WATCH: Lee Brice, Nate Smith, and Hailey Whitters Party It Up In New ‘Drinkin’ Buddies’ Music Video

Lee Brice lets loose with his fellow country stars Nate Smith and Hailey Whitters in the just-released music video for their collaborative track, “Drinkin’ Buddies.”

Viewers got a sneak peek into the full music video through the lyric video that was unveiled alongside the upbeat party anthem in May. Now, they have taken the fun up a notch with clips that set the mood for the best moments of summertime. 

Brice, Smith and Whitters are seen performing the track in a bar while playing drinking games, laughing, and genuinely having a good time together. These clips are interlaced with footage of various friend groups toasting to good times and celebrating their wins in life. Things get a bit wild as Brice’s brother Lewis joins in on the fun out on the golf course with his own set of “Drinkin’ Buddies.”

The video perfectly captures the lighthearted mode of the single that is currently climbing the Country radio charts and was Mediabase’s No. 1 most added song upon impact, with an impressive 109 first weeks adds.

“Drinkin’ Buddies” was penned by Zach Kale, Chris Destefano and Justin Wilson, and produced by Ben Clover and Jerrod Neiman. During a previous interview with Country Now, Brice admitted that he was instantly hooked by the feel-good energy of the tune.

“I got about halfway through that first chorus, I said, ‘Okay, I’m cutting this.’ I stopped the song. Didn’t even get to the second verse.”

The track reveals that no matter what kind of day you could be having, it can all be made between with the people who are willing to hit the town and help you forget any kind of problem you may be facing. 

“Thank God for drinkin’ buddies/ They can make a bad day better/ Yeah, them drinkin’ buddies/ You know we tip ’em all back together/ Downtown clowns in the neon light/ Out in the sticks on a Saturday night/ They always got your back/ When your wallet runs out of money/ Thank God for drinkin’ buddies (well, thank God)/ Thank God for drinkin’ buddies (well, thank God),” they sing on the chorus. 

Midway through the track, Hailey Whitters takes on the role of the female character who recently got her heart broken and is in need of some good friends to raise her spirits.

“My boy toy up and gone/ And I ain’t bringin’ him back/ When he hits up my phone/ I hit decline and I laugh,” she sings before Brice and Smith join her with words of support. “Hey girl, we just got wind/ You and that boy broke up/ Thought you could use some friends/ We’re here to cheers you up.”

“I went and listened to the rest of the song and honestly, the song got even better because the cool thing about the camaraderie on the song, I mean, normally if a girl and a guy are on a song, it’s got some type of love or breakup, or whatever it is,” the South Carolina native explained. “This is a camaraderie between dudes and girls and it’s this cool thing I just haven’t really heard. You hear sort of the same song written in different ways all the time and this song was just so unique because of that, and I was just in love.”

Whitters also said that between recording the track and making the music video, they “instantly felt like drinking buddies, like my older brothers or my boy friends that I would go out drinking with and hanging with. It just felt so fun. I’m pumped to be on it.”

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“Drinkin’ Buddies” serves as the first single off Brice’s forthcoming album, which will mark his first project since 2020’s Hey World. He teased that the upcoming collection of songs is currently expected to drop sometime in the beginning of 2025.

This year, Lee Brice is out on the road playing some of Country music’s biggest festivals, in addition to joining Dierks Bentley for select dates of his Gravel and Gold Tour and delivering his own solo shows.