Kameron Marlowe is Just Trying to Keep the Lights On (Exclusive Interview)

Kameron Marlowe is on fire. The rising country star was nominated for New Male Artist of the Year at the 2024 ACM awards, he just wrapped up a whirlwind U.S. tour — with Tucker Wetmore — and he’ll spend the summer playing a ton more shows and festivals across North America. All this busyness is in support of Marlowe’s new album, Keepin’ The Lights On, which is out now from Sony Music Nashville.

PopCulture.com had a chance to catch up to Marlowe at a stop on his recent Strangers Tour, and it’s truly a dynamic experience watching him take command of a stage and deliver an explosive show for a rowdy audience, the heat exuding from his energy is palpable and undeniably powerful. It’s important to note, however, that Marlowe’s stage presence isn’t just showmanship.

We spent some time talking with Marlowe, in addition to being present for his VIP Meet and Greet and, after just a few minutes with the singer, you quickly learn that he is something rare in the music industry: intimidatingly genuine, Biblically humble — sincere and inspirational — and it’s clear this is an intrinsic quality and not just some responsibility that comes with the job.

Ahead of Marlowe’s performance, we had an opportunity to chat with him about all he has going on, including Keepin’ The Lights On, an album that’s as timeless as it is subtly eclectic. Blending what sounds like influences from icons such as Travis Tritt, Bruce Springsteen, and John Prine… Marlowe has concocted something purely and wholly himself.

Speaking about the album’s title track, “Keepin’ the Lights On” — written with Kendell Marvel and Phil O’Donnell — Marlowe reflected on the song, which is a picture of his life growing up in Kannapolis, North Carolina. “I want to make sure it was out first just because it really shaped the record,” he told us of why it was important for him to release that song as an early single.

Marlowe then went on to share the origins of the tune, recalling, “It was a conversation I had with my pops… my dad lost his job last year. He’s had that job for 23 years. It was something that he loved and was so good at and cared about. But, when the factory shut down, he didn’t know what to do.”

“I went home because the family was having a tough time and we went back on our porch and had a whiskey,” he continued, “and we were just talking about life and he was like, ‘Man, for the first time in my life, I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to keep the lights on,’ and that resonated with me hard.”

“The reason why I’d even do this is because of them, man. They’ve been with me through everything,” Marlowe went on to say. “So, when he said that it really just kind of struck a chord with me. I was like, ‘Man, this, this is something bigger than me.’”

Having such an emotional conversation with his father reminded Marlowe that it wasn’t just his family who were struggling. “You take the, the glitz and the glam and all that out of this job, and you look at the real people that are coming to the shows… it’s like, man, everybody’s trying to live a comfortable life and not have to deal with the stresses of it, you know. 

This led directly to him penning “Keepin’ The Lights On,” and later lending the title to his album. “When I sat down and wrote that song, it was more of a kind of a passion project and it started to really round the record out… it was a song that really sparked the rest of the music on it.”

In addition to the title track, Keepin’ The Lights On is a front-to-back dirt road truck drive, with nothing but — and you can quote me on this — bangers. One such song is “Lock Me Up,” a southern rock track chock full of blues. Written by Ben Johnson, Hunter Phelps, Jordan Minton, and Taylor Phillips, Marlowe said that he was a big fan of th song from the first time he heard it and knew he wanted it for his sophomore album.

“I always have to feel like I’m connected to a song… feel like I’ve lived part of the song, in general, to be able to really connect with it,” Marlowe explained. “The first time I heard [“Lock Me Up”] was when I got it by Taylor Phillips, and he was like, ‘Man, check the song out. I feel like you’re gonna resonate with it.’” Marlowe confessed that he gets “songs sent all the time” and, respectfully, “I kind of blow past half of them. I don’t mean that in a mean way. It’s just I know my sound now.”

Notably, “Lock Me Up” was different. “So, I listen to that and I was like, ‘God, like that takes me right back to Kannapolis, North Carolina and I feel every word,’ I know every word of that song, you know. So that’s kind of why I was really drawn to that one. I knew that was the song for me.”

Marlowe’s small-town, working-class upbringing certainly serves as a strong root for his character. His time on The Voice and his soaring country music career has done zero damage to his humility. From serving as bartender for his band and crew backstage to warmly introducing himself with his full name to the fans who paid to attend the tour’s VIP Meet & Greet, Marlowe is abounding in confidence and devoid of ego.

“In my mind… I’m just like Kameron Marlowe from Kannapolis, you know? I don’t try and hold anything above anybody else,” he said then quipping, “I just have a cool ass job. That’s the only thing that I guess is special about me, man. I just really love what I do. I love the people that come out and listen to these songs and relate to them and stuff like that because music is more to me than a hit.”

“There’s a lot of songs out there that are hits that I feel like I don’t relate to and that’s not a bad thing,” Marlowe continued. “I’m more chasing the fact of trying to heal somebody in a bad situation… or, even in a good situation, they just want a fast song that gets their cheers up, like if they’re out on the boat. That’s where I’m at with music, to the point where I don’t really care. I just love putting out the music that I love and what I feel like will speak to people.”

Click here to buy or stream Keepin’ The Lights On, and click here for all of Kameron Marlowe’s upcoming tour dates. Keep it locked to PopCulture.com for more great country music news, reviews, and interviews!