Exclusive Premiere: Matt Stell Debuts Live Performance Of ‘I Love You Too’

Just weeks after earning his second consecutive country radio chart-topper with “Everywhere But On,” Matt Stell is diving a little…

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Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

December 11, 2020

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8:11 am

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Matt Stell; Photo by Dustin Haney

Just weeks after earning his second consecutive country radio chart-topper with “Everywhere But On,” Matt Stell is diving a little deeper into his Better Than That EP with the release of a live performance of the track “I Love You Too.”

Premierely exclusively on Country Now, the clip features Stell alongside two members of his band serving up a stripped down version of the song.

“I Love You Too” is one of eight tracks on the recently released EP and tells the story of a relationship that is clearly one sided. Stell plays the role of the narrator who recognizes that his friend’s partner is not treating her the way she deserves to be treated. It’s an all-too-real situation that many can relate to, including Stell.

“I bet he ain’t ever noticed that dress/ And you pretend like you don’t care/ I bet when you’re out talkin’ with him/ You wonder if he’s even there/ And I bet you wish it was different but/ Somehow you’ve learned to adjust/ Girl, since when is good been good enough,” the Arkansas native croons on the first verse.

Stell, who co-wrote “I Love You Too” alongside Seth Alley and Ryan Peterson, admits the song’s message strikes a chord with him.

“I was talking to a songwriter friend of mine, Seth Alley, about relationships one day when we were writing. He brought up that the night before he had a conversation with his then girlfriend (now his wife) about saying I love you. The last thing she said was, ‘you only say I love you too,’” Stell recalls.

“That hit me hard because I have been in that same position with relationships,” he goes to say. “After realizing more people could connect to that moment in life, we tried to find a way to tell that story in a song. It hit closer to home than I wanted it to, to be honest.”

Click above to watch Matt Stell’s live performance of “I Love You Too.”

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Lauren Jo Black

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.