Country newcomer Matt Stell is off to quite an impressive start in his music career! Released last May, Stell’s debut single “Prayed For You” took the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart.
To celebrate the milestone, Stell brought together co-writers Ash Bowers and Allison Veltz, Sony Music Nashville, and ASCAP, along with friends, family and Celeb Secrets Country for a special No. 1 party at the Sutler Saloon on Wednesday (November 19) in Nashville, TN.
Acting as support for Chris Young on the Raised On Country World Tour, Stell was able to see the song grow in real time, as the song went over well with fans as it climbed the charts.
“The timeline of that tour and the single synced up pretty nicely. We started this tour before this song had peaked so I’ve gotten to kind of see the difference in crowd response to the Top 10, Top 5, and then No. 1,” he says to Celeb Secrets Country.
“It’s a function how many backs of iPhones you see in the crowd. There’s way more now because people are taping it and want to sing along with it and stuff. I’d have to say that’s the most gratifying part of playing it live. I got into music because my favorite songs make me feel like nothing else does and I wanted to do that. I want to make that kind of music and seeing people respond to it that way validates that.”
Photo Credit: Ed Rode
It appears that the No. 1 hit is divinely special, as the song is the real life story of Allison Veltz, a co-writer on the track.
“It was actually the first day I met my husband. I was new to praying completely and brand new to faith in 2016, so I started journaling about what I wanted in October 2016 and May 11th 2017 is when we wrote the song. I looked through my journals and I was baptized on May 1st, met him on May 5th, and we wrote ‘Prayed For You’ on May 11th and the man I knew I was going to go on a date with that night I was like, ‘this is great. This is man I prayed for, I can see it.’ It hit me and fell on me in such a real way.” Veltz shared.
“I’m so grateful for Matt as an artist because that idea was going to be written in whatever room I went into that day but I don’t think it would have ever been written as well. It’s an incredible story.”
The beautiful love song is also the first debut single has reached No. 1 on the Country Airplay charts this year.
You can connect with Matt Stell by following him on both Facebook and Instagram.
