Over the last year, Gavin Adcock and his big personality have overtaken the country music scene. Adcock’s party-loving spirit has captivated listeners around the nation, landing him one of the most spirited fan bases in the genre. Although his exuberant lifestyle and audience are arguably the rowdiest in country music, he has kept his career approach simple.
In a sitdown with Country Central, the 25-year-old explained how he will always be unapologetically himself, and no amount of success will change that.
The former Georgia Southern football player was first introduced to the spotlight in 2021, going viral for chugging a beer on top of the team bus on the way to the game. Three years later, Gavin Adcock is still in the spotlight, but this time as a country artist.
Being a musician wasn’t necessarily what he envisioned for a career. Still, he was inspired to pursue that path thanks to the influence of artists like Koe Wetzel and Parker McCollum, and other iconic acts of the 2010s. “I liked Tyler Childers when I first heard Purgatory. I guess it was a couple of years after he let it out,” Adcock explained. In his own artistry, he toward a more stripped-down, unpolished production style that was lacking in the genre.
“Everybody was just kind of trying to walk a line to make, I guess, the industry happy,”
Hearing that gritty, timeless sound showed Adcock a side of country music he thought no longer existed. In his eyes, country music had become full of people-pleasers, abandoning the rugged and honest sound he fell in love with. “I feel like that kind of went away in country music for a little while. There was a good span of, I don’t know, I’d say, 10 to 15 years, where everybody was just kind of trying to walk a line to make, I guess, the industry happy,” Adcock said. After discovering that wasn’t the case, he began making music of his own, marking the start of his rather unorthodox career.
Adcock’s simple approach to songwriting has kept things authentic, helping him craft his artistry. “I’m not very musically minded,” Adcock admitted. However, the transparent and open communication with his producer, Jay Rodgers, allows the two to find exactly what they’re looking for. When writing lyrics, Adcock lets everything come to him naturally.
“I write a lot driving down the road. I’ll just hit record, start freestyling on a beat, and see what I come up with,” he shared. Despite the straightforward writing technique, his work has connected with his fans on a deep level.
The Georgia native’s main goal is to give his listeners the freedom to find their own unique meaning in his music. “I like to give them their perception,” he remarked. This has allowed listeners to connect with it in a way that best suits them.
Variance is something that Adcock takes pride in. He recognizes that not all of his music will resonate with everyone, but he does his best to reach a wide audience. “Every single person is not going to like every single song, but you’ve got to do your best just to give them a variety,” Adcock explained. “Every time I let out a song, it might be country, rock, something a little weird, and that’s okay.” That sentiment has rang true for his previous music: “I let out ‘Cigarette,’ a pretty country song, and I let out ‘Four Leaf Clover,’ and they’re different.”
“I wrote it about my parents. They’d raise hell, argue when I was younger, and always work it out,”
While recording his upcoming album, Actin’ Up, Adcock kept that a priority. “It’s going to be 16 songs, four previously released and 12 brand new songs, and it’s got a little bit of everything for everybody,” Adcock shared.
The LP will have a healthy mix of Gavin Adcock specials, like love songs and heartbreakers, while he ventures into a more refined sound. “I don’t want to say mainstream country, but they’re just a little bit cleaner songs,” he explained. “They’re really nice, clean, like more traditional country.”
One of his favorite songs on the record is called “The Battle.” The track has a blues influence sonically, and it looks back at his parents’ relationship as he grew up. “I wrote it about my parents. They’d raise hell, argue when I was younger, and always work it out, so I thought about them when I wrote this song, I thought about them.”
If anything has been consistent with Gavin Adcock, it’s that he can have a good time. “I always like to party and raise hell, and I come from a wild family,” Adcock said. The fun-loving spirit has stuck with him from a young age, and he lives strong in his performances.
He recalled one concert in Kentucky when he and his drummer pulled the gate, about six feet away, up to the stage. “I want to be able to reach out and grab and shake their hand, I just feel like I’m partying with them. Sometimes, I’ll hop in the crowd and give everybody on my team a heart attack,” Adcock said with a grin.
Being on the same level as his fans is largely responsible for his cult following, but as he’s grown, it’s been tougher to maintain that lifestyle. Gavin explained how difficult it is for him to go out without having all kinds of pictures being taken. He wants to go out without being viewed as a famous country singer. “I enjoy times where I get to just be like everybody else. That’s what I want. I want people to perceive me as a normal person.”
Adcock finds that his fame has also detracted from his friends’ and family’s special moments. “Say you go to a graduation or something, and you show up, and people are trying to take pictures with you,” Adcock said. “I feel like I’m taking away from that.”
Most importantly, as Adcock’s career has taken off, he has stayed true to who he is as a person. He maintains the same simplicity in his music today as when he first started, which is a key part of his charm.
His lack of concern for outside opinions continues to push his career even further. Now signed to Warner Music Nashville, Gavin Adcock continues to reach new heights and has no intention of slowing down. “I love the American lifestyle of saying, f*ck you, and let’s ride this f*ckin’ horse until the damn legs fall off of it.”
