HERRIMAN, Utah, Dec. 8, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Country music singer Jackson Hartley is making a comeback, of sorts, even though, he’s only 22.
“It’s kind of a funny story,” he told Gephardt Daily a few days before his Monday night acoustic concert, set for 7 p.m. at the Redemption Bar & Grill, in Herriman.
“So my older brother, Cole Hartley, is actually a country artist, and he’s played Redemption a couple of times, and he’s played all sorts of state fairs and all that. And I grew up playing guitar and doing talent shows.
“But when I was about 14, I was doing a little talent show at Alpine Days, and I forgot the words to a song halfway through, froze up, and walked off the stage.
“So I didn’t touch a stage for about seven years, And then my brother was playing all these shows, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s cool.’ So I decided to conquer my fear of being on stage.”
It took some time and practice, but over the past year or so of performing as many gigs as he could get, the Alpine resident’s confidence has returned.
“It’s there,” Hartley said. “I don’t get nervous anymore. When I get onstage, I feel more alive than scared. It’s awesome.”
And what would he do if he did happen to forget the words?
“I’ve learned at that point where I forget the words, I just keep playing,” Hartley said. “I either will jump into a chorus and keep going, or go, ‘Well, I’m messed up. I’m gonna redo that verse or whatever,’ and I just pick it right back up. I don’t stop anymore. I do it like the pros do.”
Hartley likes to describe his voice as “old country,” but he likes to apply it mostly to “modern country” songs. Apple music users can find his songs here. Spotify users can find him here.
He writes songs, but knows audiences often prefer covers of music they already know.
“When I play on Monday, I’m going to be mixing covers and a few originals. A lot of the crowd likes to hear covers more than your own stuff, until you make it big, but we’ll get there eventually.”
Hartley said he developed his love of country music young, listening to Tim McGraw, and to Due West, the Utah trio that became close family friends.
“We’re super tight. And they’ve been like a role model, like, seeing how they’ve done it, and like, I still listen to their music today, like I have since I was 8 years old.”
Hartley works as a professional videographer, but he has also worked with cattle and horses.
“I love the the whole country lifestyle. And it truly is me. There are very few days where I’m not wearing my cowboy boots and my jeans. I feel like that’s my go-to style.”
And he loves the relatability of country songs. When he writes his own, he does his best to make sure listeners can empathise with the stories he tells.
He has one song, “Addiction,” written about a close friend’s struggle.
“People going through any sort of addiction would be able to relate and feet a sense of empowerment, like they’re not alone. That’s a very strong song for me. That one hit 20,000 overall streams, which, for a first year putting music out, is awesome.
“‘Highway 14’ is about rolling my truck in 2021, telling the story of recovering from that accident and the PTSD. I’ve actually had a lot of people reach out to me about that song and tell me they’ve been through a similar experience. They like that I’m able to talk about it because it’s been hard for them to do that.”
Hartley knows he’s still at the beginning of his career, and there are dues to pay and lots of hard work ahead. That’s why he really appreciates his supportive fans. To hear him, come to his 7 p.m. Monday performance at Redemption, at 3517 W. Maradona Drive Herriman.
Redemption Bar & Grill is a proud sponsor of Gephardt Daily and supporter of independent local journalism in Utah.
