Mason Ramsey became a country music sensation at a remarkably young age. Raised in a small town in Illinois, Mason’s passion for music was evident from his early years. He was drawn to the sounds of classic country artists, inspiring his own musical journey.
Mason’s rise to fame began in 2018 at just 11 years of age when a video of him yodelling Hank Williams’ ‘Lovesick Blues’ in a Walmart store in Harrisburg, Illinois, went viral on the internet. The video captured the hearts of millions, showcasing Mason’s exceptional yodelling skills and genuine love for traditional country music. The clip not only made him an overnight sensation but also earned him the nickname “Walmart Boy.”
His newfound popularity led him to various television appearances, including “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” where he showcased his talent to a global audience. Capitalising on his viral fame, Mason Ramsey released his debut single, ‘Famous,’ in April 2018. The song, which he co-wrote, captured the whirlwind of his sudden celebrity status. Its catchy melody and relatable lyrics resonated with listeners, propelling the young artist further into the spotlight.
In addition to his solo endeavours, Mason Ramsey collaborated with renowned artists and producers within the country music industry. His collaboration with Florida Georgia Line on the song ‘The Long Way’ showcased his ability to harmonize with established musicians whilst a guest appearance on the remixed version of ‘Old Town Road’ put him in the spotlight even further alongside Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus. An EP, ‘Twang’ came in 2019 but since then Ramsey has been quiet, for a number of different reasons that we explore in the interview below. He’s back, now, with new EP ‘Falls Into Place’, containing 5 tracks, 4 of which he co-wrote. We were thrilled to grab 15 minutes of his time to talk all about it and his career to date.
Thanks for your time today, Mason, I know you’re busy up in New York preparing for the EP release and the launch show. Why New York as a venue for the EP launch show?
I’ve been wanting to get back here and play a show for a long time now. It’s been nearly four years since I was here last. There’s nothing better than the ‘city that never sleeps’ when you are looking to celebrate something! A lot of my fans don’t live in Nashville or down that way so this gives people who live in the likes of Philadelphia and other cities the chance to be involved in the show.
The EP is called ‘Falls into Place.’ Tell me about the significance of that as the title for the project and the song it was named after.
The song and the title kinda describes how I feel about my life right now. It’s been a strange few years for everyone out there in terms of the pandemic and everything that has been weighing us down and I kinda feel like, for me, at least, this is now the time to move on and re-emerge. It feels like everything is just ‘falling into place’ right now.
You co-wrote four of the five songs on the EP. How important was that to you?
Pretty important! (laughing) This is my third EP now and I’ve been lucky to work with some great writers who’ve helped me to develop and get better myself. I feel like these songs are truly my songs and are what I want to say right now. They are about the experiences I’ve had in my life and things that have directly happened to me.
That must make ‘She’s Got it Outta Me’ really special because that is the one song you didn’t co-write. What appealed to you about that song when you first heard it?
I really like the beat of that song and the lyrics are cool too. I really connected with the ‘Now we’re starin’ at the ceilin’, talkin’ ’bout feelings, I never thought I’d be like this, I mean I never even met her uncle Bill from ‘Bama but now I’m buyin’ him a Christmas gift’ line, it felt like an emotional and an experience that I could understand and relate to.
Will you be playing all the five songs at the showcase show?
Yes, we’re gonna do all five songs at the very beginning of the set so that we highlight the EP first then we’ll play some older ones and some covers. We’ll play songs like ‘BeforeI Knew it,’ ‘How Could I Not’ and we have to do ‘Lovesick Blues’, right? (laughing)
‘Next Right Thing’ is a funky little number that must be fun to play live? I really liked the 50s vibe of the video too. Tell me about writing that one.
That one was fun, for sure! My Aunt always tells me to do the ‘next right thing,’ and so I’ve had that as title for while now. I’ve been working on my guitar playing and we’ve managed to combine the two on that song!
Do you have a favourite song on the EP or is that an impossible choice?
