A long way from Texas.
Koe Wetzel announced earlier that he’s set to make his late night TV debut on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert next Thursday, August 16th along with his duet parter Jessie Murph to perform “High Road”:
The song was included on his recent album 9 Lives, and became a quick fan-favorite and is streaming crazy numbers, after it was highest-charting debut of both of their careers and debuted at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in June (which encompasses all musical genres).
“High Road” was written by Koe along with Amy Allen, Carrie Karpinen and producer Gabe Simon, and finds Koe taking the “high road” both literally and metaphorically, as he uses a different approach to a conflict in a rocky relationship, deciding not to fight back but rather take some time to cool off (which also includes getting stoned, if that wasn’t obvious).
While some fans were upset that it was a duet, after the version Koe teased was solo, I have really grown to love Jessie’s part and think she provided some beautiful harmonies too. Additionally, I think the song majorly benefited from having the depth and contrast of the female perspective she added… for me, the solo version almost sounds like something is missing without that element now, though it’s a super strong single too.
The duet version is Koe’s first official single at country radio, and along with the release of the new record, has really helped him reach a new audience that will only continue to grow.
It’s been really cool to watch his career evolve over the years, from being a (very popular) regional Texas act to now crossing over into the mainstream and performing on late night TV, and he’s just getting started.
I think this song is clearly resonating with fans, and as an entirely new group of people get to hear it next week, will only continue to do well on radio and streaming. Congrats to both of them… this is really damn cool.
“High Road”
Here’s the solo version: