Mitchell Tenpenny Previews ‘The 3rd’ Album, Announces Headlining Woke Up In A Dream Tour

Mitchell Tenpenny kicked off the weekend by releasing the autobiographical title track of his upcoming album, The 3rd, set to drop on September 20. Today, July 15, he continues to build excitement by sharing another preview of the project with “Woke Up In A Dream,” which is also the title of his newly announced headlining tour launching this fall.

The brand-new release, penned by Tenpenny with Thomas Archer, Kyle Fishman and Michael Tyler, finds the platinum-selling artist setting aside his usual heartbreak narratives to put his heart on display in a must-hear melody. He admitted he felt this was the perfect title to choose for his next tour as it sparked his creativity for ways to make this his next set of headline shows even better than his last.  

“It’s just a love song but a cool concept and a cool vibe. It’s nothing crazy deep lyrically, but the vibe of it feels great and I love the concept, ‘woke up in a dream.’ There’s so many cool things to play with, especially for a tour,” he told Country Now. 

The Woke Up In A Dream Tour kicks off on September 12 in Las Vegas at the Theater at Virgin Hotels. The tour will run through mid-November with The Castellows appearing as special guests on the first weekend and Dylan Schneider serving as the opening act for the remainder of the shows. Tickets will officially be on sale July 19 at Mitchell10Penny.com.

Woke Up In A Dream Tour Dates:

Sept 12       Las Vegas, NV    The Theater at Virgin Hotels*

Sept 13       Saratoga, CA                The Mountain Winery*

Sept 14       Los Angeles, CA The Novo*

Sept 19       Baltimore, MD    Power Plant Live

Sept 20       New York, NY    Terminal 5

Sept 21       Portland, ME                State Theatre

Oct 24        Pittsburgh, PA              Stage AE

Oct 25       Louisville, KY             Palace Theatre

Oct 31        Norfolk, VA                 The NorVa

Nov 1         Anderson, SC               Anderson Sports & Entertainment Center

Nov 2         Atlanta, GA                  Tabernacle

Nov 14       Cleveland, OH             Agora Theater

Nov 15        Bensalem, PA               Parx Casino- Xcite Center

Nov 16        Sayreville, NJ               Starland Ballroom

*The Castellows; Dylan Schneider all other dates

New Album Pays Tribute To His Family’s Legacy

In addition to releasing “Woke Up In A Dream” and announcing his next headline trek, Tenpenny also sent his latest single, “Not Today” to country radio today. Both of these tunes offer a look into his third studio album, following “Bigger Mistakes,” “Breaking My Heart,” and his cover of the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris.”

The title track of the forthcoming project, which debuted on Friday (July 12), is deeply personal to the Tennessee native’s life story as it was inspired by his name, James Mitchell Tenpenny the third, and the sentiment that comes with carrying down the legacy of his late father and grandad. With this song, Tenpenny says he hopes to touch people on a deep, emotional level by showing how proud he is of where he comes from and the men who raised him. 

Fans can see that the recently unveiled cover art for the album acts as another window to Tenpenny’s narrative as it features snapshots from his upbringing as well as significant moments in the lives of the first and second James Mitchell Tenpenny. 

“I wanted to share a story about where I come from. That’s important to me. I’m proud of where I come from. As far as naming it the record it just worked out being our third major release. Also just all-encompassing, I wanted to have a record that said ‘thank you’ to my dad and granddad for everything that they’ve done for me.”

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Although incredibly proud of carrying down the family name, the song reveals that the “We Got History” singer also feels great responsibility to live up to the high honor and often contemplates whether he has truly made his father and grandad proud with the journey he’s taken and the decisions he’s made.  

“Is the third time always a charm?/ Yeah, sometimes I’m not sure ‘cause I got tattoos on my arms/ And I barely go to church/ I’m still trying to live up to/ The men I know they were ‘cause they could’ve named me anything/ But I’m James Mitchell Tenpenny The 3^rd,” he delivers on the chorus. 

As the song goes on, he begins thinking about the potential of one day welcoming kids of his own with his wife, Meghan Patrick. He finds himself wondering if he has a son one day, will he pass down the name to the fourth generation or will he be the third and final James Mitchell Tenpenny?

Tenpenny ponders this heavy question as he sings, “Did they settle on it early, or did they choose it in the room?/ Would my brother have been named it if my blanket was pink instead of blue?/ And if I ever have a boy, do I even have a choice?/ Will he be asking these same questions if he’s got my name too?”

