Hudson Westbrook Interview - House Again, 9 To 5, Songs

Less than a year ago, country singer/songwriter Hudson Westbrook was a freshman at Texas Tech University, and he had a job breaking cattle at a ranch. But 10 months later, Westbrook is a fast-rising young artist who’s had several viral hits and is already headlining shows on a national tour.

Westbrook is currently on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart with his single “House Again,” which is an excellent, heartfelt song about what he experienced as a child when his parents divorced. Another highlight is his original song “5 to 9,” which is a clever idea about enjoying life and having a good time after a regular 9 to 5 workday.

Both “House Again” and “5 to 9” are featured on Westbrook’s 7-song EP, Hudson Westbrook, which was released in November on the River House Artists label. Other highlights on this EP are the cuts “Pray Your Name” and “Take Your Time.” Notably, he co-wrote six of the seven songs on the EP.

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	Here’s an excerpt of our interview with Hudson Westbrook, who tells how he wrote his hit single, “House Again.”

In addition to his EP, Westbrook has just released a new single called “Mine Tomorrow,” which is a graceful, well-crafted love ballad. Westbrook says that “Mine Tomorrow” is the first of several new songs he’s written and recorded, that will be released in the coming months.

Here’s what Westbrook has said about his recent rise to success. “This year has really been an insane ride. I started the year as a college student, and ended the year watching people scream my song lyrics back to me at my own headline shows. I truly feel like I’m living a dream. Going into 2025, I want to show up for those people who have shown up for me. I can’t wait to travel the country and sing my songs with each and every fan out there.”

Westbrook grew in Stephenvile, Texas, where he was inspired by listening to such favorite artists as George Strait, Turnpike Troubadours, Parker McCollum, Koe Wetzel and Gary Allan. While he was a freshman in college, he independently released his song “Take It Slow,” which went viral. He followed up with his song “Two Way Drive,” which became a radio single in Texas.

Here’s the video of Hudson Westbrook’s hit, “House Again.”

With his music going viral, Westbrook caught the attention of several record labels, and he decided to sign with River House Artists, which represents superstar Luke Combs along with hit artists Jameson Rodgers and Billy Strings. He has also signed a publishing deal with Sony Music Publishing Nashville.

With of the release of his EP and new song “Mine Tomorrow,” Westbrook has launched his 2025 Take Your Time Tour. He’s headlining and selling out shows in Texas, Florida, Illinois, Virginia, Louisiana and other states. Also, Westbrook will be the opening artist on major tours with stars Parker McCollum and Ian Munsick.

We are pleased to do this new Q&A interview with Hudson Westbrook. He tells how he wrote his songs “House Again,” “9 to 5” and “Mine Tomorrow,” and tells how he got started in the music business.

DK: I read that you’re from a small town in Texas called Stephenville, How did you get started with playing guitar, singing and writing songs?

Hudson Westbrook: I grew up in Stephenville and I played football in high school. But when COVID hit, instead of playing video games, I learned how to play guitar. Then I started learning from Courtney Patton, who is an Americana singer/songwriter that my mom knew. And then the summer before going to college is when I started writing songs.

DK: A year ago you were a freshman at Texas Tech, and you had a job breaking cattle. So how did you make that transition from being a student and working with cattle, to having success in the music business?

Westbrook: I would say that there wasn’t much transition as far as change, but for me it was learning how to apply what I learned at work (breaking cattle) to the music industry and to writing. And once I figured out that I can work with cattle and still have time to write songs, then I figured that I could be successful. Then I had to learn how to travel a lot more, to play shows on the road. It was really the transition from traveling and not being home, and going to Nashville, and making sure my band is ready.

DK: One of your early songs, “Take It Slow,” went viral. Was that your first big break in the music business?

Here’s the video of Hudson Westbrook’s song, “Mine Tomorrow.”

Westbrook: Yes, that was my first song. Me and my band got together in the garage in Lubbock and we had practiced the song together. And then I was like, “You know what guys, let’s go record it. I don’t know what this will turn into but I’m gonna rent out the studio.” We ended up going to record it and my fiddle player was taking videos of me the whole time. And I was like, “Why are you taking videos of me?” Then I posted it and I woke up and it had two million view. So yeah, “Take It Slow” was the first viral moment.

DK: You’ve signed with the label, River House Artists. How did you decide to sign with them?

Westbrook: When I was doing the marketing on “Take It Slow” and things were blowing up, I was talking to another artist Grant Gilbert, who’s at River House. He reached out and was like, “Hey man, if you need any help, let me know.” Then he got me in touch with Zebb Luster, who is now my A&R point person. Zebb was like, “Get a professional camera and take videos, and interact with the fans online. And for about two months he was helping me out with no pressure. So it felt like a great place to be.

