Ever since their debut in 2019, King Calaway, consisting of Chris Deaton, Simon Dumas, Chad Michael Jervis and Caleb Miller, has been a band to watch out for within the country music space.

With plans to release their highly-anticipated album Tennessee’s Waiting this summer, it is clear that King Calaway will only get bigger and better from here, with 16 soon-to-be hit songs that we seriously can’t wait to hear for ourselves. 

“It’s been 4 years now since the release of our debut album, in that time, we’ve experienced a lot of change and growth as individuals and as a band,” Chris, Simon, Chad and Caleb shared in a press release from their label, BBR Music Group.

“Our style and approach to music has evolved. We became stronger songwriters and performers, and we’ve finally made Tennessee feel like home. It felt right for us to name this record Tennessee’s Waiting because of the connection we’ve made to our new home and the communities within,” the band continued.

At the 50th Annual CMA Fest, King Calaway spilled TONS of behind-the-scenes secrets about their upcoming project, as well as its beloved title track that hit all music streaming platforms just one day prior to our exclusive interview.

When asked the meaning behind “Tennessee’s Waiting,” Chris spilled to Celeb Secrets reporter Melanie Rooten, “We get to do a bunch of cool stuff on the road, but, you know, sometimes you get a little homesick, so that’s what it’s about. It’s about being away from home and loved ones.”

He continued with a smile, “We just actually shot the music video and shot it in the countryside and I think we really captured that mood [and] that feeling,” and we could not agree more.

“Tennessee’s Waiting” is sure to be climbing the charts in no time, however, the hot new track is just a tiny glimpse into everything Chris, Simon, Chad and Caleb have in store.

Courtesy of BBR Music Group

King Calaway’s 16-track album, Tennessee’s Waiting, is set to hit all music streaming platforms on August 4th, and fans are thrilled to have yet another full-length project from the beloved band.

When asked about the upcoming album backstage at CMA Fest, Caleb teased, “It’s got a lot of songs on it, which is exciting. We’ve been working at this for like three or four years writing these songs, so we’re excited to have it all out.”

Tennessee’s Waiting is said to feature “fervent instrumentals [and] profound lyrics,” as well as collaborations with rising country stars Marcus King and Hailey Whitters on the tracks “Heathen” and “Let It Flow.”

To top it all off, the project itself is produced by someone VERY special…

Zac Brown Band performs with King Calaway at the Nissan Stadium on Thursday, June 9 during the 2022 CMA Music Festival in downtown Nashville. Courtesy of CMA.

“It’s produced by Zac Brown, which is really exciting. It was cool to work with him. He kind of brought everything to the next level, like the harmonies and the musicianship, so hopefully you hear that in the record,” Caleb spilled to Celeb Secrets.

When asked how this one-of-a-kind collaboration came to be, Chad shared, “We put out an EP in 2021 called Midnight, and he had heard it somehow and reached out through management and said that he wanted to work on something with us… We went to his studio like early last year figured that we would just like work on a few songs, and it ended up being a full length album, which was crazy.”

“It was so cool to get to pick his brain and get to see him like put his producer hat on because we admire him as a performer, but to see him behind the mic [and] behind the board is was a really cool experience,” he continued to gush.

Aside from producing the album, one of the 16 tracks on Tennessee’s Waiting is a collaboration with Zac Brown titled “When I Get Home,” which we talked ALL about at CMA Fest 2022 — Click HERE to read all about it.

Photo Credit: @zacbrownband on Twitter

Can’t get enough of the King Calaway and Zac Brown crossover? Then it is your lucky day!

Fortunately, this is not the last time the four-man band will be working alongside Zac Brown, as Chris, Simon, Chad and Caleb are “gonna be hitting the road with Zac Brown Band this summer and this fall” on the From the Fire Tour.

“This is like our first big tour as a band, and we’re going on like 23, 24 dates with [Zac Brown Band], so we’re just really excited to just finally hit the road and get to do what we love and get to see so many people and hopefully make some new fans too,” Chad revealed to us.

Simon chimed in and shared that one of the band’s major goals is to “continue making fans while we’re out on the road with Zac Brown and also just kind of getting our new music to as many listeners as possible, I feel like that’s an obvious goal, but one that we don’t wanna overlook. So that’s kind of the big one for us.”

Until we can catch one of the legendary performances with King Calaway AND Zac Brown Band, be sure to check out our full interview with the band below.

After watching, be sure to send us a tweet at @CS_Country and/or leave a comment at the bottom of this post to let us know how excited you are for new music from King Calaway, then head over to social media and connect with the band so you don’t miss an update — Twitter @kingcalaway, Instagram @kingcalaway and TikTok @kingcalaway.

LISTEN TO “TENNESSEE’S WAITING” HERE:

With reporting credit by Melanie Rooten. For more coverage from CMA Fest 2023, click HERE

Author

  • Melanie Rooten

    Originally from Southern California and currently residing in Music City, Melanie graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BA in Journalism before beginning her career as a music and entertainment journalist. Beginning to work for Celeb Secrets and Celeb Secrets Country as an intern in May of 2022, she has also contributed to Holler, Music Mayhem, Country Now, Country Chord, We Got This Covered and Decider throughout her career thus far. When she is not working, Melanie enjoys going to concerts and music festivals, binging her favorite television shows, spending time with her friends and family and cheering on the Oklahoma Sooners (of course).

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