Koe Wetzel may be one of the biggest artists of 2024, but he's certainly no rookie. The 31-year-old country-rock singer-songwriter has been releasing albums for nearly a decade, with a big sound that's rooted in country but also mixes in plenty of alternative rock and Americana. His hard-hitting (and sometimes uncomfortably personal) lyrics have helped him develop quite a following. In 2022 he made his presence felt for the first time at Advertising sign chart with the anthem “Creeps,” which reached the top 30 on Hot Country Songs and the top 15 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs.
Now, Wetzel has reached the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time with a song that incorporates a new genre into his usual mix. “We kind of wanted it to have a little bit of an R&B feel,” he says of the soulful “Sweet Dreams,” which entered the Hot 100 at No. 47 on the June 1 chart. from a beatpad. I said, “I think it would be really cool if we just set up a smaller kit, tighten up the drum a little bit, and give it that tampon sound.” I think it really set the mood for that song a little bit more, to give it that R&B feel.”
“Sweet Dreams” is Wetzel's long-awaited first taste of Hot 100 success, but it likely won't be his only one for long — “High Road,” a new duet with country and pop hitmaker Jessie Murph that came out just weeks later, it is expected to follow it on next week's Hot 100 (dated June 22). Both are set to be featured on the up-and-coming country-rocker's upcoming album 9 Livesdue out July 19th on Columbia, which will be followed by the Damn Near Normal World tour, which will take Wetzel across the US and then into Europe this late summer and into the fall.
Below, Wetzel chats with Advertising sign about his chart success, the factors that led to his recent crossover success, and the unexpected cover song he has planned for this album cycle.
How did 'Sweet Dreams' first come together?
We were in the studio writing – actually, a different song – and it wasn't going anywhere. So we took a step back, like, “Do we want to go in a different direction?” I wrote in my notes, probably two weeks ago, “It's hard to have sweet dreams when I'm such a nightmare.” And we had a guitar lick that we made a few days before on the road during the tour. We went in and the song almost wrote itself. It came out quick and easy.
When you say “Us”, who were the other key players in the song?
It was Gabe [Simon, co-writer/producer]and then it was [co-writer] Amy Allen — she was a huge influence on that. He does a lot more pop music and it's something I'm not really used to, working with someone who's in the pop world. My guitarist Josh Serrato, he comes up with the melody for it, and the lick on it. Man, it turned out really good.
“Sweet Dreams” has many lyrical similarities to your last single before it, “Damn Near Normal”, including themes of insomnia and self-medication. Were these songs either inspired by the same time or put together at the same time?
Yeah, the mood was in the same realm – we wrote those songs probably within 24 hours of each other. So we were still in that mood, the same air of the song.
Is there anything you feel comfortable sharing about the personal meaning behind these songs?
Yes, absolutely. Many of my songs come from personal experiences, past relationships or [whatever]. This song wasn't about a specific personal relationship or past relationship. It was just kind of multiple relationships—and then it was bounced off of people who had similar relationship issues, and then they put it all together.
When you heard the finished product of the song for the first time, did you feel, “Is this going to be a song that takes me to a new level?”
I mean, we knew it was good. We didn't really have a plan for it. It was so different from the rest of the record, different from anything I'd done before. So I was excited to have this kind of side music from the country-rock that I'm usually used to. When we first heard it, we were like, “Man, that's cool, that's a different sound for us.” We didn't expect people to dig it the way they did, but we're glad they did.
You've been building step-by-step momentum with your audience, gaining a bigger foothold in the stream. Do you feel like this song has the immediate effects it does is more a matter of it being a different sonic feel than your others, or is it just good timing?
I think the timing is just great right now, because like you said, with “Damn Near Normal” and the other songs we teased, people got behind [everything] because I feel like it's something they've been waiting for me for a long time. The last five albums have had the same similar sound. So this is me breaking out of it and trying a new sound. I never wanted to have the exact same sound all the time. I think the way these songs are going in a different direction and people having the response that they are — especially after what I've put out the last five records — is awesome.
You talked about teasing new music. Is that something that comes naturally to you, that kind of promotional aspect of TikTok? Is that fun for you, or is it just, “This is the job, this is how we have to do these things”?
Yeah, for me, it's not really [that fun]. This is the first time we've teased the entire record. But I mean, in this world today, with social media and the way TikTok works and all that, man, it's so vital to do it. It helps so much. Times are changing and it's very nice to see.
The week after “Sweet Dreams” debuted, the biggest debut on the Hot 100 was Zach Bryan's “Pink Skies.” You guys don't necessarily do the same thing, but do you feel like his success has opened up more opportunities for guys working in the alt-country, country-rock lane, whatever you want to call it?
Yes, absolutely. Zach Bryan, like you said, opens up a whole new world in country music or whatever genre you want to call it. Because [listeners] look at “Pink Skies,” they go look at “Something in the Orange,” whatever Zach has been up to. And he sets them up for other artists who have the same sound. So all it does is bring more people into our world — it's incredible for all of us.
Do you have any other plans for “Sweet Dreams” now that it's out? Is there anything that keeps it in the spotlight given its success?
No, I think we'll let it take its time. Especially when the record comes out, it will make a little more sense. It's one of those songs that completes the sound of the album. So I think we'll let it have its day in the sun — and that's why we put it out as a single. We didn't want it to be ignored on the record.
Anything fans can expect on the album or tour that they wouldn't expect or maybe wouldn't be obvious from what you've already done?
We did a cover of XXXTENTACION's “Depression & Obsession”. It will be on deluxe after the disc comes out. He was one of my favorite underground rap artists and I always like to throw something a little left field on my records. I put my own spin on it, and I'm really excited for people to hear it.
“Sweet Dreams” is a pretty well-traveled song title in music history. Do you have a favorite 'Sweet Dreams' from the past, whether it's Eurythmics or Patsy Cline or Beyoncé?
Oh, man. Whatever comes to mind, no, [not] right now. I thought I was the only one who thought of “Sweet Dreams”! And then, like you said, a lot of people said, “Well, there's this song, and this song…” I said, “Sh-t. Maybe I'm not as smart as I thought I was.”
A version of this story originally appeared in the June 8, 2024, issue Advertising sign.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/country/koe-wetzel-sweet-dreams-song-9-lives-1235710177/
