Michael Ray at 'Stars and Strings'

Following the release of his Dive Bars & Broken Hearts EP in June, Michael Ray says there’s more new music on the way and it falls in the same vulnerable category that fans connected with on his last project. “One of my hardest problems my whole life was just showing vulnerability,” Ray shared, admitting it took seeing other artists open up to help him gain confidence to share his truth . “Growin’ up in a divorced home, it was kinda chaotic there for many years and I didn’t want anybody to ever see that part.” He continued, “Then I realized through COVID and different things; 1. God’s given me this platform [and 2.] the reason I felt like I could sing [about personal things] is because Tracy Lawrence sang it, or Joe Diffie, or Kenny Chesney, or whomever I was listening to showed some vulnerability. I learned, ‘Oh, there’s somebody else going through that.’ That opened my eyes up.” After many years avoiding his emotions, Ray says they’re now a large inspiration in his songwriting which will be apparent on the next project with songs like, “Hold.” “There’s one called ‘Hold’ that I love,” he said of new music in the works. “Life goes by fast and there’s a lot of things that distract us and you put your time into a lot of things that can waste your energy. There’s things you gotta let go of in life, but the things that mean the most you gotta hold.” “I feel like you don't go through anything in life by accident… I think there’s a reason and I think sometimes you go through those things because sometimes maybe your blind to what you need to be changing. All of a sudden, your foundation gets rocked and you figure some stuff out. I think just lookin’ back on the last 4 years and just goin’ ‘You know what, screw it. I’m just gonna be myself and show this is where I’m at and who I am.’” While Ray didn’t share any specific dates can can expect this new, revealing music, it’s definitely in the works as he has plans to continue cutting music in February 2024. Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal