Parker McCollum is being recognized as one of the year’s biggest breakthrough artists at the CMT Music Awards on April 11. Parker will be one of six artists to perform on the Ram Trucks Side Stage during the show, giving him a chance to showcase his talents to a wide audience. Additionally, Parker’s music video for “To Be Loved By You” is nominated for Breakthrough Video of the Year.
The past year has been huge for Parker, as “To Be Loved By You” went to number one at country radio and made an impressive showing on the Billboard charts. What viewers may not know, though, is that Parker has been at this for quite a while. Learn more about the star below!
1. How Did Parker McCollum Get Famous?
Parker grew up in Texas with a family who exposed him to various different kinds of country music, as well as other genres. He was in his elementary school orchestra, and then learned guitar when he was 13. He began writing songs, releasing his first EP in 2013. Parker performed throughout Texas for years, and even dropped a debut album, The Limestone Kid, in 2015. However, he started getting more national recognition with the release of his EP, Probably Wrong: Session One, in 2017. Session Two was released two months later, followed by the full album that November.
In 2019, Parker signed a record deal with Universal Music Group and released his first single on a major label, “Pretty Heart.” The song went to no. 1 at country radio and hit no. 4 on the Country Billboard charts. His album, Gold Chain Cowboy, was released in July 2021 — the same year as the success of his song, “To Be Loved By You.”
2. Parker Won The 1st Award He Was Nominated For
At the 2022 ACM Awards in March 2022, Parker won the honor of New Male Artist of the Year. It was the first time he was ever nominated for something at an awards show, and he took it home!
3. Who Is Parker McCollum Married To?
Parker started dating Hallie Ray Light in 2019 and he proposed in July 2021. The two finally tied the knot in March 2022. Prior to the engagement, though, Parker and Hallie briefly broke up. “We actually broke up at the end of [2020] for some goofy reason,” he explained. “I don’t even remember what the reason was. “We were still broken up [when I performed at the Opry], and we were trying to work things out. I walked off stage that night like, ‘I don’t ever want to do anything like this again without her here.'”
4. Where Did Parker McCollum Go To College?
After graduating from high school at The Woodlands College Park High School, Parker briefly attended Austin Community College. “I knew I wanted to try to be a full-time musician eventually, so I went to ACC for, I would say, two semesters and a summer semester,” he revealed. “Then eventually, I knew that I was wasting time sitting in classrooms and I had to go out there and try to do it. I got lucky and it kind of paid off a little bit.”
5. Who Has Parker McCollum Toured With?
During the summer of 2022, Parker will be on the road with Thomas Rhett. He has also opened for artists like Sam Hunt, Dierks Bentley and more.