 is already behind us. It's been a remarkable, prolific year in music, with notables like Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and even Paul McCartney's band, Wings, making brand new comebacks. The artists releasing albums in the coming months will have to strive to keep up the pace — but judging by July's upcoming blossoms, this won't be an issue.

The month will start strong with Megan Moroney's sophomore LP, Am I Okay?, Sturgill Simpson (now Johnny Blue Skies)'s Passage du Desir, OneRepublic's Artificial Paradise, and John Summit's debut, Comfort in Chaos. Later on, 5SOS's drummer Ashton Irwin will bring forth the second part of his sophomore solo, Blood on the Drums, alt-R&B star BLK ODYSSY will unveil the concept album 1-800-FANTASY, and rock legends Deep Purple will come forward with their twenty-third LP, =1. Alt-pop duo Cults will return with their fifth album, To The Ghosts, and 2023's revelation Ice Spice will also drop her long-awaited debut, Y2K!.

Below, GRAMMY.com crafted an exciting list with 15 unmissable albums coming out July 2024. 

Almost a decade ago, country rockstar HARDY found a napkin with the word "quit" in his tip jar. In 2024, the napkin became history as the Philadelphia singer named his upcoming record after it. "Thank you for inspiring me to be great. I guess sometimes holding a grudge is a good thing," wrote HARDY on social media.

Quit!! is HARDY's first LP fully embracing rock music, and follows 2023's the mockingbird & THE CROW. Comprising 13 tracks, the album features Red Hot Chili Peppers' drummer Chad Smith, Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst, and rising star Knox. HARDY also shared a slew of singles ahead, including "Six Feet Under (Caleigh's Song)" and "Psycho." 

The genre-bending artist has just headlined CMA Fest in Nashville, Tennessee, and is currently touring the U.S. throughout the summer. 

More than 10 years after winning "The Voice Season 3," Cassadee Pope has journeyed plenty of roads — from pop punk to country, and now back again. Her upcoming studio album, Hereditary, is due July 12 and marks her first release after deciding to leave country music.

Pope said in a statement that Hereditary "offers a soundtrack to navigate the complexities of life with authenticity and courage." Her first full-length work since 2021's Thrive, the album is also "an emotional rollercoaster ride through the ups and downs of life, love, and self-discovery," where each track is imbued with history. The title Hereditary, according to the statement, "captures the essence of our roots, the echoes of our past, and the quest to carve our own path."

In preparation for the release, Pope shared singles "Eye Contact," "Three of Us," and "I Died" with Daisha McBride. The Hey Monday alum will also launch a North American tour with The Foxies and Natalia Taylar, starting July 11 in Anaheim, California. 

Following the breakout success of her 2023 debut record, Lucky, professional emo cowgirl Megan Moroney will be back in just a few weeks with her sophomore effort, Am I Okay? According to a statement, the album provides "an up-close look at the life-changing pain of heartbreak and the glory of moving on." 

Moroney is said to "light up" each of the LP's 14 tracks with her "signature balance of raw emotional honesty and warmhearted sensitivity." "I think after every song, [a] fair question would be, ‘Is she OK?' Whether it's good or bad," Moroney told ABC audio about the title of the project. "At the beginning, you're like, 'Am I OK?' And then, by the end, it's like, ‘Oh, I don't think she is.'" 

The "Tennessee Orange" singer already shared four tracks from the album, including "No Caller ID," "Man on the Moon," "Indifferent," and "28th of June." Currently, Moroney is opening for Kenny Chesney's Sun Goes Down tour. 

Sturgill Simpson (Johnny Blue Skies) — 'Passage du Desir' (July 12)

Sturgill Simpson will mark the beginning of a new era under the moniker Johnny Blue Skies, after fulfilling his promise to release only five studio albums under his own name with 2020's projects Cuttin' Grass Vol. 2. His first oeuvre is the LP Passage Du Desir, set to come out on July 12.

The album includes eight songs, all produced by Johnny Blue Skies and David Ferguson, and was recorded at both Clement House Recording Studio in Nashville and the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London. Passage Du Desir also marks his first project since 2021's The Ballad of Dood and Juanita.

Fans will be able to meet Johnny Blue Skies for the first time on a lengthy tour titled Why Not? this fall. Some of the stops include Nashville, Tennessee, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, two nights in Toronto, and Boston. 

