Sam Riggs Exposes Raw Emotion in Passionate New Single, ‘Don’t Stop Now’ [Exclusive Premiere]
Rising country sensation Sam Riggs is looking to take his career to new heights with the release of his new single, "Don't Stop Now." The new song smooths some of his rough sonic edges, but still retains the uncompromising honesty that has always driven Riggs' songwriting.
"Don't Stop Now" finds Riggs yearning for a lover who's got such a powerful hold on him that he feels helpless, even while he's scared of losing control.
"I can feel the way you move me / Every look just goes right through me / You could be the one that takes me down / But I just can't help it / Every kiss you take me closer / To the edge, pull me over / You've got me high above the ground / So baby don't stop now," Riggs sings in the aching chorus.
The track pairs a ringing electric guitar with an acoustic bed, but explodes into power chords when Riggs reaches the second chorus. A blazing electric solo tops off the song. It's powerful but polished, adding an extra layer to Riggs' sound that pulls him slightly closer to the mainstream without alienating existing fans.
"When I was writing 'Don’t Stop Now,' the idea was to express the way a person can feel helpless to the chemistry they have with someone," Riggs tells us. "Letting our guard down can sometimes be the most difficult aspect of giving in to the raw emotion of love, and can leave us feeling exposed and in danger of being forsaken in the end... but in the end we give in anyway, because the helplessness gives way to a feeling of invincibility when you form that kind of connection with the right person. And the last thing you want is for it to stop."
Riggs escaped a "tumultuous" childhood in Florida by moving to Austin after high school, choosing it over Nashville because his aunt lived there. Obsessed with country music ever since seeing Garth Brooks live when he was 10, Riggs split his time between community college, a welding gig and music until a mentor at school told him he was meant to be out doing music, not studying it. After the great recession in 2007, Riggs gambled on himself by selling his welding equipment and his truck to finance his second EP, Lighthouse, in 2012.
It paid off in growing attention and increased ticket sales, and Riggs put together a band and began a life as a hard-working musician. He's been growing his career in the Texas scene ever since, and now he's expanding into the mainstream. His most recent release, 2016's Breathless, debuted at No. 12 on Billboard's Hot Country Album chart.
"Don't Stop Now" is the third song Riggs has released from his next project, the upcoming EP Love & Panic. He's offering up one song per month for four months, and the project will also contain unreleased songs His goal this time around is to debut in the Top 10.
"Life is full of mountains," he says. "I have to have something to climb. As soon as I climb one mountain peak, I'm looking for the next one, and that's sort of what music has been for me all along."
"Don't Stop Now" is available now via a variety of digital music retailers. For more information about Sam Riggs, please visit his official website, or follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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