Old Dominion's Matthew Ramsey: 'I Don't Ever Consider Myself a Singer'

Old Dominion's lead singer, Matt Ramsey, has helped the band land at the top of the charts with songs like "Break Up With Him" and "Written in the Sand," but the 40-year-old, perhaps surprisingly, says he doesn't actually think of himself as a vocalist.

"I still don't ever consider myself a singer," Ramsey tells Coveteur. "I'm definitely a songwriter before anything else. It's something I'll always be able to do — I won't always be able to do this. I think, in our minds, this is a pretty temporary thing. We're going to ride it as long as we possibly can, and hopefully it does last for twenty years. It could be over tomorrow, but I'll always be able to write songs."

Old Dominion, which also includes Trevor Rosen, Whit Sellers, Geoff Sprung and Brad Tursi, were friends and songwriters long before the beginning of the band, and Ramsey insists they will stay friends regardless of what happens to Old Dominion.

"Bands are hard," Ramsey admits. "We're lucky we're friends, and that we were friends before we were a band, so our goal when we started was to make sure that we were friends when it's over. So far, so good on that. We get along great; we laugh all the time. But we've been around the music business long enough to know it doesn't last forever. Even as a songwriter; songwriters have their runs where they're writing everything, and then it tapers off and the new guys come in. Right now, we're still the new guys."

Old Dominion might be the "new guys," but they've already had plenty of success. The reigning ACM Vocal Group of the Year has sold enough albums and concert tickets that they can afford some of the nicer things in life, which for Ramsey means buying a few high-end items of clothing and accessories.

"I have a leather jacket problem," Ramsey reveals. "I feel like every time I turn around, I'm buying a leather jacket. I have this habit of going into the Tom Ford store in Vegas whenever we're there. I've learned I hate Las Vegas [laughs] — I'm not a gambler and I'm not a huge partier. So I learned the shopping side of Vegas, and that's when I ended up buying a Tom Ford jacket as a gift to myself.

"I pat myself on the back for getting an ACM award," he continues. "So now it's tradition that every time I go to Vegas, I end up shopping and buying. I bought those gold Saint Laurent boots in Vegas. I wanted to buy them when [Old Dominion's] album went gold to wear to the Gold Party, but I couldn't get them in time."

Old Dominion are currently out on the road, serving as the opening acts for Kenny Chesney's Trip Around the Sun Tour. Dates can be found at olddominionband.com.

Photo Credit: Instagram/olddominionmusic