OneRepublic — 'Artificial Paradise' (July 12) 

OneRepublic's upcoming album, Artificial Paradise, was inspired by the digital paradigm that we live in now. "So many of these songs were written in the last couple years while we navigated a world full of artificial stories and constructs and paradise," shared frontman Ryan Tedder on Instagram. "All around the world and people's digitally broadcasted lives and the lives that we create for ourselves and the stories that we tell ourselves and others." 

According to Tedder, the album comprises 15 tracks written over the last eight years "that didn't quite make sense together." Hence, previously released singles like "I Don't Wanna Wait" with David Guetta, "Nobody" off the anime series Kaiju No. 8, and "West Coast" are already well known by fans.

Artificial Paradise is the GRAMMY-nominated group's first release since 2021's Human, and precedes a three-day weekend of shows in Colorado Springs, CO, and a string of festival appearances including Summer Sonic Tokyo in Japan, Lollapalooza Berlin in Germany, and Rock in Rio in Brazil. "Amidst all of that artificiality, we are trying to find real connection and real love, and a real story," concludes Tedder. 

To put forward his debut album, Comfort in Chaos, dance music phenomenon John Summit had to dive deep into himself. "John Summit is the performing act, but when I write music I get more vulnerable," he shared in a statement. "While writing this album, I had to go from being in the mindset of John Summit to being John Schuster, my real name." 

Comfort in Chaos arrives after a run of hit singles included in the tracklist, namely "Eat the Bass," "Go Back" with Sub Focus and Julia Church, and the Hayla-featuring duets "Where You Are" and "Shiver." Described as his "most introspective" and "emotional" work to date, Summit took the LP's 12 nifty tracks to expand his Chicago house foundations into genres like garage and drum & bass.

After stellar headline shows at Coachella and sold-out performances at Los Angeles' BMO Stadium and New York City's Madison Square Garden, 2024 is already a pivotal year for the Illinois-born sensation, and Comfort in Chaos arrives to consolidate his impact. As for summer and fall, Summit is booked for 26 shows and festival appearances scheduled around the world, with more to be announced. 

If you're in need of some early 2000s nostalgia, Mexican singer Girl Ultra — real name Mariana de Miguel — is coming out with her fourth EP, blush, on July 12. Inspired by R&B, club music, and trip hop sounds of the new millennium, the album comprises seven tracks that follow de Miguel's "need for experimentation" and lush artistry.

"I wanted short energetic tracks, and in lyrical terms, I was trying to find very precise messages about sadness, femininity and lust that inhabit these current times," she explained further in a statement. Singles "blu," "blush," and "rimel" exemplify that atmosphere, tackling beauty rituals with a touch of melancholy and yearning. Overall, blush is described as a plunge "into the complex dynamics of self-image and sexuality with a poignant touch of bitterness." 

After opening for Julieta Venegas in her hometown of Mexico City and performing at Coachella this year, Girl Ultra is set to support Chromeo and The Midnight on a U.S. tour this fall. 

As the popular saying goes, "third time is the charm" — and so singer/songwriter Clairo (a.k.a Claire Cottrill) decided the title of her third studio album. Charm will arrive on July 12, and was produced by Clairo and Leon Michels of El Michels Affair.

With the announcement, Clairo shared the delicate single "Sexy to Someone," as well as a tracklist with 11 songs. Like her previous LP, 2021's Sling, Charm was recorded in New York's Diamond Mine Recording and Allaire Studios, but this time she tracked it live-to-tape.

In September, Clairo will kickstart separate five-day residencies in both Los Angeles and New York. Further concert dates are expected. 

Since 2018, Orquesta Akokán have brought mambo to the spotlight, honoring its roots and infusing it with fresh twists. "Akokán" is a Cuban Yoruba word meaning "from the heart," and such is the thread underlining all of their work. Following their 2018's eponymous debut and 2021's 16 Rayos, the Cuban music enthusiasts are now ready to put forward Caracoles, out July 12.

For their third LP, producer Jacob Plasse and composer Michael Eckroth combined talents with renowned Cuban singer/songwriter Kiko Ruiz. The result is a danceable, uplifting record that fuses classic and modern traditions. According to a press release, "yes, it's mambo, with its prototypical instrumentation and structures, but these songs belong one hundred percent to 2024." As Ruiz said, Caracoles can "...vibrate your soul, which is precisely what the world needs right now."

"I love to make full length albums, but also the idea of the listener digesting it in two parts initially, forming their own interpretation," said Ashton Irwin, drummer of pop-rock band 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS), in a press release about his sophomore solo album. "It's important to me, as a fan of music, to have a comprehensive body of work to fully dig into the artist's perspective."

