Michael Ray is spending the summer playing fairs and festivals, and will then hit the road with Old Dominion, serving as the opening act for the fall leg of the band’s Happy Endings Tour. Although Ray is a big fan of their performance on stage, he’s also a fan of their songwriting, including songs like “Fan Girl,” “Dancing Girl,” and his current single, “One That Got Away,” each written by members of the group, on his latest Amos album.
“I feel like everything they write is just great,”Ray shared with PopCulture.com and other media. “It’s on the new curve all the time. It just means a lot and it gives me a confidence I think, of going into this new record, this new chapter, knowing that you have artists like them and your peers that believe in you enough and believe in what you’re doing and where you’re headed to go, ‘I’ll invest in this.’ And I’ll invest the time and creativeness that they’ve put into those songs to help better my career and better my future.”
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The Happy Endings Tour marks the first time Ray will go on right before the main act for a big tour, and he’s determined to make the guys proud.
“And then for them to also take us out,” Ray continues. “This is my first time direct support of a tour this size. I’ve always been first of three or second of four. So for them to believe in me, to believe in my career enough to take songs that they spent time writing … I don’t think they’ve ever written a bad song.”
Ray will have to continue his budding relationship with fellow singer Carly Pearce long-distance for the remainder of 2018, since Pearce will wrap up her run with Rascal Flatts, and then join Luke Bryan on the fall leg of his What Makes You Country Tour. But apparently miles won’t keep the two apart, since Ray recently posted a picture of him enjoying coffee with Pearce via FaceTime.
Mornin coffee even if it’s miles apart @carlypearce ☕️❤️ pic.twitter.com/wvVdvUzSxY
— Michael Ray (@Michaelraymusic) July 22, 2018
“Mornin coffee even if it’s miles apart @carlypearce ☕️❤️” writes Ray.
Still, the Florida native is clearly smitten with the “Hide the Wine” singer.
“She’s a great girl and I think that she’s an incredible person … She’s great,” gushes Ray. “I’m a big fan. I’ll leave it at that.”
Find a list of all of Ray’s upcoming shows at MichaelRayMusic.com.
Photo Credit: Getty images/Harmony Gerber
