Simon RushworthTyler Braden is preparing to drop one of the most hotly anticipated country albums of 2025. Rushonrock editor Simon Rushworth spoke exclusively to the firefighter turned hitmaker.
Rushonrock: You’re one of Music City’s rising stars but how did you rock up in Nashville?
Tyler Braden: I’ve been there for eight years now — a pretty long time. But before that I was in Alabama, about four and a half hours south of Nashville. I was working in the fire service but as music became a bigger part of my life I was able to get a transfer, move up to a city nearer Nashville and work from there.
Rushonrock: Was music always on the cards as a career choice?
TB: It wasn’t always, no. I did play in a lot of bands and play acoustic stuff and all of that but it was never a thought that it could become a career. Then I had some friends make the move to Nashville with relative success and at the time that felt necessary. It’s a little bit different now with social media because you can be seen and heard from almost anywhere. But even back then it felt necessary to make a physical move. When I first thought of it, I had friends who were like ‘hey man, you need to be close’. And so I thought I’ll see what I can do. Luckily, I found some cities that were hiring in the fire service at the time.
Rushonrock: So how challenging was it juggling fighting fires with writing songs?
TB: A little bit. But the scheduling that we worked for Brentwood Fire in Tennessee made it easier. It was two days on and then four days off. So, being off four days made things a lot easier when it came to playing shows, going to meetings, taking part in writing sessions and all this stuff. It was probably easier combining music with the fire service than it would have been working some other job.
Rushonrock: When you started working at Brentwood were the other guys aware that music was your thing?
TB: They knew that I was a musician but nobody knew at the time how much I would pursue trying to make it a full-time career. They probably get that all the time, being that close to Nashville — guys coming through and trying to break into the music business. But after I’d been there a couple of years they realised how serious I was and they were very supportive. Those guys still come to shows now.
Rushonrock: How grounding is it working for the fire service?
TB: It definitely helps with levelling out your emotions. And I always joke — it’s not really a joke — that you learn to really live with people. At the fire service we were together for 48 hours straight. Now I’m on the road non-stop with the same people and I’ve already learned to live that life.
Rushonrock: Can anything prepare you for frontline firefighting?
TB: Well, you learn to appreciate the good times. You see some crazy stuff in that job and it’s kind of good not to have to deal with that anymore. My wife, for sure, is glad that I’m not in the fire service anymore. Nothing affected me too bad: there are parts that you miss but there are parts that you definitely don’t miss.
Rushonrock: As an artist whose career has been boosted by social media where do you stand on its influence?
TB: It’s almost like a necessary evil but it’s definitely helpful. It makes promoting your music and getting out there in front of different audiences a lot more accessible than it ever was before. On the other hand it’s just an extra thing that you have to worry about on top of actually being creative. And it’s another type of creativity that you kind of have to learn that may not come natural to a lot of people. It’s different for sure.
Rushonrock: Were you resistant to social media at the outset?
TB: I don’t know if ‘resistant’ would be the right word. I just wasn’t very good at it. And I’m probably still not. Luckily, my wife helps me to create content. We’ve got teams that kind help us schedule stuff and we try to keep on top of it. But I don’t naturally do social media very well.
Rushonrock: How can you make social media work for you without impacting on your creativity?
TB: I’d say just be yourself and find those little things that are unique to you. Finding the things that are part of your journey and part of your growth double up as good content while teaching people who you really are. Then again just being yourself is probably the hardest part of social media because you’re trying to follow trends and things a lot of the time. If you can do that and you can find the content that you’re comfortable with and that is actually you then it probably would become second nature. I’m still learning!
Rushonrock: What are you most comfortable with?
TB: Mostly playing covers and doing actual singing! I really don’t mind doing the music video style stuff because it helps to share the audio of a song so it can spread. The easiest thing for me is playing the music. That’s when you’ll see me most comfortable.
Rushonrock: You’re a big advocate for discussing men’s mental health and 2024 single Call Me First kickstarted an important conversation…
TB: It’s not the norm to talk about your mental struggles and your mental health, especially if you’re a guy. It’s still not normal to just bring it up with your friends. And the song is about how it should be, how you should be able to tell your friends and how you’ve always got someone to talk to. You’re supposed to be tough or be a man — quote unquote — and I think that’s kind of crazy. You should be able to talk about who you really are and how you really feel.
Rushonrock: Did you always have people to talk to growing up?
TB: I always had people to talk to. But even when you know that you have someone, it’s not always easy to talk. That’s why I think it’s important to let your friends know that they do have someone even if they don’t need them right there and then. That way there’s no need to feel uncertain or unsure if and when the time comes to talk. I’ve had a lot of positive comments on the back of Call Me First — including some retrospective comments from people saying they wish they’d have done that in the past with someone, which is tough. But if it helps to set an example and to show people how important it is to talk before it’s too late then I’ve done my job.
Rushonrock: Earlier this year you hit the road in the UK with Brothers Osborne — how was that?
TB: It was a year ago when we got the offer for that tour. I remember we were playing a show in Chicago and my manager was on his phone checking emails. He said there was a chance to play with Brothers Osborne in the New Year but we had 24 hours to make a decision. Nobody knew how we were going to do it but we knew we’d figure it out. We said yes and I’m so glad we did.
Rushonrock: Can you sum up the experience?
TB: The UK cities are beautiful. It’s cool to get to see more of the smaller cities — not just the big ones that you hear about all the time. We saw things we’d never seen before and managed to do the tourist thing when we had off days — obviously trying to avoid the rain! It was great. Some of the guys had their girlfriends and wives with them for a few days and everyone loved their time in the UK. Plus, I’d never had chance to see the Brothers’ live show until we played over there — we caught bits and pieces of their set every night.
Rushonrock: When you look at how far Brothers Osborne have come in the UK does it give you encouragement that you can do the same?
TB: Absolutely. Getting to see how into them the crowds were, was a real eye-opener. It was really, really cool. We’re hoping to come back as soon as we can and do our own headlining thing. To build up to the Brothers’ level one day is the dream for sure.
Rushonrock: What’s your take on the UK’s country music scene?
TB: From what I see and I hear it’s growing really fast. I think that’s partly down to the newer sound of country being more relatable, more raw and less polished. I think that’s just easier for the average person to relate to. I think that’s really cool. And the UK crowd is very appreciative of it. They want to hear what you have to say and they want to hear what the songs have to say. Some cities are, I guess, a little rowdier than others. Some seem to be more of a listening crowd. It depends on what night you’re playing.
devil and a prayer, by Tyler Braden, is released on May 16 by Warner Music Nashville
Images by Marisa Taylor