Sometimes, all it takes is one word to change your life. For Cole Swindell, that word came straight from country superstar Luke Bryan. It was a piece of advice so simple, yet so powerful, that it helped Swindell sharpen his songwriting skills and ensure his authentic voice was heard in Nashville’s country scene.
Cole Swindell: ‘The Best Advice’
In a recent interview (via Country Now), Swindell revealed that while he was in college, he had the idea to email Bryan, who hails from Georgia like him. Swindell was already dreaming of following Bryan’s footsteps at that time. The “Chillin’ It” singer shared that Bryan responded to his email and gave him advice that he still remembers to this day.
Swindell recounted, “He wrote back one word. I said, ‘to be a better songwriter to write songs, what do I need to do?’ And he wrote back, ‘Live’ and it crushed me. I’m like, wow he sent back one word. And the older I get, the more I wrote songs, I was like, that’s the best advice as a songwriter you could ever give is to live. How are you going to write about it if you don’t live it?”
Solid Advice
The impact of that one-word advice was phenomenal. It’s advice that can be applied more broadly, not just in songwriting. For Swindell, it gave him the motivation he needed to gain more experiences that he could transform into songs.
“I’ll always say that helped me light a fire in my songwriting career…but I remember being so butt hurt. He said one word, live.” He chuckled, ‘Thanks, dude. I’m trying to live in Nashville, if you’ll help me!”
Bryan did help him, aside from fueling his fire. He had only been in Nashville for a month when he heard that the American Idol judge was looking for someone to sell his merch on tour. Swindell jumped on the chance because he knew he could learn a lot from him.
“I was like, this guy is a huge star. And to get to see how he treated people, the way he handles things, it was just what a blessing looking back,” he shared.
Swindell added that he didn’t just want to sell merch. He dreamed of performing on stage: “Little did I know I was getting to watch one of the best to ever do it the way he went about things. And I thank God that I got to learn from somebody that kind of took me in and treated me like a little brother, man.”
Now, it was his turn helping up-and-coming artists including Priscilla Block, Greylan James, and Logan Crosby who opened for him during his recently concluded Happy Hour Sad Tour.
Despite the success he’s enjoying, Swindell remains grounded: “To be able to do what I love for a living, man and have people that support me is just, I don’t know. It’s incredible.”
