Yung Gravy kicked off a new chapter of his career with the release of his first-ever Country single, “Clementine.”
Yung Gravy Releases First-Ever Country Song, “Clementine”
The tune, released on Friday (May 10) via Republic Records, finds Yung Gravy putting his laidback baritone vocals and signature swagger over an interpolation of Zac Brown Band’s timeless classic, “Chicken Fried.” Co-written by Yung Gravy alongside Diamond Pistols, Wyatt Durrette, Zac Brown & Brandon Stewart, “Clementine” finds the viral hitmaker singing about his newfound love for southern women.
“She my lil Clementine/ Ain’t tall but she mighty fine/ And her jeans just don’t fit right/ Shawty got me in loooove/ She my lil clementine/ Baby girl got some dynamite/ Southern girls are just my type/ Shawty got me in loooove,” Yung Gravy sings on the hook over a snap track
Yung Gravy, whose real name is Matthew Raymond Hauri, opened up about the creation of the new track. “I was staying at Zac Brown’s crib in Georgia, and we tried sampling Chicken Fried. Turned out it was too perfect to be messed with, so I used that inspiration and cooked up a new song about my newfound love for Southern women,” he shared via a press release.
Watch The “Clementine” Music Video
The 28-year-old singer/songwriter also dropped a music video for the track, which was inspired by the popular romance film, The Notebook. The clip features Jada Stevens, who Yung Gravy called his “lil clementine” in the video’s caption on YouTube.
Watch the music video for “Clementine” below.
Forthcoming Country Album, Serving Country
“Clementine” will appear on Yung Gravy’s first-ever country project, Serving Country, arriving later this summer.
Yung Gravy’s country album has been in the works for quite some time now. Throughout the last several months, the rapper has teased the project throughout social media with snippets of unreleased country songs, including “My Day Ones,” “DMPB,” “Lone Ranger,” “I Went To Jail In Georgia,” “Back On The Horse,” and “Hugs, Bunnies, Cookies & Deer.” The project is also expected to feature a collaboration with Shania Twain.
In early February of 2024, Yung Gravy sat down with Zach Sang on The Zach Sang Show to discuss the status of his upcoming country album.
“Working on some country music… the era this year is the Gravy Country era,” he told the show’s host at the time. During the conversation with Sang, Yung Gravy revealed that the project is nearly completed and that he and his team were “finalizing” the project, which at the time was “almost done.” He also shared that he worked on the project for over six months.
Inspired by Morgan Wallen, HARDY
While chatting with Zach Sang, Yung Gravy added that he was inspired to create Country music after meeting artists such as Morgan Wallen and HARDY.
“I met a few country artists… [and] I think there’s this cute little connection where country artists would love to be a rapper and I started feeling like the opposite,” he explained. “I was like, ‘you know, I think I want to be a country guy.’ So, like Morgan Wallen, HARDY and a lot of those guy kind of got me hip to the Country world.”
Working With Shania Twain
Yung Gravy then opened up about meeting country music icon Shania Twain, who took him under her wing and wanted to work with him to create country music.
“It was almost a year ago at a GRAMMY party when I met Shania Twain, and we got along really well, and she just saw something in me… she started flying me out places, and we made a lot of music together,” he continued. “We just got along really well [and] within a couple of weeks we got a session in, and it just came out really well… I guess you wouldn’t expect it, but we had such good chemistry in the studio every time.”
The songs that he has recorded with Twain are “love songs,” according to the rapper.
Fell In Love With Country Music Storytelling
The singer also admitted that at first he was skeptical about country music, but as he continued to listen to the genre, he fell in love with it.
“Once I started listening to more and more country, I related to a lot of the songs…” he added. “When I started listening to more and more of it, I was like this is just quality storytelling, like you know, at first I had the same impression as some people who listen to country for the first time. I was like oh they’re just talking about fishing, drinking and whatever, and then I was like this is just relatable life right here.”
While the project is a country album, he does detail that he put his own “Gravy spin” on the project, which he worked with country artists such as Twain, Zac Brown of the Zac Brown Band as well as country rappers Shaboozey, Yelawolf and more.
On Tour Throughout Summer and Fall
Additionally, Yung Gravy remains on the road throughout the summer and fall with several headlining dates on the books. He is scheduled to appear at festivals such as Governor’s Ball, and will head to Australia and New Zealand to play shows with his friend and collaborator, bbno$.
Yung Gravy Upcoming Tour Dates
May
26 Vancouver, BC Malkin Bowl, BB’s Bonanza
June
7 Queens, NY Governors Ball Music Festival
July
3 Del Mar, CA San Diego County Fair
5 West Fargo, ND Red River Valley Fair Grandstand
15 Auckland, NZ Powerstation
17 Brisbane, AUS Fortitude Music Hall
19 Wayville, AUS Spin Off Festival
20 West Melbourne, AUS Festival Hall
21 East Sydney, AUS Hordern Pavillion
23 Perth, AUS Centenary Warehouse
