Tucker Wetmore isn’t just experiencing a moment of stardom, he's doing so with utmost authenticity. The emerging country sensation recently became the first artist in the genre to chart independently since Oliver Anthony. His debut album, "Wine Into Whiskey," has a twang that is beyond memorable. Wetmore has a promising future, and I'm eagerly anticipating what he has in store. Get to know Tucker Wetmore below:

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Before we talk about the momentum, take me through what got you into music. I know you played football in college. What was the journey?

I played football at Montana right after high school. I ended up breaking my leg for a third time and moved back home. I was pretty lost and didn’t know what I was doing with my life. I told my mom that, and she was like, “Why don’t you just go sit in front of your piano or go pick up your guitar.” I sat down and wrote my first song that night. It was a terrible song, but I wrote it. I just started writing a bunch by myself and I was like, “Hey mom, I want to do this.” I then moved to Nashville. 

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Were you always playing piano and into music? 

I started playing piano when I was 11-years-old and picked up guitar and learned some chords. I am not a guitarist by any means. I sat down with the piano and couldn’t get away from it.

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Who did you grow up listening to? Who shaped your sound coming up?

I grew up listening to a lot of reggae at a young age. Some heavy metal and soul music. When I was learning piano, I listened to a lot of Billy Joel. I learned a lot of Beethoven of course. I didn’t take lessons or anything, and I was completely self taught. 

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What was it like moving to Nashville and being in the mecca of country music?

When I first moved to Nashville, I didn’t know anybody. I didn’t know anything. I had a handful of songs to my name. They were terrible songs, but I had them. I just moved here and mingled with a few people at bars, and luckily met a solid group of friends. Not even music, just friends. I didn’t know anything, but by the grace of God, I posted some videos of me, and my manager saw the video and believed in me. It was off to the races from there.

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What was the moment where it clicked and you realized you could take it from terrible songs to the success you have had now and a full scale career?

It wasn’t really a set moment. It was just a lot of grinding hours. It was every single day of waking up and writing a song or two. It is just like anything else. It is like throwing a baseball. You have to throw it 100,000 times to be great. 

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Here you are now charting on Billboard. How are you taking in this success with “Wine Into Whiskey?” Have you processed any of it yet?

Not really. I am a small town kid. I don’t know much about the outside world. I do now, but I didn’t before. It’s a lot for sure, but I feel very blessed. I wake up every morning, and I get to do what I love. My mom worked in a steel mill for 13-15 years. She didn’t get to wake up and do what she loves. She did it to feed me and put a roof over my sister and I’s heads. I am very blessed and she tells me that all of the time. She is so proud of me. I wake up and do what I love, and I can’t complain at all. 

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How has your mom taken all of this success in? 

She is ecstatic. She calls me every five minutes like, “What’s new?” She is very supportive and she has been. Her and my best friend are the two that are like, “I believe you 110 percent.” I can’t ask for a better circle of people. 

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“Wine Into Whiskey” is a huge moment for you. What went into the creation of the track and how much does it mean to you?

I remember the day like it was yesterday. I wrote it with two of my best friends in the entire world – Jacob Hackworth and Justin Ebach. They are two super great guys. We walked into the room that day and didn’t have an idea at all. It was my birthday the day before so me and Jacob were hanging out that night beforehand and did birthday activities. He pops up the next day four to five minutes in, and he’s like, “Dude I’m pretty hung over right now.”  Nothing was sticking and sounding good. Ebach randomly goes, “What about wine into whiskey?” I was like, “Dope.” Jacob was like, “You couldn’t have said that sooner.” After that we wrote it pretty fast. We didn’t have much direction, we just put words on paper. The song is a moment for someone from the outside to self-reflect and say, “Maybe I do need some changing and self-reflection.” If someone can get anything out of it from a male’s perspective, it is “born to admit.”

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How does it feel that the music you are putting out and the visuals you have with it is resonating with so many people? 

It is the only reason I do it. Aside from me loving what I do, it is the only reason why I am so comfortable sharing it. I know what music has done for me in my life. It has gotten me through some of the toughest places I have ever been in. It has helped me feel like I was talking to someone when I didn’t really know how to. If I can release music and help one person here, and it changes their hour, day, or year, that is enough for me.

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How excited are you to perform this music and actually have that in-person interaction with your fans? 

I am fired up. I am so excited. I feel like it’s going to be crazier than I’m expecting, but I can’t wait. My team said I’m going to fit in so well on the road. It’s going to be the best time of my life, and I can’t wait.

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What city are you most excited to see?

I am from Washington state so I have to say that Seattle and Portland run. I have a bunch of family and friends coming out to those. The last run of the tour is in Florida — Fort Myers Florida. I have a bunch of family flying out for that. It’s going to be awesome.

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You have “Wind Up Missin’ You” dropping. How excited are you for that one?

We are really excited about that one. That one is doing arguably better on social media than “Wine Into Whiskey” was. To have those two songs back to back is entirely God. I am just the vessel, and I am blessed to be the vessel to share these moments and songs.

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What is your ultimate goal with music?

I want to take it all the way. I want to be playing arenas. I want to be happy doing it. That’s my main goal. That should be everyone’s main goal — to be happy doing it. 

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Final question — what do you want your legacy to be?

When I think of legacy, I think of people like Cody Johnson. People like him don’t have a bad reputation. Everyone has their past obviously, but people run into them and think they are genuine. Character is a big thing for me and that is my main goal. Music is awesome, but if you aren’t a good person, you aren’t outstanding at all. 

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