Exclusive 2024 Interview With Drake Milligan

Hey guys, it's Gail with Everything Nash, and we are here with Drake Milligan again

Drake, so good to see you. Thanks for talking to us today. Howdy, howdy. It's great to see you

So we have a lot to talk about, starting with your EP, Jukebox Songs, coming out next Friday

And I'm so curious why you wanted to put these songs together. Well, I mean, the name of the song, the name of the record is Jukebox Songs

and that's exactly what I was going for. I was going for songs that, you know, you could find, you know, on some old dusty jukebox, you know, something that

may fit in with, you know, Neon Moon or, you know, some of my favorite, you know

Gary Stewart songs or something like that. And so that's exactly what I was going for

just songs that kind of feel classic and keep that kind of tradition going

And it includes the song Don't Leave Me Loving You, which you performed on AGT, which we're going to get to. Give me the story behind that

Well, that was a song, that song really just, the first time I heard it, that melody just

really stuck out to me. And it just felt like, man, this is something that could have, you know

it felt like it could have been a hit in the 90s, you know, and it's a lot of fun to sing

And I think it's a song that a bunch of people can relate to, you know, I think everybody's

kind of felt that way. When it's, you know, when a relationship ends that, you know, maybe it's a

lot, it'd be a lot easier to get over somebody if you didn't, you know, didn't love them so much

So it's just, it really kind of resonated with me and hopefully with a lot of people too

And fun to perform live. Yes. Yeah. It's, it's a lot of fun to sing. I just, I always just loved, I mean, I love ballads

I love singing, you know, sad songs and, and, and, you know, a lot of my favorite singers had a lot

of great ballads. So yeah, it's a ton of fun to sing live. So you performed the song on AGT, you were invited back to the Fantasy League

and didn't make it through, which we were all at our house. We were like, come on. But what was that experience like

It's, it was a lot of fun. I, the great part about that show was not like a ton of pressure

I mean, it's still, you still have that pressure. You do love, you know, being on a, on, on

on TV and everything, but it wasn't filmed live. And also too, you had all these great acts

you know, I've been a fan of AGT and been watching the show for years. And it was cool to see

all these like past winners and, and, and people I've seen on the show. And I'm

I'm kind of sitting there like, Oh my gosh, you know, there's, you know, seeing people that I've seen on that show and, and, and enjoyed. So it was, it was just a lot

of fun. It was kind of a reunion for everybody and working with that crew. You know, I got

got some great relationships from that show. So it was kind of getting, getting to go back and

see everybody. It was just a lot of fun. And I, you know, I didn't go into it really with

a mindset, you know, I wanted to do well and, and, and be on the show as many times as possible

And I'm so glad they invited me back to, to, to, to play on the finale. But it, it just

yeah, it, it, it, it was just a tough one to kind of go and have a reunion with everybody

Were you surprised when they invited you to come back for the fantasy league? Uh, yes, yes. I mean, I, I, I, uh, I didn't, you know, I had no idea that they were doing that

you know, new show, uh, but it was a fun structure and it's, it's fun how the judges

you know, kind of picked their teams and, and then to find out that I was team, how it was pretty cool. You know, he was so supportive through all my time on AGT. And so

it was just great to go see everybody again. That show really kicked off your career

but you had already been performing long before that. So what was that like seeing that sudden

like, oh, now everybody knows who Drake Milligan is. Uh, yeah, yeah. I mean, it's, it's, it's, uh, oh, it's great that, that

AGT was just such that it was just the perfect opportunity for me, um, to kind of like break

the ice and, and release that first record right off that first show. And, and, and then all of a

sudden have people react to the music and be able to, to, uh, you know, pretty much go anywhere at

that point after the show and, and sell some amount of tickets, you know, pretty much all

across the world. Um, and so, and then try to build on that, right. Just try to build on that

on that fan base. So, uh, it, it, yeah, just wonderful opportunity for me

You are a super talented singer. What some people may not know is that you are also a super

talented songwriter. You had a song on Ronnie Dunn's album, which is shocking because he's

such a great songwriter. What are your plans as a songwriter in the future

Uh, I would just keep on, I mean, I've been, I've been here, uh, you know, we've been off the road

last few weeks and, and I've spent all that time just here in Nashville writing. Uh, it's just so

that at a certain point when you start writing songs and, and, and get a part of this kind of

Nashville community of, of, of songwriters and great songwriters, uh, it's, it's kind of addicting

you know, you kind of, you can't, you can't stop. It's not like you can shut off the songwriter

switch. And I think as soon as you do, sometimes it fires, you get an idea and it fires back up

So, um, yeah, it's, it's been great to, I mean, I had that Ronnie Dunn cut, uh, which was kind of

my first, you know, first time, uh, somebody I've looked up to so much as, as cut one of my songs

and felt so great about it. And, uh, and then I got a, last year I got a Tim McGraw cut as well

a song called Paper Umbrellas on his album, Standing Room Only. So, um, yeah, it, it

it definitely ignites the fire a little more. I go, man, I want to, I want to, I want to get

some more songs recorded. Uh, and, uh, so it, I, yeah, and it's such a great time, I think

for country music too. It's just that it's a really inspiring time for somebody like me

because I, I see all these opportunities of, you know, if I, if I write a song tomorrow

you know, who knows who's going to, who's going to cut it. You know, if I, if I, maybe, you know

my next single, you know, maybe a song that does well for me, or it could be, you know

something that, uh, one of my heroes cuts. So it's just inspiring and it keeps me, keeps me going

So Jukebox songs out next week, what other music can we expect from you this year? Because if

you're writing a lot, I'm, I'm assuming you're planning on releasing a lot. Well, I, yeah, I mean, I'm, I'm always, uh, especially right now, I'm, I'm chomping at the

bit, as we say, uh, to, to get in there and, and cut another record. Um, there's no, no real plans

for that now, but I'm always, uh, I'm always, I'm always looking at song, I'm always writing

songs. I'm always looking for songs. Uh, so yeah, I'm going to be, after this EP comes out, I'm

definitely going to be, I'm going to be trying to get back in there and cut another record as soon

as possible. Good to talk to you Drake, always, always love chatting with you. You too, absolutely

Thanks. Have a good one, Drake