Drake Milligan is keeping the classic sounds of country music alive thanks to his new EP Jukebox Songs.
The 25-year-old’s latest project, which dropped on music streaming platforms on Friday (February 16), features four brand-new tracks that showcase Milligan’s melodic voice and fiery twang thanks to his one-of-a-kind nostalgic yet timeless sound that he tells Celeb Secrets was his ultimate goal when making this record.
“All I was looking for with this EP was exactly kind of what it’s saying,” Drake tells Celeb Secrets host Juliet Schroder exclusively in a virtual interview. “I was looking for songs that would fit in some old jukebox in a dusty old honky tonk somewhere in Texas… those kind of jukebox songs. My goal was to look for and write songs that felt classic.”
Putting his heart and soul into Jukebox Songs, Drake says one of his proudest moment came from making “What I Couldn’t Forget,” as its reminiscent of early 2000s George Strait — something the 25-year-old grew up on — and co-written with Derek Bahr and Marv Green, who wrote some of Drake’s favorite songs of all time.
“[‘What I Couldn’t Forget’] is a song I wrote with Marv Green and Derek Bahr. Marv is one of those guys I’ve gone to for a long time for writing songs. We’ve written a ton of songs together, and he’s written some of my favorite songs for George Strait that I listen to all the time,” he shares. “It’s one of those where it has that kind of catchy melody to it, and I really feel like we captured that kind of early 2000s George Strait vibe with that one. So I’m really excited for people to hear that one and get to play it live. It’s a really feel good song, too.”
Jukebox Songs also features “Don’t Leave Me Loving You,” which Milligan performed during his appearance on America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League earlier in January, “I Got A Problem (Full Length),” and “Jukebox Songs and Barstool Beers.”
Speaking on returning to the AGT stage to perform new music, Drake tells Celeb Secrets, “It’s fun being on that stage and being in front of those cameras — it’s really kind of exhilarating — so it was a ton of fun to get to go do that show and play some new songs on there.”
“It was great, and getting to kind of do it on that stage where, you know, you have the lights and everything’s kind of structured towards the song… it’s really cool,” he continues.
Up next, Drake will head overseas for once-in-a-lifetime performances in Germany, returning to the Country to Country (C2C) stage in Berlin, Rotterdam, Belfast, Glasgow and ending at The O2 Arena in London. He’ll also be hitting the road as a special guest opener on ten dates of Cody Johnson‘s The Leather Tour, and he says it will not only be a “learning curve” with playing big arenas, but also “great” to tour with “one of his heroes.”
“Cody’s been a guy that I’ve looked up to for so many years; just the way he performs his songs, his singing… it’s going to be a great start this year to get on the road with Cody,” Drake says.
“He watched our set last year at Rock the South…. he made a point to come out. I looked side stage and there was Cody sitting there watching our set, and I’m going, ‘oh, no, I better not mess up.’ I wound up talking to him afterwards and he was very nice,” he continues.
“I actually just played the Grand Ole Opry this past week, and he was on the bill that night. He made a point to come up to me and say hi to my mom, which meant a lot. He also shared really supportive stuff and gave me some really good advice for coming out the road this year. He’s been really great to me so far already,” he concludes.
For more on Drake’s music and plans for 2024, watch our full interview below. Don’t forget to let us know if you’re loving Jukebox Songs by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post of by sliding into our DMs on Instagram at @celebsecrets.
You can connect with Drake by giving him a follow on Instagram at @drakemilligan, and see if he’s playing in a city near you by visiting his website here.
LISTEN TO “JUKEBOX SONGS” HERE:
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