North Carolina-born and Nashville-based, Caleb Hearn releases folk-pop single “Get There When I Get There” along with his adept introspective debut album, Left on McKinney, on Sept. 6th.
With a history of storytelling and short-story writing as an outlet to work through inner conflict and childhood distress, Hearn crafts music to cope with the trials and tribulations that emerge from growing up. With major success on TikTok and 2024 single “Little Bit Bigger” receiving 44 million streams, Hearn’s conversational folk-pop exceeds expectations with his new releases.
Working with writers Colin Foote & Alex Borel known for working with artists of similar sounds, Dean Lewis and Matt Hansen, Hearn is not shying away from expressing his raw and vulnerable pondering on this album. The songwriter has shared his desire to offer a safe space for anyone who may need it, offering “peace” to his listeners, which he achieves on the album. This sentiment is further reflected in his own storytelling: Of the album’s title, “McKinney” is the street on which Hearn’s grandparents lived, representing having a safe haven to which he could always go back to feel secure. He hopes the album can do the same for others.
Track six off of the eight-track album dwells on slowing down and forgetting about following a normative developmental trajectory. As an ode to growing up, this coming-of-age single reflects the essence of Left on McKinney, offering a sense of hope to listeners in his age group who are going through the same issues. Hearn says,
“I think a lot of people feel pressured to follow social norms or reach certain milestones by a particular age. But for me it’s much more important to live in the moment and enjoy the process of getting where I want to go. Because if you’re not feeling that joy, then I’m not sure it’s worth it.”
The 23 year-old singer continues to grow as an artist as he refuses to accept the pressures his peers put on him. “Get There When I Get There” pairs delicate acoustic guitar melodies with tender harmonies, offering room for his words to hit more piercingly. In the chorus, Hearn bleakly flips the discussion onto his peers: “Why should I be living in the future/Or living in the past/When the middle’s what I’m never getting back.” The song concludes with a resolution, further hammering in his content with the uncertain future, singing, “Yeah, I’m scared/But I don’t care/I’ll get there when I get there.”
With a delicate single and seven tracks that accompanied it, “Get There When I Get There” is one you won’t want to miss. Be sure to catch Caleb Hearn on tour this month in a city near you!
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