Parker McCollum Shares Intimate Acoustic Performance Of ‘Pretty Heart’
Parker McCollum is nearing the top of the country radio charts with his major-label debut, “Pretty Heart.” The regretful track…
Parker McCollum; Photo via YouTube
Parker McCollum is nearing the top of the country radio charts with his major-label debut, “Pretty Heart.”
The regretful track was co-written by the Texas native alongside Randy Montana and is the lead single from his Hollywood Gold EP, which was released earlier this year.
“Pretty Heart” finds the rising star looking back on the demise of a relationship, taking full responsibility for his actions.
“What does that say about me/ I could do you like I did/ That I could break an angel’s wings/ What does that say about me/ That I stood there like a fencepost/ As you drove off in your car/ What does that say about me/ Now that I broke/ Your pretty heart,” McCollum croons on the chorus.
The Country Now Artist to Watch recently released an acoustic performance of the song and it perfectly showcases his raw, country vocals. This acoustic performance is not to be missed.
Click below to watch.
McCollum recently shared the story behind the song, revealing that he had the melody documented in his phone for some time.
“A couple days before that co-write, I knew I wanted to go in with a good idea. So I looked back through some old recordings, and I found this melody of me singing, ‘What does that say about me, I could love somebody like you.’ I thought that line was killer and the melody’s great…maybe he’ll dig that. So I played that for Randy, and his eyes kind of lit up. He was like, ‘Dude, let’s chase that.,” McCollum recalled. “And he was just pulling it out of me, about what I was going through and what I was feeling. But I remember when we wrote it, I left that day and I was like, ‘Man, we just ruined that great idea…this is not it.’”
It turns out, his instincts were wrong.
“Then a few months later, I ended up getting in the studio and cutting it, to try it out and see what came out of it. And I remember when I was singing it, tracking vocals, I said, ‘This isn’t that bad…this deserves a little attention,’” he explained. “And so it’s mind-blowing to see that once again, I was wrong (laughs). It’s been doing great, and it’s really bizarre to see how well it’s doing.”
If “Pretty Heart” reaches the No.1 spot, it will mark his first chart-topping single. And it likely it won’t be his last.
Written by
Lauren Jo Black
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.