Kameron Marlowe Opens Up About His Raw and Vulnerable New Album, ‘Keepin’ The Lights On’ [Exclusive]

Kameron Marlowe has experienced a lot of growth, major life changes and plenty of highs and lows since releasing his debut album, We Were Cowboys, in 2022. Marlowe has woven together tales and feelings from the past two years into his sophomore album, Keepin’ The Lights On, his most honest and vulnerable collection of songs yet. 

Produced by Dann Huff and featuring writing credits from some of Nashville’s most respected songwriters, such as Kendell Marvel, James McNair and Wyatt McCubbin, the 16-track project takes listeners through significant moments in Marlowe’s life, from childhood to his present-day chapter as an almost married man. 

“I feel like I have matured quite a bit over the past two years, just in life, especially. I’m getting married so I needed to grow up some and I feel like these songs kind of represent a lot of what was going on in my life over the past two years,” Marlowe told Country Now. 

Fans Are Greeted With A Slew Of Heavy Topics

The combination of Marlowe’s seven co-writes and the remainder of outside cuts that seamlessly capture the nature of his own stories brings fans a must-hear project that introduces Kameron Marlowe through themes of mental health, his unwavering dedication to hard work, honest self-reflection and so much more. 

The album, which dropped Friday, May 31, kicks off with the nostalgic, honky tonk anthem, “911.” Raging with electric guitar riffs and gritty vocal runs, the track pays tribute to the type of music that Marlowe was raised on. 

“That song is such a fun one and it’s one of my personal favorites off the record. It reminds me a lot of some of the songs I grew up listening to when I was younger,” he shared. “It has that Travis Tritt “Trouble” kind of thing and it also has a little bit of early Dierks Bentley that I love from early 2000’s. So, there’s a couple different influences in that song that really just take me to a time and place that I think sets up the record in a cool way.”

Fans will recognize previously acclaimed singles “Quit You,” “Strangers (with Ella Langley),” “Tennessee Don’t Mind,” and his latest early delivery, “On My Way Out.” The earworms and notes of full transparency continue with “Nothin’ Slowin’ Us Down” and “Never Really Know” which hones in on addiction and the reality that so many people battle their demons in silence. 

Watch “I Can Run” Music Video

A few tracks in, fans are greeted with the focus track, “I Can Run,” a powerful narrative illustrating a raw look at the thoughts scorching through Marlowe’s head as he realizes you can never truly escape yourself. This tune was paired with a brand-new accompanying music video that breaks the narrative open to reveal a celebration of finding peace in reconnecting with one’s sense of self. 

Bringing Things To A Close With The Deeply Personal Title Track

Then, there’s the title track which holds an incredibly heavy weight while sitting at the very bottom of the record, something Marlowe commonly does with his most personal songs. This tune was penned by Marlowe with Kendell Marvel and Phill O’Donnell and brings light to a very relatable situation that occurred within his family. 

“This is a very special song to me. It’s a song about my family. I didn’t grow up with much. We were poor pretty much my whole life, but my family never made us feel poor. They always kind of hid that from us and made us feel like we were just like every other kid. Then last year, my pops actually lost his job. He’d been working at this factory for like 27 years, so it was everything to him. He had made so many friends there, it was a lot of him. He started at that factory and really ended with that factory when it closed down.”

While wearing his heart on his sleeve, Marlowe went on to explain that during this difficult time, he went home to help offer support to his loved ones. He recalled a conversation on the back porch with his Pops that touched him right in the heart and will forever remind him to enjoy each day because life can change in an instant and nothing is guaranteed. 

“I went home ’cause the family was in a really tough spot and I sat on the back porch with Pops and he was like, ‘man. I don’t think I’m gonna be able to keep the lights on anymore.’ And that just freaking wrecked me. I’ve never seen him not be like Superman in my eyes so that led me to write this song in a way of it being a promise to them and to me, if times get tough, to try and persevere through. That’s why this song is the last one on the record. It means the most to me. I usually put the most meaningful song at the end of my records and I guess that’s kind of why I left it down there. It’s just that personal song that may not hit everybody, but for the people that have been in those shoes and understand that kind of broke young lifestyle that I grew up in, they’ll appreciate it.”

A solid album from top to bottom, Keepin’ The Lights is one of the best country albums released this year. Marlowe deserves more recognition as a vocalist and this album will hopefully solidify his place among the genre’s best.

Currently Impacting Country Radio With “Strangers”

Keepin’ The Lights On comes just days after the ACM New Male Artist of the Year nominee hit country radio airwaves with his fiery hit “Strangers” featuring Ella Langley.  This proved to be a career milestone for Marlowe as the tune nabbed 36 first-week stations. 

Kameron Marlowe recently wrapped his Strangers Tour with special guest Tucker Wetmore and is now gearing up to being his new album to some of the country’s hottest fairs and festivals throughout the summer.

Keepin’ The Lights On Track List:

1. “911” (Wyatt McCubbin/John Pierce/Micah Wilshire)

2. “Nothin’ Slowin’ Us Down” (Kameron Marlowe/Mitchell Tenpenny/Rob Williford/Dallas Wilson)

3. “On My Way Out” (Michael Hardy/Ben Johnson/Hunter Phelps/Taylor Phillips/Bobby Pinson)

4. “Never Really Know” (Kameron Marlowe/James McNair)

5. “Tennessee Don’t Mind” (Charles Kelley/Daniel Tashian)

6. “Leaning On You” (Kameron Marlowe/Erik Dylan/Wyatt McCubbin/Taylor Phillips)

7. “I Can Run” (Tucker Beathard/Oscar Charles Gnaedig/Ben Roberts) 

8. “High Hopes” (Josh Osborne/Trevor Rosen/Brad Tursi)

9. “One That I Don’t Call” (Wyatt McCubbin/James McNair/John Pierce)

10. “Lock Me Up” (Ben Johnson/Jordan Minton/Hunter Phelps/Taylor Phillips)

11.  “Will It Be There in the Morning” (Kameron Marlowe/Mitchell Tenpenny/Dallas Wilson)

12. “Quit You” (Kameron Marlowe/James McNair/John Pierce)

13. “Smaller” (Erik Dylan/Wyatt McCubbin)

14. “Strangers (with Ella Langley)” (Kameron Marlowe/Ella Langley/Will Bundy/Chase McGill)

15. “Broke Down in a Truck” (Taylor Baynum/Nathan Justis/David Micheal/Colby Williford)

16. “Keepin’ the Lights On” (Kameron Marlowe/Kendell Marvel/Phil O’Donnell)