May 15

May 15 Rooted in Davidson County, Braden Hull prepares for move to Nashville

Braden Hull, a Davidson County native, is ready to take his music to the next level.
{Contributed photo/Amber Ivey}

When Braden Hull penned “Falling Out of Love,” a song about his parents’ divorce, he knew it would register with children, young and old, who shared the same experience. However, what he didn’t bank on was the reaction of the masses in response to the video of his mother listening to his record for the first time.

Long story short, Hull went viral.

A few days before Christmas, the West Davidson High School graduate posted the recording on TikTok. It starts with Hull sitting on a couch beside his mother, Tonya. From his smile, it’s apparent he was eager to gather feedback from one of his biggest supporters. It doesn’t take long before Tonya’s expression changes from pride to a mixture of love, compassion and a stream of tears.

It's what Hull expected to some extent.

“The whole idea was to show Mom’s reaction and hope that it gets some attention on TikTok. She knew about the song. She’d just never heard it and didn’t know the title until a week before. She was upset that she didn’t get to go into the studio for the first time with me, so she was already crying. I knew she would have that reaction and would jerk some tears because it’s a very heartfelt song. But I had no idea it would blow up like it did. I was expecting hopefully 10,000 views. That would’ve been fine with me. Now we’re sitting at over a million views and 100,000 likes. That was cool to see.”

On January 6, “Falling Out of Love” was released as a single.

“I’ve always had an interest and a love for music, country music especially. I didn’t grow up on it. I grew up on Christian music, but when I was old enough to pick songs I wanted to hear, it was country.”

So why does the genre register with Hull? He traces it back to his hometown roots.

“Well, I’m from Davidson County. You know, boots and jeans. I’ve got the accent. I can’t help it. I don’t fake it. It’s just me. It’s hard to sing another genre when I talk like I do. I love everything about country music – banjo, fiddle, even country rock.”

Hull, who auditioned for American Idol at 15 and started playing acoustic guitar at 17, noted that despite his parents’ divorce, he lived a normal childhood with the exception of couple of health conditions.

“Most people don’t know but I’ve struggled with two heart conditions. I had heart surgery when I was 12. I still have Lyme disease. It’s a struggle for me getting through day to day, taking 40- plus pills a day, but that kind of makes me determined to make something of myself.”

Since April, ahead of his performance at Bull City Ciderworks that was attended by over 1,000 people, Hull has debuted new music and is prepping to move to Nashville.

*A massive crowd gathered on April 1 for Hull’s performance. {Contributed photo/Sheila Igo}*

Having lived in the same house his whole life, Hull is excited about the possibilities that lie ahead in country music’s capital.

“We’ll be heading to Nashville to see what we can do there. I want people to hear my music. I love performing live, talking to people and being someone people can look up to. My goals are to play the big stages, go on tour, do what I love and make a living while I’m doing it. I have a wonderful team, very talented band, and good friends, family and manager.”

Along with dreams of becoming one of country music’s next big stars, the 20-year-old has hopes of collaborating with some of his favorite artists at some point during his career. Noting Cody Johnson whose voice he loves and Hardy who Hull deemed as “the best songwriter in country music right now,” as members of his wish list, he’d also like to work with Jason Aldean, fellow North Carolinian Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen.

“Anybody I can collaborate with in Nashville would be a great opportunity for me.”

Despite the plans for relocation, Hulls maintains that Davidson County will always be home even if his music takes him far away. “I’ll be buried here.”

To see part of Hull’s interview before his April 1 performance, click here.

*Hull wanted to give a special thank you to his parents, members of his team and businesses that supported his show at BCC – Mom, Tonya, Dad, Adam, manager – Sheila Igo, his band, Coastland Apparel, Stamey’s Barbecue, Woak Repair Plumbing and HVAC, Brothers Hall Sound Productions, Trouvaille, Davidson Speed Printing and MCF Transport.

*Social Media Handles