Jimmie Allen’s Feeling ‘Unwell’ and Frankly, We’re All Better for It [Watch]
Jimmie Allen blew the roof off of Matchbox Twenty's hit "Unwell" during this acoustic cover performance. The "Best Shot" hitmaker says the song is important to his musical journey and proves it during a breathtaking final chorus.
The newest 2019 Taste of Country RISER calls himself the world's biggest Matchbox Twnety fan, a fan who in recent years has become friends with singer Rob Thomas. Still, this song boils down to how it approaches insecurities and personal unrest, something Allen has recently begun to open up about in discussing his bi-polar diagnosis.
"Unwell" charted on several U.S. Billboard charts after being released from Matchbox Twenty's More Than You Think You Are album in 2003. Allen was a teenager at the time — he wouldn't move to Nashville until several years later. The song has always stuck with him as important, something you feel as he sings the suddenly personal lyrics. He's not shy when it comes to revealing his insecurities.
"I feel like especially as entertainers, so much of your life is on social media to where you don't want to be too personal, so you just put up the cool stuff," he says. "A lot of times people might fall in love with who you are, the person on stage, the confidence you have in interviews and on stage, but the insecurities — they may see things they may not like about you that you may not like about yourself. That's the scary part of getting to know someone. You second guess yourself all the time."
Watch Jimmie Allen's RISERS Version of "Make Me Want To":
Allen became the second Taste of Country RISER of 2019, following Cody Johnson and a star-studded 2018 class led by Lindsay Ell and Morgan Wallen. New RISERS are announced quarterly, with each artist playing an original and an important cover song before sitting for an in-depth interview.
When "Best Shot" hit No. 1 in 2018, Allen became the first black country singer to score a career No.1 with a debut single at country radio. His debut album is titled Mercury Lane. Look for Allen on tour with Rascal Flatts in 2019 as well as at WE Fest in Detroit Lakes, Minn., in August.
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