Country Artist Ryan Griffin Reveals What He Loves About Writing With 'Close Friends' Amid EP Release (Exclusive)

With 13 million streams on Spotify for just one track, Ryan Griffin is making waves in the country music industry. The Florida native, who just released his first EP, is a lyrical genius with songs like "Woulda Left Me Too," "Down," "Name On It" and "One Prayer Left." Like many in the music industry, Griffin is feeling the ripple effect of the pandemic, being forced to stay home and conduct songwriting sessions via Zoom.

In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com for our PopCulture @ Home series, Griffin details the challenges of working from home, but also the positives that come with working with close friends. "One of the things that I love about writing when I get to write with close friends is they can always pull out the honest part of me," he gushed, before confessing he dealt with quite a bit of "anxiety" in the beginning of quarantine. "You know, our whole world, everybody's world, just got flipped upside down, you know?" he added, mentioning that touring and studio work were no longer options.

Although he admitted that during such a confusing time he was getting his "wants mixed up with my needs," he's been able to "reprioritize" his life since mid-March and has already found a great silver lining. "I mean, honestly, the biggest silver lining is, I wasn't really supposed to be here to enjoy these four weeks of my newborn son. So putting it in that perspective, it's like, 'Eh, you know? I'm not doing too bad.'"

Griffin and his beautiful wife Talia Griffin just welcomed their second child, Jude Michael Griffin, in July, joining big brother Levi Hart. "[...] He is just the sweetest, most chill dude," Griffin said of Jude. "He's incredible. And my wife said it really well: She was like — this was like day three of him being born — and she was like, 'He just kind of seems like he's done this before.' You know? He's just kind of, like, stepped into life and [is] just crushing it!"

Griffin just released his first EP titled Name On It, something he's worked toward most of his adult life and has put a lot of effort and emotion into. "We wanted to get something out there that kind of showed, introduced me to people, introduced me to fans that I haven't met yet," Griffin explained of the new six-track release. "And then, just kind of showed the edges of what I do, you know? Kind of pull you over here a little bit, pull you over here, and then show you the center too. So that's kind of what this is, this project is meant to do [that]."

While it's been a challenge to vibe like usual during writing sessions, Griffin is incredibly thankful he works with a group of people who all have a strong connection and can bring out the best and most of each other, even if it is done over Zoom. For more on your favorite country artists and Hollywood celebrities, keep it right here at PopCulture.com.