Following 2020's Superbloom, Blood On The Drums is divided in two installments: Side 1, dubbed The Thorns, came out on June 12, and Side 2, The Roses, is set for release on July 17. Totaling 16 tracks, the LP blends 80s-inspired melodies with classic rock, experimental pop, and more, as it traverses Irwin's highs and lows. "I was thinking about the people I left behind, the people I miss, the family that I had to leave when I was young," the Australian musician shared. "Thinking about the addictions I've been through. The way I evolved as a young man who never had a father."

The title of the album is intended to be "a metaphor for how much I've given my music," said Irwin. To celebrate the release, he will play a single show at Los Angeles' The Belasco on July 18. 

Highly Suspect — 'As Above, So Below' (July 19)

The Massachusetts rockers of Highly Suspect are gearing up to release their fifth full-length album, As Above, So Below. Following 2022's The Midnight Demon Club, the band opted to tone down the electronic elements and embrace a more psychedelic, stoner rock sound, as can be heard on pre-release track "Summertime Voodoo."

"If my life is a book, then this album is the first chapter that truly addresses the central conflict," frontman Johnny Stevens said in a press statement. "The recognition of an ego, the problems it's caused — and the birth of its death. ‘As Above, So Below.' If I'm being real, I hit rock bottom again. After another close call with death, I feel wide awake. I don't know how the book ends yet, but I'm very engaged in the plot now. I'd rather it not end at all."

To celebrate, Highly Suspect will play the new album in its entirety in an intimate, seven-city U.S. Tour, kicking off on July 24 in Memphis, Tennessee and wrapping up on August 2 in Brooklyn. 

Deep Purple — '=1' (July 19)

Few bands get to release 23 albums, and for that fact alone, Deep Purple deserve praise. It does help that they are rock legends in their own right, therefore, =1 comes as a sweet, inspiring surprise.

Paired with acclaimed producer Bob Ezrin once again, =1 sees the British band evoke their classic sound "without relying on nostalgia," according to a statement. They promise to bring "rip-roaring rock n' roll" in 13 energetic tracks, and a taste of what's to come can be seen in singles "Portable Door" and "Pictures of You." It is also the band's first album with guitarist Simon McBride, who joined the band after member Steve Morse left due to personal circumstances in 2022.

The title =1 symbolizes the idea that, in a complex world, everything eventually equals one. In that communal spirit, Deep Purple is set for an extensive tour, starting with European dates in July, North and South American shows in September, and back with more European dates throughout November. 

"The album is a concept album where we get into the world of Afro-surrealism with a high school kid who's madly in love with a popular girl, but she really has no idea he exists," explained BLK ODYSSY about his upcoming album, 1-800-FANTASY, in an interview with BET. "He understands that she's out of his league but he is dedicated to proving to her that he's worthy of her attention and her love."

1-800-FANTASY follows that story while dipping into themes of mental health and self-control. "He creates these characters in his head to justify his crazy actions that he goes through to get her attention," BLK said, adding that that's where the album's "angsty sound" comes from. So far, a preview of that atmosphere can be seen in singles "XXX" with Wiz Khalifa, and a live performance of "Phase" at A Colors Show.

Born Juwan Elcock in New Jersey, he cites Kendrick Lamar, D'Angelo, and Outkast as influences to his own brand of alt-R&B and hip hop. "Whether it's me as an artist, or me as a producer, it is a very cinematic sound," he shared. "And it's a very theatrical sound, I like to take elements from what the human perceives as real life and put it in my music."

BLK will promote the album in his The Fantasy House tour this summer, starting off in North America and following up with European dates. 

One of last year's biggest revelations, GRAMMY-nominated rapper Ice Spice will finally release her debut LP, Y2K!. Titled as a nod to her birthdate (1st January 2000), the long-awaited effort comes after 2023's acclaimed EP Like..?, and was co-produced by longtime collaborator RIOTUSA.

Ice Spice has been keeping the 10-song tracklist a mystery, though, and so far shared only three singles: "Think U The Shit (Fart)," "Gimmie A Light" (which samples Sean Paul's similarly titled "Gimme the Light"), and "Phat Butt." In an interview with "The Today Show", she also revealed to have locked in a "crazy collaboration," and to have experimented with "a lot of different sounding beats that I haven't really been heard on much."

Starting July, the Bronx native will be busy with a handful of performances at European Festivals, followed up by a 17-date North American tour in August.