“The 3rd” Music Video

The song release was accompanied by a powerful new music video that further emphasizes the emotional depth of the narrative as it pays homage to his family and his roots. To set the tone for the importance of this music video, viewers first hear a voice message Tenpenny left for his family, letting them know that he had a very special song for them to hear and that he was coming to visit. 

He then climbs into the truck with reminders of his passed loved ones hanging on the rearview mirror and begins his journey home. Eventually, Tenpenny reaches his destination – the cemetery where his father and grandfather are buried. The addition of the rain flowing down as he lays down flowers on the grave heightens the chill-educing tune and paints a clear picture of the thoughts running through Tenpenny’s mind in that setting. 

“That was an emotional one for me,” he said of the music video. “I went to the grave site of my dad and my granddad, and kind of explained the whole story through the video. For a little bit, I was playing in my head if I really wanted to go film at the grave, but I ended up saying I did because I wanted to share the story and I wanted people to feel something when they see it,” he shared before adding, “It was crazy. When we were walking off the film, it just started raining on us, and it was just the most emotional day, but it was great.”

The remainder of the album is expected to have a bit of something for everyone across its 20 tracks. Tenpenny shared that he leaned into country music through his storytelling on these tunes while also incorporating elements of pop, rock genres among the wide-variety of themes. The sonic diversity on the album is especially highlighted in the two collaborations – “Guess We’ll Never Know” with country/pop sensation, Colbie Caillat and “Demon Or Ghost” with the hardcore screamo band, “Under Oath.”

The 3^rd marks Tenpenny’s first full-length project since his This Is The Heavy album of 2022. In that time, he has compiled this new collection that has allowed him to go deeper and more honest than ever before, thus giving fans an intimate look into his personal growth.

“Being proud of family means everything to me now and just being proud of where you come from and sharing those stories. So we do have a couple of those on the record, but the rest of the record is just a bunch of life lessons that I’ve learned over the years that I just wanted to share that I think people are going through. I just want to be honest and vulnerable and share my stories,” he explained. 

The 3rd Track listing:

1. The 3rd Mitchell Tenpenny / Andy Albert / Devin Dawson / Paul DiGiovanni
2. Good Think Goin’ Mitchell Tenpenny / Matt Alderman / Josh Melton / Dallas Wilson
3. Bigger Mistakes Mitchell Tenpenny / Chris DeStefano / Josh Kear / Michael Whitworth
4. Woke Up in a Dream Mitchell Tenpenny / Thomas Archer / Kyle Fishman / Michael Tyler
5. Iris John Rzeznick
6. I Won’t Mitchell Tenpenny / Kyle Fishman / Rafe Tenpenny
7. Guess We’ll Never Know (feat. Colbie Caillat) Mitchell Tenpenny / Jaten Dimsdale / Christian Griswold / Jimmy Robbins / Dallas Wilson 
8. Not Today Mitchell Tenpenny / Chris DeStefano / Claire Douglas / Michael Whitworth
9. Smoke Mitchell Tenpenny / Rodney Clawson / Ashley Gorley / Jordan Schmidt
10. Set It in Stone Mitchell Tenpenny / Andy Albert / Chris DeStafano
11. Make It Rain Mitchell Tenpenny / Devin Dawson / Zach Kale
12. Started Stoppin’ Mitchell Tenpenny / Ashley Gorley / Chase McGill / Jordan Schmidt 
13. Well Whiskey Mitchell Tenpenny / Jordan Schmidt / Michael Whitworth 
14. Same Moon Mitchell Tenpenny / Paul DiGiovanni / Derrick Southerland / Dallas Wilson 
15. Breaking My Heart Mitchell Tenpenny / Ashley Gorley / Chase McGill / Jordan Schmidt 
16. Long Way to Go Mitchell Tenpenny, Thomas Archer, Kyle Fishman
17. Head Start on a Heartbreak Mitchell Tenpenny / Trannie Anderson / Dallas Wilson
18. Fall Back in It Mitchell Tenpenny / Jared Mullins / Ben Stennis / Michael Whitworth
19. Demon or Ghost (feat. Underoath) Mitchell Tenpenny / Spencer Chamberlain / Aaron Gillespie / Jordan Schmidt
20. Tennessee in Me Mitchell Tenpenny / Matt Jenkins / Dallas Wilson