Filmore Talks New Album ‘State I’m In,’ Recent Engagement, Wedding Plans & More

Filmore, whose full name is Tyler Filmore, dropped his highly anticipated, ambitious debut album State I’m In on Friday, (Sept. 25) via Curb Records. The new project, produced by Zach Abend, chronicles a constantly changing chapter in the singer/songwriter’s life and features 18 tracks that take fans on a unique journey from beginning to end. 

Songs found on State I’m In include subjects that range from Filmore’s personal relationships to his hometown experiences to life on the road to his recent engagement to long-time girlfriend, Paige Korte. Upcoming radio single, “Nothing’s Better,” which Filmore wrote alongside, John-Luke Carter and Michael Whitworth offer a humorous spin on the idea of removing the toxicity out of one’s life while fan-favorite “Other Girl,” written with the late Busbee, John-Luke Carter and Josh Kear, pays a heartfelt tribute to Filmore’s future wife. 

“Knowing that these songs relate to others, to help them get through a break-up, or celebrate love, or just let them enjoy a night out with friends, is why I made this album,” Filmore explained of State I’m In in a recent press release. “State I’m In can be a state of mind or a specific location that helps you remember a moment in your life. For me, every one of these songs represents a moment in time that made me who I am today.”

Raised in Wildwood, Missouri, Filmore first broke onto the country scene with his catchy 2018 single, “Slower.” The track earned him comparisons to none other than country star Sam Hunt. Although he considers being compared to Hunt a compliment, Filmore is a very different talented country artist in his own right. He co-wrote every song on State I’m from a real and personal place and promises listeners will be able to get to know him a lot more and understand his journey after hearing his project in its entirety.

Country Now recently caught up with Filmore to find out more about his debut album. Read on to learn more about the State I’m In in this exclusive Q&A below. 

Congratulations on your new album! How does it feel to have new music out?

It feels amazing! I don’t know if there’s a better word for it. I think when you put a project together and spend so much time on it – and if I feel like I’ve listened to it a bunch – and then it takes a while to get out, when that moment happens, you can’t help but feel ecstatic. So, it feels great!

State I’m In features 18 songs. I can tell you put a lot of effort into this project.

Yea, with 18 songs, it showcases, from start to finish, my story of the last few years. On the album cover, I put the coordinates of Wildwood, Missouri to Nashville, Tennessee, which is my journey from where I grew up to where I am now. Packaging an album together is one of those things, as an artist, that you hope and dream of doing one day. So, for this to be my debut album and to have so many songs on there, I think it tells you who I am as a human being and as an artist. So continuing to evolve my career and my music more often is what I want to do and what I love doing. There are songs on there that have been out for a while. So being able to hear the rest of these songs that help to make up the project is cool! So, it took a long time to get here, but I’m excited to have all 18 songs out there to tell people who I am.

Why did you choose to go the full-length route versus the EP route?

It was so difficult to whittle the songs down to 18. That might be the hardest part of this process. After this launch, I am going to continue to put music out, a lot of it, and very often. There are so many songs that I would’ve loved to have on this album, so putting out an EP would have been hard for me to do, just because there are so many songs that I have in the hopper. So 18 was the magic number for this one!

Why did you choose State I’m In as the title for this project?

State I’m in is the title of one of the songs on the album, and it fit the whole project for me. The song is about getting away from a relationship and traveling. And when I wrote it, I traveled to Manhattan Beach in California and was getting away from a girl. So the whole story is about that. The chorus goes, “Tennessee or L.A. / Can’t outrun your memory,” so I felt like that song set the tone for this album because it is like that from start to finish. It’s about getting out of relationships, finding love, experiencing breakups, hanging out at the bar, being out on the road, and all of these stories. So it is locational for me because I wrote these songs about places in my life and places I’ve been to. So not only is it a state of mind, but it’s also a place for me. That’s why these coordinates are attached to each one of these songs. And, if you dive into the album, you can find all these coordinates for each song. So, State I’m In was a very fitting title to wrap a bow on the whole project.

Is there a song on the album that you consider to be most personal to you?

Yea, it’s the 18th song. It’s called “Anyone But Me.” It’s very autobiographical. It tells you about where I grew up, college, Nashville, and the journey in between. So it does wrap up the album well for me.

One of my favorite songs on the album is “Nothing’s Better.” Can you tell us about that song?

(Laughs) That song is very much a universal song toward getting anything negative out of your life. That’s how I wanted to write it, whether you’re a guy or a girl, and you’re going through a terrible breakup or you hate your boss and you’re quitting the job or your best friend wrongs you, you’re like, ‘I don’t need you in my life, anymore.’ It’s about getting rid of and moving on from all the negativity in your life. The hook is like, ‘Nothing’s better than us not together.’ So I wanted it to be a fun song, and I feel like it’s timely, especially now in the world we live in with Covid-19. I think people are getting a little antsy, and I think several people learned a lot during this time. ‘Nothing’s Better’ is that breakup anthem. I have never put out a song like that before. So I think that’s what I’m so excited about! For me, it’s very much directed to an ex in my life, but at the same time, I wanted it to have a humorous value.

You recently got engaged to your girlfriend, Paige! Congratulations! Are any songs on the project dedicated to your fiancée?

“Other Girl” was written about her. That was the first song I ever wrote about my fiancée. In it, I mention South Carolina, and it’s got all of those anecdotes that tell the story of who she is to me and everything like that as well. I’m happy with where I’m at for the first time in my life, and I think people can relate to that, where they’re going to be happy with who they are because of someone that came into their life to make them feel that way.

Have you started the wedding planning process yet?

I am getting married in October of 2020! So it’s going to be a short engagement. We’re getting married in our backyard on the beach in Isle of Palms, South Carolina. It will be us with family and a couple of friends. So, it’s going to be super small and Covid-19 friendly with about 25 people. I think it’s refreshing to do it that way because, with my lifestyle and everything I do, I’m around so many people in meet-and-greets and all of that. So I want my wedding to feel special and low key, where I can enjoy it and not feel like I’m taking care of people or trying to put off anybody. So, we will do it in a couple of days, and then I will be back in Nashville. So I think it will be pretty cool!

Did the two of you always plan on having a short engagement?

Not really. I think we just thought about the way the world is going and what things will look like a year out from now. If things open back up, I have a strong feeling that next year will be pretty chaotic with me touring and getting back out there. So I think wedding planning without knowing what the future is going to look like, or when things will go back normal – if that happens – made it easier to want to do it now as opposed to waiting.

You were on the road with Lauren Alaina at the top of the year. Do you have any smaller shows planned until you can tour again?

No. I want to keep everyone safe, including my band and my team. I don’t have all the information on what’s happening with COVID-19, but I’m trying to do my part and stay safe and make sure no one is bringing anything back to their families. We’re all usually on a tour bus together, so you don’t want close quarters or anything like that. Also, it makes it hard to travel state-by-state when everyone’s laws are different too. So it’s tough to tour right now. I know they’re getting creative with drive-in tours and stuff like that, so there might be some stuff in the future like that, which I would do!

What are you looking forward to for the rest of 2020?

I’m looking forward to seeing what sort of things will come with this album drop in the next few days! Aside from the wedding, this album is the highlight of the year! Then, we’ll see what happens on how things open up so we can, hopefully, get back out on the road.