CULTS — 'To The Ghosts' (July 26)

Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion have been making soft alt-pop music as the duo Cults for over a decade now. July brings forth yet another of their magical offerings: fifth studio album To The Ghosts, out via IMPERIAL on July 26.

The first ideas for the album sprung up during the COVID-19 pandemic, "when they wrote music on weekdays from 10am-5pm with no deadlines or distractions," says a press release. To The Ghosts was recorded at Oblivion's apartment, and co-produced by trusted collaborator Shane Stoneback. The New York duo shared singles "Crybaby" and "Left My Keys" in advance. Of the latter, Oblivion stated that "With this being To the Ghosts, ‘Left My Keys' is dedicated to the ghost of your high school memories with an element of fondness."

Cults will kick off a headline North American tour in August, followed by a month-long stint as the opening act for Vampire Weekend's Only God Was Above Us tour.

Updated Friday Oct. 13, 2023 to include info about Kendrick Lamar's most recent GRAMMY wins, as of the 2023 GRAMMYs.

A GRAMMY veteran these days, Kendrick Lamar has won 17 GRAMMYs and has received 47 GRAMMY nominations overall. A sizable chunk of his trophies came from the 58th annual GRAMMY Awards in 2016, when he walked away with five — including his first-ever win in the Best Rap Album category.

This installment of GRAMMY Rewind turns back the clock to 2016, revisiting Lamar's acceptance speech upon winning Best Rap Album for To Pimp A Butterfly. Though Lamar was alone on stage, he made it clear that he wouldn't be at the top of his game without the help of a broad support system. 

"First off, all glory to God, that's for sure," he said, kicking off a speech that went on to thank his parents, who he described as his "those who gave me the responsibility of knowing, of accepting the good with the bad."

Looking for more GRAMMYs news? The 2024 GRAMMY nominations are here!

He also extended his love and gratitude to his fiancée, Whitney Alford, and shouted out his Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates. Lamar specifically praised Top Dawg's CEO, Anthony Tiffith, for finding and developing raw talent that might not otherwise get the chance to pursue their musical dreams.

"We'd never forget that: Taking these kids out of the projects, out of Compton, and putting them right here on this stage, to be the best that they can be," Lamar — a Compton native himself — continued, leading into an impassioned conclusion spotlighting some of the cornerstone rap albums that came before To Pimp a Butterfly.

"Hip-hop. Ice Cube. This is for hip-hop," he said. "This is for Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle. This is for Illmatic, this is for Nas. We will live forever. Believe that."

To Pimp a Butterfly singles "Alright" and "These Walls" earned Lamar three more GRAMMYs that night, the former winning Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song and the latter taking Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (the song features Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat). He also won Best Music Video for the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood." 

Lamar has since won Best Rap Album two more times, taking home the golden gramophone in 2018 for his blockbuster LP DAMN., and in 2023 for his bold fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

Watch Lamar's full acceptance speech above, and check back at GRAMMY.com every Friday for more GRAMMY Rewind episodes. 

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Living Legends is a series that spotlights icons in music who are still going strong today. This week, GRAMMY.com spoke with Swamp Dogg, the eccentric soul and R&B titan still actively writing, recording and performing more than half a century after his debut album.

Swamp Dogg is about to play a major concert in New York City, and he has a few commitments to keep.

There will be no medleys. He won't talk down to the audience. When he hits a bad note — which he calls a "guaranteed" prospect — he'll pause, reassess and fix it.

"When they leave, they're not thinking much about the bad note, because we all talked about it in this conversation," the artist born Jerry Williams, Jr. tells GRAMMY.com. "I do have a conversation with my audience, and it's good."

That gig, at Knockdown Center in Queens on July 28, should serve as a reminder that Swamp Dogg has been in a strange, wonderful dialogue with the planet from the jump. This dates back to when he made his first recording, "HTD Blues (Hardsick Troublesome Downout Blues)," in 1954 — an awfully pessimistic dispatch from a 12-year-old.

His 1970 debut under the moniker, Total Destruction To Your Mind, is a fantastic slice of left-field psychedelic soul — filled with fried, occasionally conspiratorial, frequently profound insights that framed him as something of a modern prophet. ("Why wasn't I born with orange skin/ And green hair/ Like the rest of the people in the world?" remains an excellent question.)

In the ensuing decades, Swamp Dogg (he spelled with a double g before Snoop Dogg was born) has released numerous albums; naturally, his career has ebbed and flowed.

But at 81, he's found indie stars like Justin Vernon and Jenny Lewis in his corner, and released inspired late-period albums like 2020's Sorry You Couldn't Make It and 2022's I Need a Job… So I Can Buy More Auto-Tune.

