Lee Brice Reveals How ‘Sunriser (All-Nighter)’ Evolved Into a 32-Track Reflection of His Life [Exclusive]

Lee Brice’s albums have always served as a reflection of the season of life he’s at, at the time he puts them together. That became especially true with Sunriser (All-Nighter), which he revealed evolved significantly throughout the creative process.

Brice initially set out to make a 17-track project with a completely different title. But after spending years working on those songs, he found himself in a different place creatively and personally. Once that first collection was finished, he returned to writing and spent time on the road with fellow songwriters, allowing him to create a whole new batch of songs that were drawn from more recent moments and emotions in his life. 

Instead of holding those songs for another project, Brice felt they belonged on this album, ultimately turning what began as a 17-song project into a much larger collection that’s been in the works for three years.

“Because the first part took so long, a couple of years, I was like, ‘Well, I got more stuff going on now and this is what these songs are about.’ So I felt like I had to put all those on the record,” Brice told Country Now. 

The album’s new title, Sunriser, was inspired by a series of late-night writing sessions. Brice recalled spending several nights writing until sunrise, and one morning, while watching the sun come up the idea came to him.

“I was riding down the road one day and doing the same thing the next weekend with another songwriter and there comes the sun coming up…I was talking to my driver who sees them every day. I’m like, ‘Well, you’ve got to earn a sunrise.’ I said, ‘They don’t come for free. Everybody in the world can go see a sunset because you’re up, you’re driving home from work, whatever it is. But you got to earn a sunrise.’”

He found a powerful new meaning behind something that happens every day, regardless of what is going on in the world. A sunrise requires you to put in the work to see it, whether that means working an overnight shift, caring for your family, traveling long hours, writing songs or simply getting up early to start the day. 

This lightbulb moment helped Brice shape the project into Sunriser (All-Nighter), the expanded 32-track collection that touches on everything from his days of staying out all night to becoming a husband, father and established artist. These songs not only give a glimpse into his life, but they also celebrate the people who work through the night or wake before dawn. 

“There’s some that weren’t on the first one at first, and there’s some that got moved all around to the second part. And then it was like, well, do we call this a double album called ‘Sunriser’? And then we were just talking one day and somebody said, ‘Well, there’s the Sunrisers and there’s the All-Nighters.’ And I was like, ‘Well, that sounds like what we should do,’” Brice explained. “It was more of a process by happenstance of just the things that happened that led to all of the changes and led to what you have in your hand with 32 songs with both titles. And it was a journey.”

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The album captures the many different sides of Brice’s life told through relatable themes of young love and family, fatherhood and the experiences that come with getting older. The tracks move effortlessly between fun, upbeat moments to deeply personal songs about loss, faith and finding meaning.

“I love all kinds of music and whatever kind of music moves me, doesn’t really matter the genre. And so my music comes out a little eclectic. So it’s not the same sound all the time. It’s completely different and I love a really good ballad that means something, but I also love to get you up and rocking. So it’s everything in between.”

Songs like “Truck Bed Mixtape” and “Daddy Don’t Care” particularly stand out as tracks that shine a light on the more personal aspects of Lee Brice’s life as they speak to his roles as a father and a husband. The South Carolina native has paid tribute to his two boys in the past with songs like “Boy,” so when his daughter Trulee asked about a song of her own, he got to work penning something just for her. 

“I actually ended up writing two songs. I wrote a song, I wrote ‘Daddy Don’t Care,’ and I also wrote a song called ‘Girl Dad,’ and she loved both of them…when I’m making a record, I don’t ever want to cover the same subject twice. I want to have something. And so I said, ‘Gosh, what do I do? Because ‘Girl Dad’ is awesome.’ In my eyes, they’re both great….So I said, “You know what? I’m just going to ask Trulee…I said, ‘I can’t choose.’ And she said, ‘Well, let’s go with Daddy Don’t Care.’ She said, “You could put ‘Girl Dad’ on the next record’,” Brice said with a laugh. 

Another of the album’s most meaningful moments is “Never Meet Your Heroes,” featuring one of Brice’s own musical heroes, Vince Gill. Brice revealed he immediately connected with the song when it was sent to him, particularly because its story reminded him of his own grandfather. As he began recording it, he also started thinking about the artists who had influenced him throughout his career and Gill quickly came to mind.

Brice reached out to Gill and was surprised by how quickly he agreed to be involved on the song without even hearing it. 

“There was a part in it with the guitar, the solo, and I thought, ‘Man, I wish I had someone like Vince Gill here’…And then I thought, ‘why don’t I just get Vince to play it?’ I called him and he said, ‘Well, I’ll do it.’ I said, ‘Oh man, are you kidding me?’…I said, ‘I’ll send you the song so you can hear it and then let me know if you’ll do it or not.’ He goes, ‘No, no, I’m going to do it. I’ll sing or play, whatever you want me to do.’ I said, ‘Vince, you haven’t heard the song yet?” He said, ‘I don’t care. I trust you.’ He said, ‘I followed you. I’m a fan of you. I know your heart and I don’t need to hear the song. Just tell me the day you want to come over and then we’ll knock it out.’”

This confirmation eventually led Brice to Gill’s home studio, where the two spent the day working on the track together, a moment Brice will never forget. 

“He was just the most sweet, funny, laid back, awesome dude, gentleman, a scholar of music, but also free with music and playing. And it was a beautiful day, and I thought it fit to have one of my heroes that’s one of the greatest people you’ve ever met be on a song called ‘Never Meet Your Heroes.’”

The album ultimately closes with “When The Kingdom Comes,” a deeply faith-driven song that Brice considers the project’s most meaningful track. Although he had carried the song’s title and concept with him for nearly a year, he waited until the right moment to write it. 

“If I had five minutes to play one song off of the whole album and I had to choose one, it would be that song. And it’s not even a blink that I would have to think about that,” he admitted. 

Sitting on the back porch with a glass of wine, he and his co-writers Billy Montana and Jon Stone started writing the tune and it quickly fell into place.  Not only is this one of his favorites on the record, but it has become one that he chooses to play in nearly every live show. 

“I was so blessed to be raised by Christian parents and growing up in church, singing in the choir and all the things, and not just in church, but at home with all my aunts and uncles. I mean, that’s all we did was sing gospel music together and pray. And God has just been a humongous part of my life, my whole life, and he’s the reason why I am where I am. And so if I had to pick one song, that would be the one to play.”

Now, as Lee Brice continues his Sunriser Tour across Canada and the U.S., he’s bringing the stories behind the 32-track collection to the stage, by mixing new songs into the set list and showcasing the different stories woven throughout the emotion-filled project.