Fancy Hagood introduces himself — and his debut album — with his new single “Southern Curiosity.” The song, which arrived Friday (March 19), is the record’s title track.
Written by Hagood with Jacob Bryant and John Davidson, “Southern Curiosity” is a gospel song in which the artist shares his story as a native southerner who’s connected to his roots but doesn’t necessarily fit so many of the stereotypes.
“I was born under the Mason-Dixon / Muddy water runnin’ through my veins / Doesn’t matter all the hell I’m raisin’, the Holy Spirit still carries me / Brought up by the sons and daughters / The rebel yell and the Cherokee / Say what you want about the life I’m livin’ / Don’t give a damn what you think about me,” Hagood sings in the chorus. “Got roots down in Alabama, I’ve got friends up in Tennessee / Wild child, but I mind my manners / A southern curiosity.”
“This song is my story of growing up in the South and becoming the person I am now,” muses Hagood, an Arkansas native who grew up singing in the church and taught himself to play the piano as a teenager. In his sports- and religion-focused hometown, the artist — who is gay — often felt like an outsider, so he left for Nashville after high school graduation.
“Being gay and southern are not mutually exclusive,” Hagood continues, “and both this song and record are the celebration of who I am and where I come from.”
Hagood — whose given name is Jake and who received the nickname Fancy from co-workers at a retail job he worked after dropping out of college — began performing in Music City, but relocated to Los Angeles after signing a management and record deal. As Who Is Fancy, Hagood’s 2015 single “Goodbye” hit the Billboard Mainstream Top 40, but his second single failed to chart, and he parted ways with the pop-focused team to come back to Nashville and try something different.
“With time comes perspective. Now I think about how young and naive I was,” Hagood says of the experience. “My artistry suffered, but I’m also incredibly thankful for the opportunities I was given. I consider that whole run my pop music boot camp. It was a whirlwind, and it really hurt when it ended, but now my new music is my therapy from all that.”
Fans have already been able to hear “Don’t Blink” and “Mr. Atlanta,” among others, from Southern Curiosity. Hagood wrote the 11-track album in both Nashville and London, England, and recorded it in Music City.
“Fancy isn’t a persona — this is my life and who I am, and I want to make music that points to that truth,” Hagood says. “I’m embracing who I am as a person. These songs show me, Fancy Hagood, living boldly and writing about my experiences as a queer man in the South.”
Southern Curiosity is due out on April 9. Visit FancyHagood.com to pre-save the record, and find full details below.
Fancy Hagood, Southern Curiosity Tracklist:
1. “Love Again”
2. “Don’t Blink”
3. “Either”
4. “Same Thing”
5. “Mr. Atlanta”
6. “Forest”
7. “Another Lover Says”
8. “Casanova”
9. “Good Man”
10. “The Answer”
11. “Southern Curiosity”
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