Damn, Babe: The Story Behind Drew Ryder Smith's Newest Song

RIAA-certified songwriter and emerging indie-country artist, Drew Ryder Smith, dropped an unreleased track on his YouTube today. "Damn Babe" is an exclusive peek into the evocative, forthcoming EP releasing on May 30. 

The brilliant writing by some of the industry's best songwriters, "Damn Babe" features a clever play on words and a picturesque storyline covered in melancholic empathy.  Written by Smith (Merle Haggard, Randy Houser), Chris Yurchuck (Adam Hambrick, Brett Kissel) and Jayce Hein (Brantley Gilbert, Jason Aldean), the writing of "Damn Babe" is top notch, catchy, and commiseratingly investing.   

"I had this title for a while before finally writing it," states Smith. "I knew there was a clever way to say "Damn, babe," and make it mean two different things; it just took some time to find it... I threw this idea out in writing rooms a few times and no one would bite on it. Sometimes that makes you question if the idea is actually good or not, but I really felt like something was there. I had a writing appointment with Jayce Hein and Chris Yurchuck, who I've written a ton of songs with. Yurchuck's a brilliant writer and is always really straight with me, so I knew if he didn't like the idea, it was probably trash. He and Jayce loved it, so we dove in."  

It may have taken him a while to find the right writers for the project, but his persistence and assurance in the concept proved to be profitable. "I've probably had more people ask me if they could record "Damn Babe" than any other song I've written. I've been pretty selfish with this one."  

Listen to "Damn Babe" by Drew Ryder Smith now, exclusively on his YouTube channel:

For more on Drew Ryder Smith, follow him on social media @drewrydersmith.

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