Tenpenny slated to headline Clearwater Rodeo concert

You may learn the "Truth About You", Saturday, during the Mitchell Tenpenny concert on Clearwater's Main Street. Tenpenny is scheduled to perform at 10 p.m.

Here's the truth about Tenpenny.

The Nashville singer always dreamt of becoming a professional football player, but he also enjoyed playing in bands. In fact, when he was 13 years old, he was the drummer and screamer in a hard rock band with his friends.

Eventually, he started writing songs, too, like his grandmother, Donna Hilley, a famed country music publishing executive. His mother came to the realization that Mitchell's music seemed like traditional country and she was able to understand the words he was singing. Once she noticed this, he began writing country music.

The boys in the hard rock band all went separate ways once they graduated high school.

He played football at Lipscomb University, but transferred to Middle Tennessee State University , where he became roommates with his best friend and songwriter Brad Clawson.

His love for songwriting began to overpower his love for football, so he enrolled in a professional songwriting class, where the professor and his classmates critiqued each other's material. The course ended with a performance at the Bluebird Cafe. His parents, grandmother, and his mother's friends all came to the show.

After MTSU graduation,Tenpenny worked construction jobs to gain income while working toward his dreams of becoming a professional songwriter. He would sing at bars and clubs in hopes of someone wanting to record him. Enter Craig Wiseman, Tenpenny's favorite songwriter, who offered to write with him, giving Tenpenny a boost of confidence to keep writing.

With over a hundred songs written, Tenpenny signed on with Sony/ATV and became successful with many songs, including Granger Smith's Top 10 hit, "If the Boot Fits." He also interested Sony Music Nashville when he performed during CMA Music Fest in 2017. Label executives were fascinated with the audience response to Tenpenny's "Alcohol You Later." Within two weeks, Tenpenny received a record deal.

The "New York Times" labeled "Drunk Me" as one of the best songs in 2018 and it has remained successful since then. He received a New Male Artist of the Year nomination at the ACM Awards and acknowledged for the music video "Drunk Me" at the CMT Awards. He was also the only country music artist named as Pandora's 2019 Artists to Watch and was included on several reputable lists.

While 2020 threw a wrench in several people's lives, Tenpenny used the time to write additional songs, like "At the End of a Bar." He hopes to release more songs later. He even turned to TikTok for some of his songs, including "Truth About You," which may not have been as successful without the platform.

"At that time in my life, I was like, 'I know exactly how to write this song. I've lived it before,'" Tenpenny's biography says. "I'm not in that headspace anymore, but I want to write songs people can relate to and use for good. If it helps them through a breakup, that's everything for me."

Tenpenny released an eight-song EP in September 2021 called "Midtown Diaries" that covers a wide range of subjects, like love, girls and heartbreak. He co-wrote every single on the track.

"I want people to find their song on the EP," Tenpenny said. "That's why I gave it so much variety - love songs, breakup songs, weird songs that just feel groovy. I want them to fall in love with this, but in a way that theyr'e like, 'Yes, I need more.'"

Tenpenny also has exciting news in his personal life. He proposed to fellow country singer Meghan Patrick in November 2021 at the Losers Bar & Grill in Nashville, the place where they first met.

Still putting new music out, Tenpenny released a new song with Teddy Swims called "Elephant in the Room" on April 29. Tenpenny's top five songs include "Truth About You," "Drunk Me," "At the End of a Bar," "Anything She Says," and "Bucket List."