Jordan Davis Reflects On Taking Risks And Finding Balance On New Album, ‘Learn The Hard Way’

For Jordan Davis, trying to balance four kids at home, a busy tour schedule and constantly writing new songs is no easy feat and naturally, that chaotic lifestyle has resulted in him learning his fair share of lessons. Davis tapped into that push and pull between chasing the dream and being present with his family to shape his new album, Learn the Hard Way.

Fans heard Davis pour his heart into his last project, Bluebird Days, and this time around, the singer-songwriter says his focus was a bit different. On his past collection, he unleashed a slew of very personal stories, whereas on this release, he wanted to have a bit more fun while still giving fans a raw look into his reality.

“This was like, ‘man, I want to have fun writing. I want to have fun in the studio, and I want to have fun playing these songs that end up on this album.’ And I definitely feel like we did that from a sound standpoint,” Davis recently told Country Now and other outlets. “Even now looking at songs and where they’re going in the set list, I’m excited to play those. Not that I’m not excited to play any of the other ones, but they’re fun songs.”

“Take Some Risks, Push Boundries”

His second main goal for Learn The Hard Way was to “take some risks, push boundaries, do something that we haven’t done, even if that means it doesn’t work out.”

Davis pointed out that one of his biggest fears when putting out new projects is that listeners will feel like the songs sound no different than his previous work. In order to avoid that repetition, he carefully built out these tracks with the intention of offering something fresh and more diverse than what appeared on his previous albums.

Learn The Hard Way certainly carries a new energy both sonically and lyrically. This begins with the title track, which speaks to many of the real-life challenges and elements of that internal tug-of-war that are woven throughout each of the 17 tracks.

“Balance with me has always been something that I’ve struggled with. And then especially when things started going well in music, you want to go out there and you want to play shows and you kind of want to capitalize on that. And then you also want to be a good dad and a good husband and be able to really juggle those two worlds. And I think subconsciously, a lot of these songs are about that,” he shared honestly. “I think it goes to show you where I was in a head space in that. So when I heard ‘Learn the Hard Way,’ it made all that come together.”

Tapping Into Real Life

Many tracks emerged during writing retreats with fellow hitmakers, including one that took place a friend’s Florida beach house that inspired the swampy vibe of “Louisiana Stick” featuring Marcus King. Their last retreat spawned “Muddy The Water,” which ended up being the final song to be written for the project and appears last on the track list.

Of all the songs, Davis feels “Keeping The World Away” best captures where he is today. The song was born from a simple yet powerful moment when someone noticed he was glued to his phone and suggested he shift his focus.

“’Keeping The World Away,’ that idea came from somebody noticing that I was on my phone too much and told me to ‘put the world down.’ I mean, right when he said that, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh’…so I would say that that’s a song that really speaks to me right now in a time where if I get too caught up in music, I can always lean back on that and be like, ‘Hey, man, remember why you wrote that song? Don’t get caught up too much in what we do in everyday life.’”

Davis also shared some personal touches behind the album’s stories like “Son of a Gun,” which was inspired by his oldest son Locklan, whom he calls a “Wild Card.”

Another standout is the duet “Mess With Missing You” with longtime friend Carly Pearce. Davis shared that despite knowing each other since 2012 and having talked about collaborating for years, it wasn’t until now that they found the right song to do it with.

“Neither one of us wanted to force anything or just do it because we wanted to have a song together. And we talked about it for so long, but it was finally with this one where I was like, ‘alright, this is it.’ And all I had to do was send it to her and hope she signed off on it. And she did and absolutely crushed it. Such one of my favorite voices out there, so I can’t be more stoked on how that one turned out.”

Learn The Hard Way arrived August 15 and includes Davis’ latest and Gold Certified No. 1 hit “I Ain’t Sayin’,” along with other previous releases, “In Case You Missed It,” “Know You Like That,” “Turn This Truck Around,” “Jesus Wouldn’t Do,” and title track.

With this album, Jordan Davis solidifies his place as one of country music’s most consistent and reliable hitmakers. With eight No. 1s already to his name, there’s no doubt he’ll be adding more, as this project is packed with potential radio hits. It’s easy to see this project taking him to the next level of stardom. He’s got the full package: singer, songwriter, and entertainer.

Next month, these songs will come to life on stage when Davis kicks off his nationwide Ain’t Enough Road Tour kicks off on Thursday, September 11 in Greater Palm Springs, CA at Acrisure Arena. Then, he will make his return to the UK and Europe in February 2026 for his biggest international headlining tour to date. A full list of upcoming dates can be found on his official website.