Why Sam Hunt ‘Stepped Back’ From the Spotlight
After releasing his massive hit “Body Like A Back Road” in 2017 and the follow-up, “Downtown’s Dead,” in 2018, Sam…

Sam Hunt; Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images
After releasing his massive hit “Body Like A Back Road” in 2017 and the follow-up, “Downtown’s Dead,” in 2018, Sam Hunt has remained mostly under the radar, only performing a select number of shows and staying relatively quiet on social media. The superstar has also only done a handful of interviews and has remained tight-lipped about his new music, that is, until now.
In a new interview with ET Canada, the superstar shared extensive details about his decision to step away from the spotlight and opened up about his new music.
Speaking with ET Canada‘s Sangita Patel from his recent concert at the Bud Light House Party in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Hunt held nothing back when asked about his recent hiatus, admitting that the intensity of his sudden superstardom took a bit of a toll on him.
“For a couple years there it was pretty intense and it was a drastic change of pace and a drastic lifestyle shift for me as somebody who had just been, not casually writing songs, I was working hard in Nashville, but I had a routine and I’d kind of settled into Nashville and it was home,” he shared. “And taking off on a bus and doing things like this… the interviews and talking about myself and my music, it was a lot for a couple years.”
Rather than let himself be consumed by his career, Hunt made a conscious decision to “take a step back.”
“I got to a point where I really didn’t feel like I could I was smelling the roses because it was happening so fast,” he explained, adding, “so I stepped back and kind of digested it all and kind of processed everything that had happened.”
It was during this time that Hunt started thinking about new music and figuring out which direction he wanted to take his career. Now, after over a year of writing songs for his next project, Hunt says he’s “excited” to make his long-awaited return.
“We’ve been in the studio this week we recorded four songs I’ve got several more to record and I plan on turning it in the first of the year, but we’ll have a single out before the end of this year,” he revealed.
S0 what can fans expect from the follow-up to 2014’s Montevallo?
“There are some songs like ‘Body Like A Backroad’…that character was sort of in my first record too in songs like ‘House Party,’ he said. “Sometimes I’ll take it way too serious and then I’ll just completely like slingshot to the other side which is like where songs like ‘House Party’ and ‘Body Like A Backroad’ come from, so there are more of that. There is more of that light-hearted sentiment on some songs and then there are some reflective songs that balance those songs out.”
Specific details about Sam Hunt‘s new single and album have yet to be released.

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.