oday, the New Braunfels, TX-based singer/songwriter Mason Lively released his new single “Something ‘Bout A Southern Girl,” which Wide Open Country called “…a sweeping ode to free-spirited, strong-willed southern women.”
Listen to “Something ‘Bout A Southern Girl” via YouTube:
https://youtu.be/q4Jxp3WE6Eo
“After all the songs I have had a part in writing, I would consider this one of my absolute favorites,” says Lively. “‘Something ‘Bout A Southern Girl” started out as only half a chorus and a verse, yet I didn’t really like what I had written. Then, I had the opportunity to schedule a co-write with Wade Bowen. To make matters even more nerve-racking, he decided to call up Drew Kennedy (one of the finest songwriters in Texas in my opinion) and ask him to write with us that day. So I decided to throw the pieces of ‘Southern Girl’ that I had at them like, ‘Well, here’s something I guess.’ To my surprise, they loved it! The three of us finished writing the song within an hour.”
Lively is currently based in New Braunfels, TX but grew up outside Victoria in Inez, TX with family steeping him in musical influences. As a child he would listen to artists like Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Ray Price, and while also being influenced by blues and classic rock, Mason started to take interest and study the songwriting of artists from his home state’s music scene like Robert Earl Keen, Pat Green, Hayes Carll, and many more. He started playing guitar at age fourteen, and claims that song-writing “sort of snuck up on him” not long after that. By the age of sixteen he was already finding his way into the studio, discovering his own unique style for his first recording sessions.
Lively’s 2018 debut album Stronger Ties, which he released at the age of 20, has amassed hundreds of thousands of streams, and has led Lively to tours with the likes of Brothers Osborne, Jordan Davis, and Jon Pardi. Elmore Mag described Lively’s debut album as “…a buffet-style feast of 10 original songs. From heavy guitar licks to blues to alt-country, Lively hits all his marks,” and The Daily Country called him “..an old musical soul who crafts songs like a seasoned veteran,” going on to describe his album as “a sonically diverse yet cohesive and balanced record that shines a light on Lively’s songwriting and diverse influences.”
After writing Stronger Ties entirely on his own, Lively was excited to work with Wade Bowen and Drew Kennedy on “Something ‘Bout A Southern Girl.” Speaking to how he got Bowen to produce the track, Lively said:
“Around the time I started heavily writing again to record a batch of new songs; we were on the road with Wade Bowen. After a show one night, he kindly invited us on the bus where he started the conversation about songwriting. When I told him I wanted to start recording some of my new stuff, he replied ‘What you need is a good producer! Someone to steer the ship in the studio, and tell you which of your songs suck and which ones don’t!’ So after the advice was repeated a time or two more in similar fashion, I said ‘Well, do you wanna do it?’ And to my surprise he said yes. Sometimes, you just gotta knock and the door will open.”
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