Leave the Light On

Bailey Zimmerman’s journey from blue-collar worker to breakout country star is unique. The 22-year-old Illinois native didn’t even know he could sing until he was 20. “I could always follow a melody really well, but I never sang in front of nobody. I just would do it sometimes,” he tells Apple Music’s Kelleigh Bannen. “My whole life, I’ve sang, I guess. But everybody sings. When I first started [thinking], ‘Oh crap, maybe I can actually be an artist,’ was in December 2020; I just thought my voice was really cool.” During that month, the singer-songwriter decided to put a video of himself singing “Stay” by Black Stone Cherry on Snapchat, which caught the attention of up-and-coming songwriter Gavin Lucas. The two came together and wrote the first verse of “Never Comin’ Home”, which gained 1.8 million views when Zimmerman posted it on his TikTok. From there, he decided to turn in his union card and pursue becoming a country artist. “The first thing I did, I didn’t even go out of my room to tell my mom, I just called the union I was in and I said, ‘Hey, I quit,’” he says. On his debut EP <i>Leave the Light On</i>, Zimmerman tells a story about the heartbreak, sadness and anger he experienced while dealing with a difficult break-up. Whether it’s about longing for someone (“Waiting”), dealing with the complicated emotions that come with a split (“Trainwreck”) or letting go (“House on Fire”), each of the nine songs takes listeners on a journey full of emotional, vulnerable and angsty lyrics layered over rock-influenced country music. With the re-release of Zimmerman’s EP <i>Leave the Light On</i>, the Up Next star added three reimagined tracks (“Fall in Love”, “Rock and a Hard Place” and “Where It Ends”) for a special Apple Music Session in Nashville.