Country music has found itself a new prince charming in Georgia-born singer-songwriter, 25-year-old Vincent Mason.
Mason has quickly made his mark on the country in the year since he released his debut album, Here I am. The album kicked off with the songs “Hell Is a Dance Floor” and “Damned If I Do”. Now, he has entered a new chapter with his latest single, “What You Want.”
Music wasn’t always within Mason’s reach. When the pandemic hit, the singer was studying at Ole Miss and found his way into songwriting. With support from his parents—and some inspiration from artists like Coy Wetzel, Parker McCollum, Chris Stapleton, and Eric Church—he decided to pursue songwriting full-time, transferring to Lipscomb University in Nashville.
“I moved to Nashville because I knew that’s where country music was made,” Mason says. “I learned how the city worked, and I loved Nashville artists.” Hollywood Reporter In the last zoom. By 2024, he had secured a record deal with Interscope Records and Music Soup. Now, just two years later, he’s opened for Parker McCollum and Morgan Wallen.
“I don’t know if it’s really normal,” Mason says. “I remember the first time I opened for Parker McCollum and I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is crazy.’ He and John Mayer were the reason I started writing songs.”
Mason was studying McCollum and Wallen’s stage performances. “They both have this authentic energy that inspires me to find my own,” he says. “It was a special energy to be around.”
As the one-year anniversary of his debut album approaches, Mason was getting introspective about his career and the project. “When you first sign a record deal, you spend years working toward an album,” he says. “Once you release it, you’ll understand what making an album was really like, what you liked and what you want to do differently on the next album.”
Mason, like many other young artists, turns to social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram to generate excitement around music. It’s been paying off. His single “Damned If I Do” charted on the Billboard Hot 100, currently sitting at No. 83. “Publishing online was something I was hesitant to do at first. I moved to Nashville to be a songwriter, not to put out videos,” Mason says.
He quickly realized that it was a way to connect with fans and see what music would resonate with his audience. “Seeing the numbers go up is great, but seeing people show up and sing every song for you is really special,” the singer continues.
Mason continued this trend with his latest single, “What You Want,” which was released at the end of June. He has been teasing the song he wrote with friend Jack Roughton to his fans online since May.
“Releasing the album gave me a blank slate again. I wanted to spend more time writing songs by myself or with a small group of writers,” he says. That’s how the movie “Whatever You Want” happened.
Mason adds: “I’d never pulled from anything directly in my life. It was really just writing a song with my friend, and there’s something special about writing with just one person or on your own.”
But the singer is no stranger to collaboration. He also collaborated with his friend and fellow singer Stella Lefty on their song “Something to Lose,” which became a hit on TikTok. “It’s great, it’s really cool to see so many people taking the song and posting their videos on it. That way you know you’ve got something,” he says.
“She’s one of the best writers I’ve ever met,” he says of Lefty. “She played the song for me, and I knew where it was coming from, so I said yeah, I’ll go there.”
As country music continues to welcome its new wave of artists, Mason is excited to see his fellow artists grow and find their own path. He’s quick to use the word “singular” in conversation, and praises Wallen and McCollum for being unique artists. “Everyone knows when someone is trying to make something like it, and I just want to find that for myself,” he says.
Looking to the future, Mason is working on trusting his instincts and trusting the music before he releases it. “I can’t control how a song is received, but I want to know it’s the best thing I’ve ever released,” he says. “I want every release to feel like it’s coming directly from me because I really care about it.”
The singer always feels that the best songs come when he is able to get out of his own way. That’s what he’ll take on the next album. “I just want to make sure I love him,” Mason adds.
