Brett Young is well aware that his life could have turned out entirely differently than what he has now. The 44-year-old is opening up about his life with his wife, Taylor, whom he wed in 2018. The two reconnected after dating for a long time and splitting up, unaware that they would end up as happily married parents of two daughters, Presley and Rowan.
“We hadn’t spoken in two years,” Young recalls. “And when we started talking again, we realized pretty quickly that all the love was still there and that we both still had feelings. And so, the conversation was very clear-cut. It was basically, ‘I’m not interested in dating you again. If we’re getting back together, we’re getting married, we’re starting a family, we’re committing to the whole thing.’ So, it was like no beating around the bush. And I think both of us needed that because before that, we had been together for a little over six years. ”
Even before the two reconnected, Taylor had a strong reaction, after hearing her then-ex-boyfriend on the radio, while she was driving to work.
“I didn’t even look down at my radio to see Brett Young and his name,” she tells People. “I instantly heard his voice, and I pulled over to the side of the road and felt like I was hyperventilating.
“It was really hard because it brought up a lot of emotion, but I was also so proud of him,” she adds.
The two were younger when they started dating, and also in entirely different places in their lives, with neither of them ready to fully commit the first time around. But when they got back together, Young knew that was it for him.
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“The fact that we had never had the marriage conversation before was probably the problem in the relationship,” Young reflects. “Or the problem in the relationship was the reason we hadn’t had that conversation. So, we got back together … and we decided that what we’re not going to question is what happens next. We’re getting married, we’re starting a family, and if we have any questions down the road, we’re committed to work through it.”
Committed, indeed. Young recently revealed that he and Taylor opted not to have a prenup, removing any possibility of ever splitting up down the road. That decision is what inspired his song, “If This Doesn’t Work Out,” from his latest 2.0 album, out now.
“I said, ‘I’m not starting a marriage with a ‘If this doesn’t work out,’” Young tells American Songwriter. “I’m so not doing that. A song idea was born: when you get married, you’re not just sharing your heart; you’re sharing everything. Nothing against people that go in with all the contingency plans, but I’m the type that has to go all in. That’s one of my favorite, most romantic expressions of love.”
Young also quit drinking, so he could be the best version of himself for Taylor and their young girls.
“I don’t even drink anymore,” Young tells American Songwriter, adding that some of the songs on 2.0 are ten years old. “Having songs about ex-girlfriends and drinking on a record when I’m married with children and don’t drink anymore wouldn’t be real. This was a creative way of going back and giving Brett ten years ago to the fans that met Brett ten years ago.”
Find 2.0 and all of Young’s music and upcoming shows at BrettYoungMusic.com.