Cole Swindell

Cole Swindell has carved out a central role as both songwriter and vocalist within the relaxed country-pop style widely recognized as bro-country. Recognition first arrived through his work supplying material for Luke Bryan, another Georgia Southern University graduate, although Swindell’s own chart climb began around the moment Bryan steered “Roller Coaster” to the top spot. Several major successes soon followed—“Chillin’ It,” “Hope You Get Lonely Tonight,” “Ain’t Worth the Whiskey,” “You Should Be Here”—that captured the friendly, melodic, and upbeat character of mainstream country at the time by folding rock and hip-hop touches into the genre. The streak carried forward when “Single Saturday Night” reached number one on Country Airplay in 2020. Both that single and the chart-topping “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” formed the core of his 2022 album Stereotype, while later releases including “Drinkaby,” “3 Feet Tall,” and the 2024 hit “Forever To Me” kept him prominent.

Born in Bronwood, Georgia, on June 30, 1983, Swindell started chasing music during his college years. After attending Dawson’s Terrell Academy he transferred to Georgia Southern University, where he met Luke Bryan through their shared Sigma Chi fraternity. Bryan’s return to campus for a show during Swindell’s enrollment quickly led to a lasting friendship. After leaving university in 2007, Swindell joined Bryan’s operation, selling merchandise while using spare time to write songs.

Swindell signed with Sony/ATV Publishing in 2010 and soon secured high-profile placements. Bryan recorded several of his compositions, among them the hit “Roller Coaster,” while Thomas Rhett, Scotty McCreery, and Craig Campbell also cut his material. As his songwriting presence grew, Swindell tested the waters as a performer by releasing “Chillin’ It” independently in 2013. Strong results attracted Warner Music Nashville, which signed him in July 2013 and reissued the single to country radio. The track ultimately climbed to number one on Billboard’s Hot Country charts and crossed over to number 28 on the pop Top 40.

The breakthrough cleared the path for his self-titled debut album in February 2014. That project produced two Country Airplay number ones that year—“Hope You Get Lonely Tonight” and “Ain’t Worth the Whiskey”—while “This Is How We Roll,” co-written with Luke Bryan and recorded by him with Florida Georgia Line, also appeared on the charts. While preparing a follow-up, Swindell issued the EP Down Home Sessions in November 2014, beginning a yearly late-season tradition that continued each November or October through 2017.

His run of success extended through 2015, bringing an ACM New Artist of the Year award and the single “Let Me See Ya Girl,” which reached number two on Country Airplay. “You Should Be Here,” the lead single from the album of the same name, arrived in December 2015 and hit number one on Country Airplay in early 2016. “Middle of a Memory” claimed the same position shortly after the May 2016 release of You Should Be Here. “Flatliner,” a duet with Dierks Bentley, kept the project charting into 2017, peaking at number two on Country Airplay, before Swindell turned to his third album. All of It appeared in August 2018, preceded by “Break Up in the End,” which peaked at number six on Country Airplay. The next year brought the singles “Down to Earth,” “All Nighter,” and “Drinkin’ Hours,” later gathered on the EP Down Home Sessions V.

Swindell returned to the top of Billboard Country Airplay in 2020 with “Single Saturday Night.” The following year he joined Shy Carter on “Beer with My Friends,” duetted with Lainey Wilson on “Never Say Never,” and released the solo single “Some Habits.” Those last two tracks joined his hit remake of Jo Dee Messina’s “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” on the fourth album Stereotype, which arrived in April 2022, reached the top 50 of the Billboard 200, and peaked at number six on Top Country Albums. A deluxe edition featuring “Drinkaby” appeared early the next year. The standalone single “3 Feet Tall” surfaced in December 2023, presenting a couple’s divorce through their child’s perspective. Among his 2024 singles was “Forever to Me,” which became a Top 40 country hit.