Tucker Wetmore Interview - Wind Up Missin You, Writing Songs

Country singer/songwriter Tucker Wetmore has gone from a wannabe to a breakout major label artist in only four years, notching an impressive array of achievements in just the last few months. Originally, the Kalama, WA small-town native had high hopes of football stardom, but his Friday night lights went dim when an injury changed his career projection. Wetmore says God had a different plan for his life, one that he’s excited about as well as his faithful followers.

Wetmore first caught the attention of Kameron Marlowe and his fans on Marlowe’s Strangers Tour earlier this year. “He’s the first guy to really take me under his wing and help me out,” Wetmore says. “I didn’t have any songs out. He just wanted me to be out on the tour. He would always help me out and give me advice or something as simple as asking, ‘Hey, how are you holding up? I know it’s kind of a rocky ship right now, but are you still strapped on? Yeah, 100% percent!’”

Tucker credits his spot on the tour for propelling the success of his debut singles, “Wine Into Whiskey” and “Wind Up Missin’ You” that garnered more than 400 million global streams in under six months. The two tracks were each RIAA-certified gold, a surprise to Wetmore who was presented the awards at his first time performance on the Grand Ole Opry in September.

“The Opry was one of the most special moments of my career. My whole family was there and my friends were there. They were all crying and sobbing. I played a song [“What Not To”] that was super close to home that nobody’s ever heard before. Then, they came out with two gold plaques for “Wind Up” and “Whiskey.” It was emotional and overwhelming but exciting.”

“Wind Up Missin’ You” has climbed to #11 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, and it’s still moving up. Wetmore wrote this song with Thomas Archer & Chris LaCorte.

“I remember writing the song like it was yesterday. It was a sunny day, and I had just written “Wine Into Whiskey” the Monday before, and then ‘Wind Up” on Thursday. It was my birthday week. Me and the writers were pretty hyped up about “Wine into Whiskey” because we had a good feeling about that one. So, I walked into the room…I go, ‘I just wrote this pretty serious song. I want to write something fun today.’ I was going through a couple of things during the time too, so I needed a pick-me-up.”

Here’s the video of Tucker Wetmore’s hit, “Wind Up Missin’ You.”

“We sat there, laughing and goofing off, then Thomas Archer goes, ‘I’ve got this idea called Wind Up Missin’ You.’ I was like, ‘What does that mean?’ He goes, ‘I don’t know.’ I was like, ‘It could be cool.’ And then LeCorte started playing that riff. I started freestyling the chorus. They’re like, ‘What does that mean? What is a wave on a sunset?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know, but it’s cool.’ Usually, it’s the sunset hitting the waves, but that’s what’s cool about music. It doesn’t have to make sense totally to make you feel something.” (Waves on a Sunset became the title of Wetmore’s recently released 8-song EP).

“This is my first hello to the world,” Wetmore says. “This is who I am, but it’s only scratching the surface because I’ve got so much more to say. I can only do so much in eight songs, but I’m excited.”

“I’m very proud of all the songs for sure. It was just me and a bunch of buddies making music, and that’s what I wanted it to be. I rented out a lake house for a couple of these songs on a project that’s down the road, but it was one of those things where we hung out. We love to write songs, and that’s what we did. We’ve put them out now. I’ve been waiting for this moment for years.”

Tucker became heavily involved in the music scene in his church where his grandfather preached.

“That was my first experience with music being in the church and seeing my grandma sitting next to me and screaming, hollering, shouting [Hallelujah!] and stuff like that and seeing my grandpa up there preaching and doing the same thing,” Tucker remembers. “Everybody was chiming in and singing these hymns. But what really made me get into music was sitting down at the piano at a young age and putting my emotions into the keys.”

Wetmore also developed a love for sports, becoming a star athlete with four state championships during his senior year and setting state records in football, pole vaulting, and track. Upon graduation, Tucker played college football at Montana Tech with his sights set on playing professionally. Unfortunately, an injury killed those plans, and he quit college.

Here’s the video of Tucker Wetmore’s hit, “Wine Into Whiskey.”

“I saw my mom after I dropped out, and when the leg was in a cast,” Wetmore said. “I was working at a coffee shop slinging drinks every morning. I was like, ‘Mom, I’m lost. I don’t know what I’m doing. She goes, ‘Have you prayed about it? Yeah, I’ve been on my knees every night praying about it. I need guidance.’ She was like, ‘Have you sat in front of your piano or picked up your guitar? That was your therapy back then. When’s the last time you’ve done that?’ I said, ‘It’s probably been two years since I touched an instrument, and this is when I was like 18, 19.”

That night after the conversation, he took his mom’s advice.

“I was home alone. I sat down at the piano and picked up my guitar, and I wrote my first song ever. It was a terrible song! But it was a song. From then on, I wrote every day and sometimes even two songs a day just by myself too for probably 9, 10 months.”

The next call he told his mom he was moving to Nashville. That was in 2020 and within 3 years he had signed a publishing deal with Back Blocks Music. In June he inked a label deal with UMG Nashville in partnership with BBM. All of his success has thrilled Tucker’s mom to no end.

“Every time I talk to her, she cries. She’s just so happy and excited. Maybe a little too much at times. I’ll be like, ‘Calm down. You’ve got to act cool right now.’ But she’s so excited, and she’s never doubted me, not even a sliver of doubt. It’s always been go do it! You have these dreams, you have these aspirations, whether it’s football, music, or whatever I brought her. Go jump in the deep end shark swimming. If you can’t, I’ll pull you out. She’s an angel!”

Besides his mom, Tucker has the backing of country star Jelly Roll. “Jelly Roll is another person that reaches out to me and says, “Hey, man. How are you doing? Just wanted to let you know I love you, and I’m thinking about you. If you ever need anything, just holler at me.’ That’s the coolest thing in the world, Jelly Roll texting me. But it’s genuine. It’s a cool feeling to be like I’m part of you, that’s bigger than themselves. It’s what I’ve always wanted.”

Here’s the video of Tucker Wetmore’s song, “What Would You Do?”

After his support slot on Luke Bryan’s Farm Tour this year, Tucker is setting his sights on touring with Thomas Rhett in 2025.

“Not only is that a great honor, but he’s trusting me with his show. It’s very exciting; it’s a little nerve-wracking, but I know that my boys are gonna get the job done, and we’re gonna have so much fun. Thomas Rhett is such a great dude. My plan for that whole tour is just be a sponge, learn as much as I can.”

For now, Tucker is showcasing the new music from Waves on a Sunset on his first-ever headlining tour. “It’s going to be big. It’s going to be awesome. It’s just been me and my buddies playing music on stage, but now we’re putting production behind it. We want to make it a show that people want to come back to. We want people to say that was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.”

Bill Conger is a freelance writer for various publications including Bluegrass Unlimited, ParentLife, Homecoming, and Singing News and is currently writing a biography on The Osborne Brothers with Bobby Osborne. He can be reached at [email protected].