DK: In November you released your debut EP. Can you talk about the making of the EP?

Westbrook: It was last June that we started making the EP and writing songs, and the biggest song on the EP was “House Again.” The EP was really special because I felt like it captured my sound for the next year or two in one project. There’s a lot of diversity sonically in the tracks too, and the topics are totally different. I feel like we did a good job of capturing everyday American life in one EP.

DK: I like your song “House Again” which is a hit on the charts. What inspired you to write this song?

Westbrook: When I was growing up, my parents got a divorce, and I remember having the idea of, there’s something that changes once you get a divorce or when someone leaves. And I was like…a house is the perfect thing. So we walked in and I said, “House Again,” and we started writing towards it. And it was the idea of everything that makes something more like literally home. It’s the picture frames, it’s the memories. It’s the couch you laid on, it’s the food you ate. It’s the Christmas lights you put on. It’s all the little things that you did with the one that you loved. I feel like we captured all that. And whenever someone leaves, it’s all gone. So I experienced that as a child when my parents divorced. I didn’t understand it at the time, being like seven years old. But now looking back, it’s been cool to write a song about it that millions of people could relate to. It’s been life-changing for sure.

Here’s the video of Hudson Westbrook’s song, “5 to 9.”

DK: I also like your song “5 to 9,” which is a clever take on the working 9 to 5 theme. How did you come up with the idea for “5 to 9”?

Westbrook: “5 to 9” really fell on accident. We were writing, and my producer Lukas Scott asked me, “What did your normal day look like in high school? And I was like, “Well, I’d wake up and I’d go to work during the summers and then once I got off, I would hang out with my girlfriend, or I’d hang out with my mom or my sister. And we were like, “There’s something really cool in the fact that you’re only living after 5 pm. So it started off with, “The sun comes up, I’m leaving till it goes back down,” and then that chorus being about treating the ladies right and treating your girlfriend right and taking her out to dinner. And I feel like everyone’s working for someone else and someone’s trying to provide for another person in their life, and they always have them in mind no matter what or where they are. So I thought that that was the perfect time to capture that and we had “living from 9 to 5.” Then I remember we went and ate dinner and came back and we were like, We’re only living from 5 to 9″ and it clicked in our head. And honestly, I was surprised no one’s come up with that idea yet.

DK: On your EP, besides “House Again” and “5 to 9,” what are your favorite songs?

Westbrook: I think my favorite song on the whole EP would be “Take Your Time,” and then “Pray Your Name” would be the next favorite. With “Take Your Time,” I like how the whole song came together. It was a little more bluesy and different than anything I’ve done yet. I love the idea of…while I’ve been on tour and while so much has changed, I’ve had the ability to notice how important time is, and how much time has taken up on my career. And “Take Your Time” embodies any time I’m with someone or any time I’m in a situation with my family. I’ve just learned to give all my time to them, and to make the extra effort while I’m with them to be mentally there and present, and hang out with them and talk to them as much as I can. Because it’s so important to hold on to the constants in your life, which is exactly why I wrote “Pray Your Name” as well. It was like…from every place in the world that I’m going, the one thing that you can do is hold on to the people in your life that are constant and the people in your life that are always there, and that’s your family, your girlfriend and your friends. And no matter how far you’re going, how far you’re traveling, how tired you are, they’ll always be there for a phone call, so don’t forget about that.

Here’s the video of Hudson Westbrook’s song, “Pray Your Name.”

DK: You’ve just released a new song, “Mine Tomorrow.” Can you talk about this song?

Westbrook: There’s a movie called The Day After Tomorrow, and it’s the idea that the whole world’s ending and there’s nothing that they can do about it. And I was like…Well, what if you love someone after the whole world ended, and I thought about it on my way to my writing session. I thought about it, like all my todays belong to you. It’s the idea of you never really saw forever in a person, but now you see until you die with a person, and I feel like it’s a perfect wedding song. I’ve put out a lot of love songs, but this one’s a lot slower and more first-dance material. My favorite part about the song is the melody, and the melody encaptures and fits the tag and the hook. I think it’s probably one of my favorite songs that I’ve put out.

DK: You’ve recently launched a new concert tour as a headliner, and many shows have already sold out. Can you talk about your live show and tour?

Westbrook: Touring is my favorite aspect, along with writing songs. I love walking out of the writing room with a song that never existed before. And then I’m lucky to get to go out and play it in front of thousands of people and meet all the fans. I don’t ever want the live show to sound like the record. I don’t want my live show to sound anything like my my album or EP or singles do. I want it to be an experience that you can only get when you come to the live show.