Ahead of the Knockdown Center show, read on for an interview with Swamp Dogg about his live philosophy, upcoming music, profound relationship with John Prine, and decidedly so-so relationship with… the state of Rhode Island.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

What can people expect from your upcoming Knockdown Center gig?

To be honest with you, I don't know, other than I always try to give the last drop of whatever I'm doing. I don't do medleys and that bulls—. They can expect to get it all, and I usually try to get in as many songs as I can without trying to get the audience out of the way.

You feed off the energy of the crowd like a consummate performer should. You're not rushing through it or phoning it in.

Right. Plus, usually, I talk to my audience. Not just to hear myself talk. I get the audience involved. Not a lot of mundane s—. I talk to them like we live together. If you had somebody else in your house, the way you would talk.

When you launched your career all those decades ago, which performers galvanized you to give your all?

It's funny: one of the artists that inspired me the most — and kind of encouraged me, without knowing me, to give everything — was Chuck Berry. Chuck didn't have to do anything but be Chuck, and, damn: that's all you wanted.

Chuck did his singular thing as long as he could possibly do it. Every performance was pure, uncut Chuck. I see that quality in you as well.

Right. If I'm doing a song and we hit a bad note — sometimes a note that's haunting, it's so f—ing bad — I'll stop my band, and talk to my band. I'll take three or four minutes and give the audience what I want.

What can you tell me about the musicians who will accompany you at Knockdown Center?

I've got some great musicians right now, for the gigs I'm doing over the next six weeks. They've been with me for a while.

My keyboard man plays loop stuff. He plays just about every instrument there is. He'll cover for me, because I will hit a bad note. I guarantee I'll hit a bad note. But I'll make up for it. And it's not going to be bad notes all night long. [Laughs]

Human error is how I look at it. But I work real hard to make sure that my audience is happy. I'll stay out on stage as long as the house itself is fine with what I'm doing.

And you have some shows after Knockdown Center on the books, too.

I know we're playing in Rhode Island and some other things coming up. I don't know anybody who ever played in Rhode Island. Nobody ever says, "Hey, let's go to Rhode Island!" It's like, f— Rhode Island.

Don't get me wrong; that doesn't mean Rhode Island is a bad place. It's just musically, you never hear of anybody going there. 

I'm looking forward to it, because how many chances do you get to go to Rhode Island? But there are more memorable states for sure. You don't hear it on quiz shows. I guess if you did, it would be [the result of] the most complicated f—ing question you ever heard.

*Swamp Dogg. Photo: Rich Fury/Getty Images*

What are you working on lately? Can we expect new music coming up?

I've got an album that's finished. It's a country album, and it's great. It's just that I've got to get the liner notes together, because it's got a lot of s— in it as far as information.

I'm not using a drummer at all, but you're not going to miss it. Because if you listen back to the old, old stuff, they didn't have a set of drums. So, I left the drums; I'm trying to go back to the beginning.

On a different note, it was bittersweet to hear John Prine on Sorry You Couldn't Make It. That had to be one of his final recordings. What was it like working with him?

He was a very real person. He and I had planned to go to Ireland together, because he had a house in Ireland. We were going [to go] there for about a week and just write our asses off.

I miss him. I'd known him since sometime in the '60s. We had a lot of stuff we wanted to track lyric-wise, but I guess music-wise also. Good guy, filled with talent.

Which Prine song means the most to you?

"Sam Stone."

Yeah, I know you covered it.

I do it every show. There's a different ending every time I do it, because it's one of those songs that gives me a chance to talk to my audience about how things are, what's going on, what I feel we could do for the country, and to make people more comfortable.

Like giving away clothes. Some people forget that if you put a bunch of clothes away a few years, and moths haven't eaten the s— [out of them], you could give it to these people. And don't be ashamed of the money you can't give — just be happy about what you can give.

I see all the problems that we have, that are unnecessary. That's what makes me really get into "Sam Stone." Usually, 90 percent of the time, I am with Sam Stone.

It's like a preacher on Sunday morning. He preaches and it is basically the same s—, but delivered in a different way. So, that's what I'm doing.

What did you think when Johnny Cash covered "Sam Stone" and controversially changed the lyric "Jesus Christ died for nothing, I suppose" to "Daddy must have hurt a lot back then, I suppose"? Some say that carved out the meaning of the song.

I've never heard it. I like Johnny Cash. But there are about 10 country artists that I like better.

