Rising Artist Maddox Batson Is Striking A Chord With Country Music’s Younger Fans

Maddox Batson may be relatively new to the country music scene, but he’s already made a strong connection, especially with the genre’s younger fans. His music videos have gone viral and he’s selling out shows across country before he even heading out on his headline tour.

Videos from his songs “I Don’t Like You Anymore,” “X’s,” and “Southbound” have pulled in anywhere from three to 11 million views each on YouTube with the numbers still climbing. And his latest video “Green Dress” is on track to do the same.

Those songs and several more, are featured on his just released EP First Dance.

It’s not only his lyrics and relatable subject matter that’s captured the hearts of young fans, it’s his engaging, high-energy personality that shines through every live performance, music video, and interaction with everyone he meets.

At 15-years old, Maddox has recently celebrated a number of career “firsts,” including his debut appearance Wednesday night – on the coveted stage of the Grand Ole Opry.

“It was the coolest thing ever,” he told host Charlie Mattos after his performance. “Growing up in the country music space, growing up knowing the prestige of the Grand Ole Opry and actually coming out here to play, it means the world to me.”

Batson, a Nashville native who moved to Alabama as a child, got an introduction to music at an early age.

“My dad grew up playing music with his family in kind of a bluegrass band and he passed it onto me,” he says. “I grew up playing in church and all that kind of stuff.”

Growing up, he also had a strong interest in sports, especially the game of basketball. It took a lot of his time and focus, until he was diagnosed with a knee disease that made it very clear, his future was elsewhere.

Two years ago, when he was 13, he and his dad started playing music together and posting videos of Maddox covering songs from his favorite artists like Zach Bryan and Sam Barber. He began getting a lot of views, especially once he started blending a bit of his personality with the music.

“I was just doing covers in my living room and kitchen and filming that,” he says. “I got some traction, but got a lot more when I would mix in my personality and do lifestyle videos or like a ‘get-ready-with-me video every now and then. I feel like if you can mix between the artistry and personality a bit, you can see success 100 percent.”

It runs a little deeper, though, than just playing songs and and posting them on social media. Maddox and his dad did an acoustic mini-tour in Texas where Maddox got the experience of playing for a live audience. And he took a deep dive into learning the craft of songwriting. He’s a co-writer on each of the seven songs on his new EP.

“My dad has been a songwriter his entire life, so I kind of got that gene passed down to me. I’ve been writing songs for a long time, and I feel like that’s one of the most important aspects of what I do.”

He admits that while he might not have a lot of life experience yet in terms of crafting songs, he draws inspiration from what most boys his age tend to think about which is girls.

His new song “Green Dress” is a perfect example.

“It’s based off a true story. I met this girl at a show and never asked her name,” Maddox explains. “I don’t know why, I guess my mind blanked when I met her. I didn’t ask her name or where she’s from, I didn’t get any information. So, me and my team were literally on a scavenger hunt to find her for, I don’t know, a couple of weeks.”

In the middle of the search, he decided to write a song about it. And eventually, he did find her.

“Her mom reached out via email, and we connected a little bit, nothing crazy,” he says. “I just let her know the song was about her and I appreciate the creative spark.”

Other previously unreleased songs on First Dance include “Problem,” “God Talking,” and “It Was You.”

“It Was You” is one of my favorite songs,” Maddox. “I do a lot of fast, upbeat songs like you would expect from me, but this kind of slows it down a little bit, like an actual love song. It’s my favorite to sing live.”

He’s gearing up to do a lot of live shows in the months to come. Later this year, he’ll join country superstar Lainey Wilson for seven shows on her current tour, but this weekend, he kicks off a sold-out, headline tour of his own.

“It’s my first headline tour, so I’m really excited. You only get one first tour. I’m also excited about playing a lot of festivals this year.”

He’ll play Stagecoach and he’ll also headline this year’s Maryland State Fair. It’s a big honor with an impressive list of previous, very successful, artists who’ve served as headliners.

“People like Justin Bieber, Usher, Justin Timberlake…A lot of people have headlined it, and this year I get to, which is pretty cool.”

It looks to be an amazing year ahead for the young singer/songwriter and he says ready for it. And as he promotes the new EP, he’s already looking ahead to what comes next.

“Writing more songs, putting out more music, and maybe releasing an album. There’s a lot of different stuff. It’s going to be very cool.”