Kentucky native Alex Miller burst onto the scene in 2021 with his stint on American Idol. His authenticity and traditional country sound made him a favorite among fans. He continued to deliver the same country gold with a series of releases that kicked off in 2022 with his debut full-length Miller Time. This Friday (April 4), he’ll release his most recent track, “The Byrd,” a collaboration with ’90s country hitmaker Tracy Byrd. American Songwriter is proud to premiere the track ahead of its release. Check it out below.
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Ahead of the release of “The Byrd,” Miller sat down with American Songwriter to discuss the new single and how a chance meeting led to the throwback track.
Alex Miller on How “The Byrd” Came to Be
Some things are seemingly meant to be. “The Byrd” is one of them. Several moving parts had to come together at the perfect time to make this collaboration happen. It started when Alex Miller and Tracy Byrd–both booked by Variety Attractions–met by chance on an elevator.
“I was in Indianapolis for a fair convention and was going down to meet some people. I got on the elevator and there stood Tracy Byrd,” Miller recalls. He grew up on ’90s country, and Byrd’s songs like “Watermelon Crawl” and “Holdin’ Heaven” were in heavy rotation in Miller’s home. “I said, ‘Oh my God! You’re Tracy Byrd!’ And he said, ‘You’re Alex Miller!’ and I found out later on that he had been following me on Instagram and TikTok and all the social media things. I had no idea stars like him actually got on social media like that,” Miller says.
“We struck up a good conversation and he said, ‘We’re going to lunch, do you want to join?’ So, I joined him and some of the people from Variety, and we had lunch together,” Miller recalls. “Tracy is just one of the nicest people in country music I’ve met. He gave me his number and said, ‘If you ever need anything, let me know.’” Then, the pair parted ways.
Months later, Miller was in Pennsylvania for another convention when he ran into Byrd’s manager. “He told me, ‘Tracy really enjoyed meeting you. You and him ought to do a song together.’ I suggested cutting one of his classic ones, and he said, ‘No. Y’all need to write something.’ He said, ‘Give ‘em the Byrd,’ and a lightbulb went on in my head,” Miller recalls of the conversation that really got the ball rolling on the collaboration.
Writing “The Byrd”
Alex Miller kept the idea of cutting a song with Tracy Byrd in mind. Then, after a long wait, he was ready to lay the groundwork. “A couple of months later, I had a co-write with one of my favorite songwriters, Jerry Salley, and we wrote ‘The Byrd’ and I sent it to him,” Miller recalls.
Byrd didn’t get back to him right away. After a few days, Miller assumed that either Byrd didn’t listen to the song or he did and didn’t like it. At least he could say he tried. “About a week went by. I’ll never forget it. I was with my mom and she had gotten some free tickets to a comedy club over in Lexington. We were over there watching the show, and I got a text,” Miller recalls of the moment Byrd reached out to him. “I had to step out because I read it and it said, ‘Alex, I’d love to do this song with you,’” he adds. Byrd wasn’t the only hitmaker who liked the song. He told Miller that he had shared the song with Blake Shelton, who said it was a hit.
“The Byrd” co-written and produced by Jerry Salley will hit digital streaming platforms this Friday (April 4) via Billy Jam Records. Pre-save on your platform today.
Featured Image by Michael Boggs Photography
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