that will be everybody’s summer jam,”
Niemann says. “When I heard it, it took me
to a place I want to be, you know? You roll
down the windows and crank it up and
enjoy one of those summer breezes.”
LISTEN
“I Got This” was written by three of
Country’s hottest writers: Josh Orborne
(Sam Hunt’s “Body Like A Back Road”),
Rodney Clawson (Kenny Chesney’s
“American Kids”), and Luke Dick (Eric
Church’s “Kill A Word”).
Niemann, himself, is a PLATINUM-certified
#1 singer-songwriter, and he has used his
writing talent in a solo setting and also
for co-writing. “I have written songs by
myself that guys like Jamey Johnson have
recorded, and things like that means the
world to me.” Niemann says. “But when you
get with someone else it’s interesting.”
“Lee Brice and I are good buddies, and
we wright a lot. So we’ll finish a song and
both obviously have influenced it, but
when you mix those two styles together
all of a sudden someone like Blake Shelton
recorded one of our songs.” Niemann says.
“You just never know what’s going to
happen.”
Niemann had the opportunity to share his
music with new listeners when he recorded
a remix of his PLATINUM-certified multi-
week #1 “Drink to That All Night” with
rapper and singer, Pitbull. “There’s always,
and rightfully so, a big debate on that exact
thing, you know, just because some people
think you’re betraying where your heart is,”
Niemann says. “But in fact what it is, is really
trying to bring people into country music
that maybe spent their lives not realizing
18
how cool of genre it is, and then they hear
a couple of songs and then all of a sudden
they’re listening to George Jones and we’ve
got ‘em stuck with us forever.”
In December, Niemann visited troops in
Spain, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Poland as part
of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
General Joe Dunford’s Annual USO Holiday
Tour. “This was my second year in a row,”
Niemann says. “And I have to tell you it’s
literally my favorite trips of my life.”
LEARN MORE
Noting that the Anniston/Oxford area is
home to many military families, Niemann
says, “First off, I just want to thank
everybody for their service to our country.
It’s easy for everyone to sort of overlook
some of our freedoms. They do that for us
so that we can kind of take our freedom
March 2018
INSIGHT