Hudson Westbrook Talks ‘House Again,’ Career Momentum, and the George Strait Call That Cost Him His Truck Engine on The Pupdate

Hudson Westbrook had a rare day off in Nashville amid his tour opening for Bailey Zimmerman, so he joined us at the Country Now studio to play with some adoptable puppies from Wags & Walks while dishing on his skyrocketing career, new radio single, and getting the call of a lifetime to open for the one and only George Strait.

As the trio of adorable Chihuahua mix puppies caused chaos around him, Westbrook told us about his dog, Kronos, who often joins him on the road and has captured the attention of his band and crew who shower him with treats (and sometimes Taco Bell) while they are on tour.

It’s safe to say Kronos has become quite the road companion, as Westbrook’s schedule has been jam-packed in recent months with headlining dates and a new direct support slot with Bailey Zimmerman. These shows are fueled by the success of his breakout No. 1 debut single, “House Again.”

Thinking back to the rise of that song, Westbrook recalled a moment at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he could feel a shift in the audience when he performed the song and instantly knew he had something special.

“We were at Cain’s Ballroom last year and I played ‘House Again’ and I told them to bring their flashlights out for the first time… that was the first place I’d ever seen so many people connect to one of my songs and everyone was singing it back to me,” he admitted. “ And it was just super special to see people pouring their trauma into something I wrote about whatever happened to me. And so I mean, people relate it to so many different things, like moving from city to city or breaking up with someone, or even if they lost a friendship, or if they’re a widow, everyone was relating to ‘House Again.’”

The song later topped the charts, and Westbrook made history as the youngest solo male to ever top the country radio charts with a debut single at 21 years old.

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This achievement took a while to set in for Westbrook, who admitted, “don’t know why, but that was almost cooler than the number one. I’m just super grateful and I’m super excited that ‘House Again’ was a song that went number one because it means something to everybody.”

Following the success of “House Again,” Westbrook decided to release “Painted You Pretty” as the follow-up single, and the response has been incredible so far. It debuted at country radio as the No. 1 most-added song with 60 first-week stations. It’s also performing well on streaming platforms, adding to 1.25 BILLION career streams.

“That’s my favorite song that I’ve ever written,” Westbrook told us of “Painted You Pretty.” “And that’s my favorite part about that is because rarely does an artist or anybody write a song and then they put it out and it does as well as they think it will…I just loved the song so much and everybody loves it too. It’s a love song and ‘House Again’ was a breakup song. And so now it’s giving another side of my music to the radio world.”

While “Painted You Pretty” is the radio single, Westbrook continues to release a constant stream of new music following his Top 10, 17-track debut album Texas Forever and expanded follow-up EP Exclusive. Recently, he released “Hey Dallas,” and told us that there’s plenty more where that came from.

“I don’t think I’ve gone a week without writing at least four songs since I started. I love doing it right now and it’s super fun to me. I have to write on the songs I put out, so I have to write a lot and I have to put out songs that I love,” he explained.

The rising star has had the opportunity to perform these songs for fans while on the Different Night Same Rodeo Tour with Zimmerman, and soon, he’ll be sharing stages with the likes of George Strait, Morgan Wallen, and more.

As a Texas native, there’s no bigger milestone for Westbrook than opening for George Strait. But when the call came in, it was so unexpected that it left him celebrating a little too quickly, at the expense of his truck engine.

“When I got the call about George Strait, my manager called me and we were sitting in Aledo and I put gas in my diesel truck because I got so excited, completely forgot what I was doing. And I remember calling my mom instantly right after…I just said, ‘Mom, I’m playing with George Strait.’ And she always looked up to him a lot and that was our favorite artist growing up in the house.That was what we were playing on vinyl, so it’s really cool. Yeah, I ruined the whole engine. The fuel lines were all messed up.”

Aside from ruining his truck engine, things are going great for Westbrook, who says his career is surpassing all expectations.

“We’re going with Bailey Zimmerman for the first half of the year. And then after that, we’re doing a George Strait show on April 25th and then we go to Morgan Wallen, which Morgan Wallen’s going to be crazy because I’ve never thought I’d be playing, I don’t know, Michigan Stadium and all the places that we’re going to end up playing, but it’ll be super special,” he pointed out.

With momentum continuing to build, Westbrook says there’s even more on the horizon.

“And then at the end of the year, we’re looking at dropping an album and we’re looking at a world tour and we’re looking at going all the way on all of it.”

About Wags & Walks

Wags & Walks is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing dogs from high-kill shelters and placing them in loving homes. Wags & Walks is focused on advocating for wrongfully stereotyped bully breeds, medical dogs, and mamas + puppies that are often overlooked and at-risk due to overcrowding. Since 2019, Wags & Walks Nashville has collectively saved 7,000 dogs. Their impact comes from their dedicated team and a strong network of partners, incredible alumni, and loyal supporters who deeply believe in the mission. They know that, like amazing dogs, loving families come in all shapes and sizes. They aim to find every pup an adopter whose home, family, and lifestyle are a perfect fit for a lifetime of love and happiness. 

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