Meet this young singer/songwriter the Texas Radio Awards recognized as the 2024 New Male Artist of the year.

Country singer Ryder Grimes of Poetry, Texas, set some pretty straightforward goals for 2024: Write more country music. Meet new faces. Play a lot more shows. He is doing all the above – and so much more. Postcards Magazine sat down with the rising country star to talk about some big wins this year, including taking home a major industry award and earning endorsements from companies that could not wait to align with this Texas Talent.

Last fall, you took home the Texas Country Music Association’s “Emerging Artist of the Year” award; and this year, you were named “New Male Artist of the Year” at the Texas Radio Awards. How did that feel?

Winning the TCMA award felt great! That was the first award I  ever won, so it was neat to bring home some hardware. There were so many talented musicians in that category, and it was an honor to meet all of them and share the stage with them, too!

Then to win another award this year – it was awesome and such an honor! I’m so thankful to be in such a great “family” that is Texas.

The folks in the music scene accepted me, the newcomer, with open arms and have been so great to me. I enjoy going to those award shows and seeing all my friends. I like to call it a family reunion, because truthfully that’s what it is–a family coming together, and I love it. It was super cool to bring home that award, a blessing from the Lord above for sure! I’m grateful to do what I’m doing!

Before you were winning awards and touring, you grew up in the small town of Poetry, Texas.

Poetry, Texas, is still my home. I love this little community with all my heart, and I don’t plan to leave anytime soon. Even if I do leave, I won’t be too far away.

What inspired you to pick up a guitar and pursue music while growing up?

My mom and sisters always had music playing on the radio–my mom played mid-2000s country, and my sisters listened to a mix of that and hip-hop. My dad played guitar and sang. The music he played was ‘70s-‘90s country, so I was surrounded as a child by all types of music and lyrics. As I got older, my love for music only grew deeper, and that inspired me to pick up the guitar and a notepad.

When did you know you would make music your career?

I’d say things “changed” for me when I released my debut single, “Velvet Chains,” that featured one of my dearest friends and Texas Icon Deryl Dodd on harmony vocals. I truly did not expect that song to do as well as it did. I got my first Top 10 hit on Texas Radio (#8) with my first single ever, and that shocked me.

Bookings started to pick up more as the song gained popularity. I started to travel with my own band as a headliner and started sharing stages with some awesome people such as Randy Rogers, Wade Bowen, Mike Ryan, Josh Ward, William Beckmann, Joe Nichols, The Bellamy Brothers, and many others. The people I have met doing this as my career have been nothing short of amazing, and it seems like every weekend I am on the road, more great friendships start.

After scoring that Top 10 song, you followed it up with your first No.1 song, “In My Boots.” Tell us about that song and the inspiration behind it.

I wrote the song from a guy’s point of view who is nervous to ask a pretty girl at the bar to dance. Our main character in the song also knows that if he doesn’t “act fast,” some other guy is going to ask the girl to dance. “In my Boots” is one of those songs that just makes you want to get up and dance, and that was my initial thought going into the writing process. I wrote this song solo and to this day, it is one of my absolute favorite songs to perform in our live show.

And now, your new single, “8 Seconds at a Time,” is expected to make a run to the top as well.

“8 Seconds at a Time” is a song I wrote a long time ago after a night of hearing family friends tell their rodeo stories. My dad and pretty much all his friends grew up on the semi-pro and professional rodeo circuit riding bulls, bucking horses, roping and much more. So as a kid, hearing a rodeo story around my household was a regular thing. I never competed in rodeo, but my respect level for cowboys and cowgirls is very high and “my heroes have always been cowboys,” as Willie Nelson once said. “8 Seconds at a Time” is raw and talks about the pains of chasing that gold buckle dream. It hurts, but in the end when you win it, it’s the greatest feeling ever in my opinion. You can relate it to a lot of things in life, not just rodeoing.

When it seemed life couldn’t get better – it did. Tell us about the sponsorships you now have.

First – Ranch Fuel energy drink. It’s some dang good stuff. From the get-go, I thought it was the coolest thing. It’s clean, it’s tasty, it’s healthy–and the best part, in my opinion, is there are no artificial colors. I’m blessed to be on their roster of incredible rodeo athletes and western creators like Stetson Wright, Zeke Thurston, Ky Hamilton, Dale Brisby, and many more. I think it’s a perfect fit for me because they keep it real, just like I wanna do.

And I’m very proud to be a new member of the R. Watson boot family and COWI Brand. Both have shown nothing but love and support, and it’s been an honor getting to work with them! You can catch me rocking a beautiful pair of R. Watson boots and a slick COWI Brand cap not just on stage, but daily! I love to support my sponsors 24/7/365. They do so much for me, and I am very proud to have them on Team RG.

Spring and Summer are heavy touring seasons. What are some of your favorite places to play in Texas?

I love being able to play on any stage, at any venue that I can, but I’m gonna go with Gruene Hall. I love the Hill Country of Texas; it has been a meaningful place to me lately as I do a lot of my writing down there, and pretty much all my songwriting heroes came from down there. I have a massive amount of respect for that place and everyone that has played there before me. There’s just something so special about a dancehall with no AC, constructed completely out of wood, that has been open since 1878 and hasn’t changed a bit. If you’ve never been to Gruene, please go see it; it’s magical!

Favorite place to play outside Texas?

Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma! Cain’s is another one of those places that has such an incredibly rich history. Western Swing music was literally popularized and developed in that building, on that stage by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys in the ‘30s and ‘40s. Pretty cool stuff, right?! I played there back in January with my pal, Oklahoma’s own Stoney LaRue. It was already at full capacity when we took the stage that night, and let me tell you – 1,800+ people packed closely together in a room like that is the most electrifying thing I’ve ever felt. It was a beautiful night!

How do you prepare for a show like that?

Honestly, being to myself. Usually before a show, I’ll go lock myself in the back of the bus and just relax. A lot goes on in this head of mine, so I take about 20 minutes before I head into the venue to go on stage to just relax by myself and get my thoughts in order. I usually warm my voice up and sing some of my favorite old country songs. Gotta build that energy up inside of me and let it all out when I walk up that ramp to go on stage.

A final question we always like to ask…. What is always in your tour bus fridge?

Ranch Fuel, water, and Coke Zero! They get you going!

Be sure to check out a Ryder Grimes show next time he is in town – or pick a city and take a road trip. Visit www.rydergrimes.com to learn more about this up-and-coming Texas Talent. And check out his singles and album, “Ready or Not,” wherever you get your music.