Heartbreak-Induced Insomnia Inspired Chayce Beckham’s ‘Keeping Me Up All Night’

Beckham says he was literally “up all night” before the song was written.

By

Madeleine O’Connell

| Posted on

September 19, 2022

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12:09 pm

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Chayce Beckham; Photo by David McClister

Chayce Beckham used his heartbreak-induced insomnia as inspiration for his latest release, “Keeping Me Up All Night.”

“The night before I wrote this song, I was actually like up all night,” he admitted.

Even through his sleep deprivation, the singer made his way into a writing session with his co-writers Andy Albert, Carly Barlowe and Geoff Warburton. They each reflected on their unique experiences and turned those different perspectives into this relatable song.

“I remember throughout the writing process, I was so exhausted. I was dozing off and then I’d wake up and I’d be like, ‘that’s really cool,’ and jump back into it. It was just kinda a fun song to write,” Beckham honestly told Country Now. “I think everybody just kind of chipped in from their own personal experiences that they’ve had as far as like being left alone.”

In order to incorporate his own story into the lyrics, Beckham had the difficult task of reliving those painful memories that kept him up at night. The result is a compelling track that exudes the narrator’s mournful emotions which remain from a previous relationship that he can’t seem to escape. 

“I think that’s just where good music comes from and you kind of have to sacrifice that part of your sanity, I guess, if you want to make good music because you have to talk about stuff that you feel and sometimes stuff that you feel doesn’t always feel good.”

Although it can be a heavy and often therapeutic process, seeing the way his music impacts his fans and how it helps get them through their own tough times makes it all worth it.

“I had this kid walk up to me after I played a show in Idaho and he said, ‘hey man, if I didn’t listen to ‘23’ and ‘I’ll take the bar,’” he was like, ‘Those songs really helped me get through my breakup and your music really helped me.’ And I was like, ‘man, that’s really cool.’ So it like changes your perspective on the song every time someone tells you that or why it made them feel better. It brings me joy to see that it helps other people in that part of their life.”

YouTube video

The visualizer for “Keeping Me Up All Night” pairs perfectly with the emotionally bounding storyline of the song as Beckham self-isolates inside of a nearly empty bunker. This setting turned out to be just what Beckham had in mind when he first came across this location to shoot in. 

“When I got there to actually shoot the visualizer for it, they had kind of set it up with like old antique bed frames and nightstands and old antique radios and whiskey decanters and stuff like that. I thought it was really cool because it wasn’t exactly what I had anticipated, but it was like all stuff that I’m into. So, I think that they got my vibe right, as far as filling up that room with just a few random things, but I wanted it to be empty so you felt like you were alone in it. I felt like it painted that picture.”

This release follows his debut EP, Doin’ It Right. As his first collection, Beckham began to garner a more significant fanbase who already wants to see more from the Apple Valley, CA native. The “Love To Burn” singer revealed some encouraging news when he said that he’ll be heading into the studio this fall to work on his next set of music.

“It’s cool just to kind of watch those songs grow and see how fans react to ’em,” he shared. “Now we’re getting ready to go record new music in October and I’m excited just for everybody to hear what’s next, you know?”

Chayce Beckham; Photo by Jacoby Plyler
Chayce Beckham; Photo by Jacoby Plyler

For now, he’s focused on releasing singles, but he shared that creating an album is still on his mind for a later time. 

“It was fun getting to release a batch of songs and hopefully the next time I’d do that, it’ll be an album or something like that,” he explained. “I do wanna do singles for a while and just try to give all these songs as much attention as I can. Then, we’ll probably shift into hopefully putting out an album.”

After winning Season 19 of American Idol, Beckham experienced a huge shift in his life. He went from being a forklift driver to a country star to touring with some of country music’s biggest stars like Jimmie Allen and Luke Combs.

He most recently finished up his stint on the road as direct support to Jimmie Allen and now he’s getting the chance to reunite with Luke Combs. The two artists first met when Combs was asked to perform with Beckham on Idol. This fall, the young singer will serve as a special guest to his “favorite country artist” on the Canadian leg of his world tour.

“He’s a really cool dude, as far as whenever I met him. Just great energy,” Beckham said of Combs. “We sang together on the show and he invited me a few days later. I remember them asking me if I wanted to go and I was very excited.”

Even as a rising star, Chayce Beckham still makes sure to never forget where he came from. He hopes to one day plan a yearly event in his hometown to show his gratitude for the community that has supported him on his journey so far.

This summer, he was surprised by the news that they were naming a day after him. He was also honored with “Chayce Beckham Rd,” an official street named in his honor in the town that raised him.

“I think that’s pretty wild,” he shared. “I think it’s cool that people from my hometown will get to see that hopefully and maybe feel some sense of inspiration.”

Chayce Beckham is next set to perform on September 23 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He will head to Canada with Luke Combs starting Nov. 12. 

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Madeleine O’Connell graduated from North Central College with a bachelors degree in Journalism and Broadcast Communications before deciding to pursue her studies further at DePaul University. There, she earned her masters degree in Digital Communication & Media Arts. O’Connell served as a freelance writer for over two years while also interning with the Academy of Country Music, SiriusXM and Circle Media and assisting with Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast. In addition to Country Now, she has been published in American Songwriter, Music Mayhem, and Holler.Country. Madeleine O’Connell is a member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.