Living Legends: Van Morrison On New Album Moving On Skiffle, Communing With His Roots & Reconnecting With Audiences

Singer/songwriter Tommy Prine’s debut album is joyful, introspective and angry — just the emotional mix you might expect from someone who’s lost his  father and best friend, toured internationally, and released an album, all before turning 30.

Losing a parent is a profound, painful experience, doubly so when your dad is the musical inspiration John Prine. Filling those shoes would be impossible, and Prine doesn’t want to. Instead, he’s written a deeply personal, decidedly individual album, which in no uncertain terms tells the world that he is not riding his father’s coattails.

Out June 23, This Far South opens with an unapologetically fiery, soul-searching disquisition. The 27-year-old Prine encourages the listener to consider the meaning and existence of God, and to sit with the confusion and frustration inherent to processing pain. From there, Prine takes off on a personal and professional artistic journey.

He’s both sweet and thoughtful on This Far South, slowly releasing his anger as he probes rock bottom, ruminates on a panic attack and the hazy malaise of the pandemic. Mid-album, Prine takes a goofy trip with the punk-rock infused "Mirror and a Kitchen Sink," and longs for bygone mundane moments in "Boyhood" and "By the Way," his ode to his father. Prine ends the album triumphant in his independence on "Cash Carter Hill" and with a love letter to his wife, Savannah: "I Love You Always."  

Becoming an artist wasn’t a given for Prine, who didn’t consider the career path strongly until late in 2019 when he played an impromptu solo set at All the Best Fest in the Dominican Republic. During the pandemic and after losing his dad in April 2020, Prine began writing more; in November of 2020, singer/songwriter Ruston Kelly and sound engineer Gina Johnson talked Prine into cutting an album.

"It was the most excited I've ever been in my entire life," Prine told GRAMMY.com. "I think I needed that from someone outside of  my family that I loved and trusted; I needed that validation."

Growing up, like most teenagers, Prine looked for music that was different than his parents’. He listened to a variety of artists including Jason Isbell, System of a Down, ATLiens, Outkast and Gorillaz, dabbled in EDM, and fondly recalls driving to school with his big brother in the family’s ’85 Ford Bronco blasting Eminem’s The Slim Shady LP. Reflecting his varied musical tastes, This Far South samples auditory flavors from punk rock, pop, and folk and Americana.

Prine spoke with GRAMMY.com after wrapping up a tour, which included sold-out shows opening for Tyler Childers, and his first residency at The Basement in Nashville (with special guests including Amanda Shires and Katie Pruit). He detailed finding inspiration and humor in life’s seemingly insignificant moments, his struggles to process loss, how he took control of his artistic image, and why his music is different than that of his father.

I imagine music was quite present in your household growing up. What are your early memories of listening to music?

Music was just always in the household. My dad was a firm believer in A.M. radio; he'd just have that playing 24/7. And he'd be telling me about all these old country songs. 

And me and my brothers, we were all given the space to make our own relationship with music. There wasn't a certain type or a certain record or anything that my parents would be like, "Oh, you guys should only listen to this" or whatever. And I think that was really beneficial.

Growing up, I was listening to so much random stuff. I'd have a couple of months where I would violently switch between genres: like metal, and then classic rock, and then I listened to EDM for a couple of years. I’d say the record that that made the biggest impact on me in terms of what I'm doing now was Southeastern, Jason Isbell's record. It ripped my heart open and put it back together in an hour or so.

Tell me about starting to play music yourself.

I was a really little kid when I picked up the guitar, I think I was just kind of mimicking my father. And family friends that would come over and play music. A majority of how I took in the adult world was adults playing music. I thought that's what everyone did. So I was like well, I better start now. 

So I picked up a guitar and would hit it and make noise. And then I just instantly fell in love with it. So I've been playing guitar really my whole life. I started writing my own songs, probably at 16 or 17. But I wouldn't dare show them to anybody until 19 or 20. That's when I started making my own music.

I've read elsewhere that you didn't really write music to share with people until after you lost your dad. 

There were like a very select few of my buddies that I would play my songs for when they came over. I was pretty shy about it, as most people are. It's a pretty vulnerable thing to be writing a song and then showing somebody, let alone my parents. I would never show them really much until just the last few years.

So then what changed for you?

I don't know what it was. A majority of my life [now] is sharing my heart and my mind and putting it on display for the world. 

