The Two Way Drive tour officially wrapped up, and Hudson Westbrook is back on the road, this time opening for Midland. Hudson delivered incredible performances all across Texas during his two week headlining show, with lines forming outside hours before showtime and venues packed to the brim. It’s clear these shows were highly anticipated by fans. Hudson’s following has skyrocketed this year, after his original song “Take It Slow” went viral in April, racking up over 2 million views. But make no mistake—he’s no one-hit wonder. Each song he’s released so far has been a hit, as proven by fans enthusiastically singing along at every show.
I remember the first time one of Hudson’s videos came across my For You Page early this year. I immediately archived it, knowing he was going places, and I pre-saved his songs each time he announced a new release. Now, almost 5 months later, I finally had the chance to see Hudson perform live in College Station, and it was worth the wait! Before the show, Hudson and I sat backstage at The Tap and talked about everything from his journey into music to his excitement about the tour and his upcoming projects.
Hudson is currently a student at Texas Tech, and wasn’t necessarily planning on pursuing a music career in the beginning. Writing random lyrics and poetry was something that just came naturally to him and was oftentimes a way to pass time at work. “I wrote my first song when I was halter breaking bulls,” he recalled. “Me and the band got together in a garage in Lubbock, actually in my drummer’s garage, and we ended up going to the studio two days later.”
While at the studio, someone decided to take a video of Hudson singing and convinced him to post it. The rest is history. Hudson’s videos began spreading across TikTok like wildfire, with viewers begging for the songs to be released.
Social media platforms like TikTok have become amazing tools for musicians to put their music out into the world and receive instant feedback from their audience, but it takes work to translate likes and followers into true fans. Hudson is a perfect success story, utilizing his platform while also going out of his way to personally connect with his fans at live shows.
“You see the numbers on social media and you open for people, but then you go watch it in person and hear them sing your song that you put out a week ago and you’re like, ‘what the heck’s going on dude?’” he smiled. “I think it’s awesome. I think the in-person stuff is the most fun part.”
Although Hudson has big plans for the future, he isn’t taking any moments for granted, soaking in every minute of each show on tour.
“You can’t get as personal as this ever again,” he said. “You know, you can sell 10,000 tickets and never get to grab someone’s hand in the crowd.”
Even with this being his first headlining tour, fans were already wearing Hudson Westbrook merch and lining up for the meet and greets. “Hopefully it gets bigger than this,” Hudson shared, “but right now it’s so important to create true fans, you know, and know who they are.”
It’s clear that Hudson enjoys every moment on stage, however, he definitely has a favorite song to perform. “5-9,” he revealed when I asked which track he enjoys most live. “The ‘high heels on and diamonds around your neck’ part always goes crazy.”
“5-9” is one of Hudson’s most recent releases, and he shared how the songwriting approach was a little different for this particular track. “We came in with no topic,” he explained. “Me and Lucas Scott, which is my vocal producer, we came in and we were talking and we were like, ‘Dude, what if we just talked about cherishing the time after work?’”
They then began brainstorming and discussing different jobs that Hudson did when he was younger, from digging post holes to building barbed wire fences. Then the iconic line hit them. “We started talking and we were like, ‘Dude, we’re working from 9 to 5 and we’re living from 5 PM to 9 AM’,” Hudson said. “No one knows that it means 5 PM to 9 AM, but that’s the coolest part, and it’s so true. You know, like everyone’s working for their loved one. Everyone’s working for someone that means something to them, and if they didn’t have to provide for anyone, then they wouldn’t be working. So I think that’s my favorite song because it’s the most lyrically true song to myself. So is ‘Two Way Drive’ and ‘Take It Slow’,” he added. “I’ll never sing a song that doesn’t pertain to me.”
As he works on new music, he has stayed true to himself and his Texas roots, taking inspiration from artists like Turnpike Troubadours, Parker McCollum, Flatland Cavalry, even John Mayer.
“A lot of country singers, they say ‘cold beer, big trucks’. If you have that, I don’t think you need to sing about it, personally. No hate on anyone,” he said. “I just think you can use lyrics to show that you’re country and you experience that, and I think Flatland does a good job of that.”
Hudson’s music influence is definitely evident in his music. In fact, many people compare him to a young Parker McCollum.
“I love The Limestone Kid vibe, you know, like old Parker and no one’s doing that right now in Texas,” Hudson said. “That is my favorite type of deal, like I want my tracks to sound just like the live band’s playing.”
As Hudson’s music continues to rise in popularity, he is working hard to hone his songwriting skills. “I write with a melody and get on my guitar and spend time in a room alone and with other writers, but it’s been awesome to see like a kid that was just a normal college kid is now learning how to truly write Texas country songs or country songs in general,” he said. “I’m excited to see where it goes once I’ve truly developed as a writer, ‘cause in the early stages of being an artist, you’re figuring out what your sound is, who you are, where you wanna go with it…”
I’m so excited to see what Hudson Westbrook has in store and according to him, they’ve got ”12 more months and 12 more songs to put out”! Go check out his latest release “Dopamine” and grab your tickets to see him on tour! He has a ton of Texas dates lined up, including festivals like ACL, Live at the Station and the inaugural Feels Like Home Festival.
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