Drake Milligan‘s Jukebox Songs EP is out on Friday, February 16. The four-song project is Milligan’s masterful creation of the kind of music he loves, with his own unique and modern twist.
“The name of the record is Jukebox Songs, and that’s exactly what I was going for,” Milligan tells Everything Nash. “I was going for songs that you could find on some old dusty jukebox, something that may fit in with ‘Neon Moon’ or some of my favorite Gary Stewart songs or something like that. That’s exactly what I was going for, just songs that kind of feel classic, and keep that kind of tradition going.”
Included on Jukebox Songs is “Don’t Leave Me Loving You,” his current single, which he performed on America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League.
“The first time I heard it, that melody just really stuck out to me, and it just felt like this is something that could have been a hit in the ’90s,” explains the singer. “It’s a lot of fun to sing, and I think it’s a song that a bunch of people can relate to. I think everybody’s kind of felt that way, whether it’s when a relationship ends that maybe it would be a lot easier to get over somebody if you didn’t love them so much. So it really kind of resonated with me, and hopefully with a lot of people too.”
Milligan has plenty of dates on the calendar this year, including numerous shows overseas. Wherever he is, the Texas native can’t wait to perform the song live.
“It’s a lot of fun to sing,” Milligan shares. “I love ballads, I love singing sad songs. A lot of my favorite singers had a lot of great ballads, so it’s a ton of fun to sing live.”
Milligan is a talented singer and performer, but he’s also a talented songwriter, a craft he continues to work on as much as possible.
“We’ve been off the road the last few weeks, and I’ve spent all that time just here in Nashville writing,” Milligan reveals. “At a certain point when you start writing songs, and get to be a part of this Nashville community of songwriters — and great songwriters — it’s kind of addicting. You can’t stop. It is not like you can shut off the songwriter switch … You get an idea and it fires back up. So, it’s been great.”
Milligan has already had success as a songwriter, not only by recording his own songs, but having his musical heroes record some of his tunes as well.
“I had that Ronnie Dunn cut, which was kind of the first time somebody I’ve looked up to so much has cut one of my songs, and felt so great about it,” Milligan says. “And then last year, I got a Tim McGraw cut as well, a song called ‘Paper Umbrellas’ on his album, Standing Room Only. So it definitely ignites the fire a little more. I want to get some more songs recorded. It’s such a great time, I think, for country music too.
“It’s a really inspiring time for somebody like me. ’cause I see all these opportunities of, if I write a song tomorrow, who knows who’s gonna cut it,” he continues. “Maybe my next single may be a song that does well for me, or it could be something that one of my heroes cuts. So it’s just inspiring and it keeps me going.”
Milligan already has plans for plenty more music after the release of Jukebox Songs.
“I’m chomping at the bit to get in there and cut another record,” Milligan, who released his debut Dallas/Fort Worth album in 2022, hints. “There are no real plans for that now. But I’m always looking at songs. I’m always writing songs. I’m always looking for songs. So after the EP comes out, I want to be trying to get back in there and work on the record as soon as possible.”
Find Jukebox Songs and all Milligan’s upcoming shows at DrakeMilligan.com.