I think that every artist would probably say the same thing: it's almost out of necessity. It's just so much going on inside that it has to come out and I have to play it. And I have to show other people to make a connection with it or else I'll just go crazy. I think it was just bursting at the seams with all the things that I wanted to say. And I've always found it easier to tell my story through a song rather than actually talk about it.

I think that was late 2019 when I started seriously thinking about [sharing my music]. I played an impromptu set at All the Best Fest in the Dominican Republic. And I played like a 40-45 minutes set and most of it was originals. As nerve wracking as it was, I was like, wait, I really thoroughly enjoyed that. And I remember walking off the stage, and I had this weird feeling of being more comfortable in my skin than I ever had been.

It sounds as though you were understandably a little bit reluctant to choose a career as a musician. Can you talk about that hesitation and getting over the hump?

I think most people will probably look at it and be like, oh, of course he was because of who his father was and how big of a career he had. It wasn't that, it was really just the ins and outs of the day-to-day life that I knew artists went through. It's a hard job — you're traveling a lot; it's pretty taxing on your mind and your emotions, your body. And I saw what that did to my dad and…it just felt like this big, massive, insurmountable mountain that I didn't even want to start.

I kind of always just gave myself a reason to be like that's not you. The negative self talk which, surprise, surprise doesn't go away, even when you become an artist, is still thriving. But I think being able to look into the face of that version of yourself telling you that you can't do it is pretty empowering.

You don't want to be seen as John Prine Jr. obviously, but also, your dad is an inspiration to you as well. How do you hold space for both those ways of relating to him?

I've always made the distinction, even when I was a kid. There's John Prine and then there's dad. Of course, they're one in the same, but when my father would go out on the road, it was kind of like a switch. He would flip and go into his John Prine personae and go out there and play shows for the world and be who he was, an amazing songwriter, singer/songwriter and artist. And then when he was home, he'd be like, "Hey, buddy, you want pancakes?" And we'd sit down and talk about movies and stuff.

One thing that I hear a lot of artists struggle with is that there isn't ever going to be that many people in your life that can fully understand what you're going through and what you're doing. And it does kind of suck because I have a million questions that I'd like to ask him. And he would be the greatest source of information on this kind of thing. But I'm really lucky that I get to listen to his songs, watch interviews, and learn from that.

I don't know if there's really a way for me to put into words the inspiration that my father has given me. I mean, I'm 50 percent of him. I share DNA. So he's inspired more than just my songwriting and my singing and artistry, he's inspired me to be a good human and he helped raise me. 

They say people end up turning into their parents, the older you get. So I think I'm answering that question just by being alive and figuring things out about myself.

I'm curious about the very first single that you released, "Ships in the Harbor," which isn’t on the album. How did that song come to be?

Well, it was after I recorded the record, so that's why it's not on the album. I had only been on the road for just a couple of months at that point. And I was home and it was really pretty outside. So me and my wife and my dog were just kind of chillin’ in the backyard. And I just started picking around and that melody was floating around my head. It was near my birthday. And whenever it's near my birthday, I always get super pensive, introspective, thinking about time and all that fun shit.

And I had this thought that we as humans have the capacity to feel all these crazy, strong emotions and loving people, and missing people, and fear. And I had a thought that the only reason that we're able to feel as deeply in those emotions is because everything that we experience is finite, including our own lives. If the things we loved, the things that we experienced in our life, were around forever, I don't think we'd be able to feel as strongly as we do about them. 

We always look at cardinals and blue jays, blue birds because it's a big thing in my family – if we see one it’s someone looking after us. And that's where the second line came from. So I just kept going. 

I was getting really emotional towards the end of the song, and I didn't understand why. And then that last verse came out, and I was like, okay, this is what I'm getting at here. So, that one was a tough one to write but I'm glad I did. 

It's a beautiful song. Why cardinals and bluejays?

My grandma on my dad's side, his mom, when she was passing away she said if I see a cardinal or a blue jay, it’s her looking after me. And she had pictures of them all over our house. So I ended up getting a big blue jay tattoo on my right arm for my dad's side of the family. And then I have one for my mom's side. It's an ogham, it's an ancient Celtic scripture. It's love in Gaelic. So I have something for my mom and for my dad.

And speaking of powerful moments, when did you perform for people first?

The first time I ever performed on stage was at a sold out Ryman Auditorium show with my dad, I think it was [with] Jason Isbell, when I was a junior or senior in high school, and I just fell in love with it. So I started doing the encores with my dad and then I would sell merch before and during the shows. I just loved it. 

