Drake White Recalls the Tragic Backstory of His Song ‘Girl in Pieces’
Country singer Drake White has been teasing the upcoming video for his single "Girl in Pieces," which is set to drop Monday (July 23). White is clearly excited about it, as the song is special to him: While he didn’t write the song himself, he certainly could have.
From the moment White heard the tune (written by Busbee, Brad Tursi and Troy Verges), he knew in his heart who it seemed to be talking about—his wife, Alex.
“She was married a couple years before [we met] and it ended bad,” White tells Taste of Country in the back of his tour bus before his show at Windy City Smokeout in Chicago July 14. “The guy she married was a drug addict, and he’s better now I guess, but it just was a bad thing. A lot happened, you know?”
White, who has actually known Alex since high school, realized that after her failed marriage she didn’t quite seem like herself. “Alex had always been one of those people who was always full of energy and glowing,” explains the Alabama native, whose Pieces EP was released back in May. “We were in our 20s and I had come back for Christmas break to my hometown, and I saw Alex. But this time, I saw a girl that had been, over the years, just beat down—not literally or physically, but just beat down-like struggling."
From there, White committed to helping Alex through her troubles, constantly reminding her how amazing he thought she was. Together, they would eventually not only find a way to see the light again, but also fall madly in love.
The two married in 2014.
“She’s made me so much better as a person,” says White. “I’m very careful with the songs I choose to cut. It’s got to speak to me, and [“Girl in Pieces”] was one that spoke to me. While the song is fun, it really is a serious matter. Everybody needs to be picked up now and then.”
Because while the world can look awfully pretty these days (thanks to social media and a whole lot of filters!), White stresses that everyone finds his or herself in pieces once in a while.
“Everybody has s--t,” White says. “I truly believe we live in the best time. And yes, I love social media because it allows you to do a lot of stuff—but man, its got its place and you have to draw a line and say ‘Not today. I’m going to go out and raft the river, and go out and climb the mountain and go hiking. Or, I’m gonna go shopping, and we are going to have dinner and we are going to have this conversation with this individual. You just got to do that.”
And yes, he’s doing that, right alongside Alex.
“She’s unbelievable,” White gushes. “She’s way better in person than even what everyone is seeing on her Instagram and stuff. She’s just incredible. And having her in my life came to be because I let go and trusted God, for sure. I feel very lucky.”
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