LANCO Releases Inspiring New Single, ‘Rival’ From Sophomore Album

LANCO is back with brand-new music! The five-man group, led by Brandon Lancaster, just released “Rival,” an inspiring first song from their upcoming, still-untitled sophomore album.

“I think a big thing you discover when you’re an artist, especially going onto the second record, is that your life does change,” Lancaster shared with PopCulture.com at a recent media event, speaking about the song, which he wrote with fellow bandmate Tripp Howell. “You spend a lot more time on the road, or on a tour bus or backstage, and it’s still finding the things that are going on in your life, that also other people can relate to, no matter what anyone’s going through, or what they do for work.

“We were talking one night about things that we felt we were going through, and that turned into a conversation about things we were going through in our life, and realizing that it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from or what you’re doing in life, everyone has a moment where they feel like their back is against the wall and people aren’t rooting for them.”

It was in that discussion that the guys realized they had the idea for an inspiring tune.

“[I said], ‘Let’s write this anthem,” Lancaster recalled. “It’s important to tell people that you matter. You’re important. Be proud of who you are and where you came from, and go do what you want in life. If there is anyone who wants to stand in your way, that’s all right. Chalk them up as a rival and use them as motivation.”

“It’s a summer anthem,” he added, “but it’s also a good introduction of what we want to do.”

The message of the song resonated so much with all of the LANCO members, in part because of how hard they have worked to find the success they have already had, including two 2019 ACM Awards nominations.

“We realized that everyone has faced something they have to stand up against. It isn’t about fitting into any mold, it’s about sticking up for what you believe in and having that crew of friends around that will always have your back,” Howell explained. “That’s definitely a big part of our story. We didn’t know anything or anyone when we started out trying to break into this business, and I think that underdog mentality really drove us in the beginning.”

Download “Rival” on iTunes.

Photo Credit: Getty / Jeff Kravitz