It was a lot of really amazing experiences and I got to play some really cool venues with him. And now I have this thing in my head where I'm like alright, I gotta get back there and do my own songs.

I'm curious about the opening track of the album, "Elohim," which is profound and angry. And it's an interesting place to start off an album. Why start there?

I wrote it from a place when I was still really struggling with the loss of my father, and I lost my best friend to an overdose in 2017. And that obviously had a very profound impact on me, and the way that I saw the world.

I struggled for several years with my own personal faith, and why things happen. There was a long time where I thought that we were all just kind of living in this state of limbo. And I wrote that song from a very angry space — just questioning whatever is the omnipotent force that is looking over us, like, Why did I have to go through these things? It doesn't seem like I'm learning anything. It's just like I'm in pain.

And I wanted to start the record that way because the album is a story of me. It's the introduction of Tommy Prine to the world and my formative years and why I am the way I am. And it starts with "Elohim," this big, loud, angry song of me not really even interested in figuring things out. I think that that's a really powerful thing that everyone should know: that it's okay to just

 be angry and not have answers. You're doing the good work by letting yourself feel those things.The record kind of moves through from there to me talking about how I don't want to go back to the person I was when I was partying all the time and needing to grow up. And then I start talking about my anxieties and panic attacks. And then I start talking about my family and I'm kind of coming back to my roots a little bit and getting closer with them and talking to them about my life experiences. And then the album ends with a song about my wife. We got married last year, so it's my story of basically entering manhood.

"I Love You Always," the album’s final track, is pretty far from "Elohim." There's also these sweeter and lighter moments on the album, like "Boyhood." I'm particularly curious about "Mirror and a Kitchen Sink"; it’s been stuck in my head for days.

So funny enough, that was actually the first song that I wrote after my dad died. It was literally within the next 72 hours that I picked up the guitar. I was like, why am I writing this goofy sort of punk rock song? 

The song is about how I find myself  arguing with myself a lot of the time. I’ll be thinking of these people that don't exist, and then a conversation that I would have with these people and …how to win an argument that I'll never have. And then I realized I'm literally just arguing with myself. And the only thing that's in the room is me, a mirror and the kitchen sink. 

The album also covers a lot of musical territory, can you describe that variety a bit?

To me, there's three distinct vibes on the album: There's the loud rock songs, anthemic, big songs, where I'm kind of getting a lot off my chest. There's the alternative folk/Americana [songs] where I'm getting really introspective. After getting things off my chest, it's like the questions that I come up with, I kind of dive into those and work some of that out. And then there's the dedication songs — like the one for my dad, the one for my wife, "Letter to my Brother," for my friends that are going through hard times and I'm just telling them that I'm there for them.

I had such eclectic music tastes growing up that there is never one overruling genre that I would ever listen to. But to me it all made sense and was a cohesive thing. And that’s really hats off to Gena and Ruston and that they were able to take all my insane ideas and put it into something that I love. I'm happy that I did it that way with the first record. Because I feel like I can go wherever I want to go now with record two.

Is record two on the horizon?

I probably have enough to make record two right now in terms of songs. I'm taking my time with it, just because the first one isn't even released and I'm trying not to get ahead of myself. I've been thinking about record two for a while, it'll happen whenever it's time.

Can you lay that out, how you would like people to understand you as an independent artist and as your dad's son?

Well, honestly, I really think that the music speaks for itself in that regard. I think that there's some pretty obvious parallels and some times where it intersects, just in my turns of phrase and the way I go about explaining things, or sometimes the in simplicity of the lyrics where people can be like, ‘oh, yeah, like, that sounds like something John Prine's kid would do.’ And I honor that and I fully take that on. I'm never not going to be his son.

But also I grew up in a very different world than he did, I have very different experiences than he did. And when you're making music and you're writing your own songs, that is also going to come through. One big difference is my father was a really amazing character writer.. And through the stories that he would form with these characters were little bits and pieces of him in it. And I think that was something that people had to figure out.

Whereas I'm just straight up talking from my perspective and I'm talking about my life and things that have happened to me and how I felt about it. I think if you come to a show or you listen to the music, you'll see that I'm just Tommy, I'm not John Prine jr. I care about the people that like the song "Elohim," and like "This Far South," because it makes them feel less alone because of my story, rather than like, oh, John Prine’s kid also makes music, this is cool.

And I had to get over that day one starting block before I even did this. I'm just me being me, and if people find similarities, cool, if they don't, good, you're listening.

On 'Weathervanes,' Jason Isbell Accepts His Internal Pressures And Fears