Chris Lane Shares Songwriting Struggles, Live Video for “Big, Big Plans”

North Carolina native, Chris Lane, is climbing the country charts with his most recent single, “Big, Big Plans.” The song represents significant milestones for both his personal life and career as an artist. His most intimate song yet struck a chord with fans, as displayed in the almost palpable energy exuded in the exclusive video premiering today on American Songwriter.

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The track, co-written with ERNEST and Jacob Durrett, did not come easily to these veteran writers. They returned three different times to try to finish the song. It finally began to take shape once Lane shared his own big plans he had for his now-wife, Lauren Bushnell. 

“Starting out, I had no idea I was going to end up writing a song that I would later propose with,” the artist admitted of his hit radio single with over 100 million streams to date. “We couldn’t figure out a bridge. I made mention that I might propose in the next couple of months, so maybe we can write a proposal into the song. It forced us to go back and rewrite a few different verse ideas. But we already had the hook, so it fell together.”

Moving to Nashville overturned everything Lane had taught himself about songwriting. He admittedly had a lot to learn from the city’s prominent writers and was propelled forward after time spent in the room with the likes of Craig Wiseman and Rodney Clawson.

“It was tough. I was shy, scared to say something stupid. I was afraid they wouldn’t invite me back,” Lane shared about his first few sessions in Nashville. “It took me a minute to get over that. But I learned the dumbest thing you say could end up being one of the best ideas in the room, and you might end up getting a great song out of it.”

That lesson rang true with “Big, Big Plans.” When Lane finished the song last June, he played it for his then-girlfriend. During the third verse, he dropped down on one knee: “‘Cause right now we’re back in her hometown / And I’m down on one knee / I guess she finally figured out / I’m gonna ask her to marry me.”

At that point, Lane didn’t plan on releasing the proposal video he filmed. It was more for himself to hold onto the memory. When he decided to share it on social media for people to see, it blew up, turning this song into his hit radio single.  

Today’s video premiere, “Big, Big Plans” Live from Chicago, features fans screaming along to the sensational single. He surprises the audience, asking his wife to join him on stage. Shrieking excitement dominates the sing-along as she steps out in front of the crowd. Given the enthusiasm fans held for The Lane’s love story, it is no surprise that many followed suit during his sold-out headlining tour, proposing to their significant others during his concert performance.

“The reaction was so great,” Lane recalled of the enthusiasm his fans met him with after sharing his story. “You never know if a song personal to your life is going to react in that way, but I’m thankful it did. Now I see people making it their own story, using the song for their big moment as well. That’s really special.”

The newlyweds enjoyed their first few weeks of this break from non-stop touring. Lane admits he is now anxious to get back on the road and play in front of his fans. The artist has been writing and hopes to record new music to bring back on tour with him. 

“It’s great being creative and writing, and in the studio watching a song come together. But you really get to watch it come to life when you play it live. If people sing it back and make a connection with that song you wrote, it’s literally the best feeling in the world.”Watch Chris Lane’s hit single come to life on stage in his exclusive video of “Big, Big Plans” Live from Chicago, below. Follow along for tour updates and new music here.

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