It would probably be a tie between ‘Next Right Thing’ and ‘Falls into Place’. Both songs are really fun to play live but I love the meaning and the lyrics to both songs. They both just sound so great.
Talking of live, I saw you play the Opry back in 2019 when you came out and song ‘Old Town Road’ with Billy Ray Cyrus. Tell me about your involvement in that song and what it was like?
Writing the lines to put into the remix and playing the Opry was so cool. Very special. I remember it was kinda late at night at the time and I was going to bed when the phone rang and we were told to get down into the studio as quick as we could! (laughing)
We drove down to the studio and did the song and they pretty much had it ready and turned around to go the next day! We loved it and it was a really special thing to be a part of.
After the ‘Walmart Yodel Video’ and then this, it must have felt like a double whammy of attention and fame! You’re playing the Opry again on the 28th October alongside Lauren Alaina and Bill Anderson. Do you get nervous playing the Opry or not so much anymore?
I do feel like I am going to be a little bit nervous going back there as I haven’t been in a while. If something is not consistent you can sometimes get out of the habit or the swing of it and playing the Opry is certainly in that category. I can get ‘in my head’ a little about these things and so I will be a little nervous, for sure.
I’m playing two songs so far although that might change. It’s probably going to be ‘Reasons to Come Home,’ which seems like a very appropriate song to play off the new EP and then ‘Lovesick Blues’, which also makes sense.
You’ve mentioned it’s been a while since you played the Opry. You’ve had a break from Nashville since the release of ‘Twang’ in 2019. Obviously there was the pandemic but can you tell us what sort of things you’ve been getting up to in the last four years?
Well, my voice has been changing quite a bit as I’ve got older and so we needed to wait and see where that landed. I’ve been practising guitar and developing my song writing skills too. I’m a better guitarist and songwriter now than I was four years ago – I feel like the break gave me the opportunity to develop those and just grow up a little and have some normal life experiences.
Do you have any particular guitarists, either in or out of Country music that are your heroes?
Angus Young from AC/DC for sure! He’s an amazing guitar player.
When you look back on the ‘Walmart Yodel’ video now, does it seem like that happened to a different person or is it still fairly fresh in your memory?
I mean, the memories of doing it and what happened are still there but whenever I do go back and watch the video it does feel like I am watching a different person now! (laughing) I don’t look like that person anymore or sound like him either! (laughing) It does feel a little weird watching myself at that younger age. I can almost feel where those notes that I hit used to be in my vocals but I just can’t hit them anymore, my voice has a different pitch now.
Was there a little worry and angst in terms of how your voice has changed or have you just rolled with the punches and accepted it?
I kinda just had to roll with it, right? There’s not a lot you can do about it. I did lose my yodel at one point but I’ve got it back again now! (laughing) Now I’m just practising it and making it stronger.
People Magazine recently billed you, still, as ‘Yodel Sensation……….’ does that irritate you? Would you like to move past that or are you owning and embracing that part of your career and history?
I mean, I get it. It is part of who I was. I would like to move on, now, though and for people to accept me for who I am now and not who I was. I’ll still yodel every and then, I guess, but the whole ‘yodelling’ thing was part of my earlier days and I’m growing up now and trying to show a different style and side of myself that doesn’t really suit who I was.
What’s the plans for the rest of 2023 and into 2024?
We are planning on shows and tours to get this music out to as many people as possible. We’re also looking at a Spring tour, maybe from January, and we’re aiming to go overseas and play Europe in the Spring too, which will be amazing.
I’m hoping to have some more new music out in January too, maybe an EP, maybe an album, I’m not sure on that right now. I’ve been in the studio writing quite a but lately so it will be great to get some of these new songs out too. I guess I need to sort out my passport, I’ve never been overseas before!
Check out Mason Ramsey’s ‘Falls Into Place’ EP which is out right now.
This article contains an affiliate link. Purchases through this link may result in us earning a commission.
