Who Is The Country Singer Michael Ray?

Have you heard of the new country artist Michael Ray making is way up the charts with his hit "Kiss You In The Morning"? Here's a few facts about this up and comer. 

1) Fishes and Hunts

Raised in rural central Florida an hour from Orlando, but world’s away, Ray grew up hunting alligators and fishing for tarpon at the end of white sand dirt roads.

2) His First Big Concert Was Garth Brooks

This show in Orlando would play a huge role for how Michael Ray developed his sound:

“I started watching everything Garth did. And Gary Allan came out with ‘It Would Be You.’ I started listening to my generation’s country. And then I started listening to my generation’s punk. And my generation’s rock ‘n’ roll, my generation’s R&B, even a little bit of hip-hop. I could relate to all of this stuff.”"

 

 3) He's No Stranger To Reality TV

Do you remember him winning the CW reality show The Next in 2012?

4) His Grandfather Introduced Him To Country Music

His grandfather used to do a Sunday morning gospel show on the radio, this is where he learned to play and listen to country music.

“When I was 9 years old I wanted to learn how to play. I started playing guitar with my grandfather. Two, three nights a week we’d play community centers, Moose Lodges, assisted living homes, the VFW. I grew up with him on very, very old country music, I grew up playing Porter Wagoner, Bobby Bare, Earl Thomas Conley, Merle Haggard, Waylon - that was my first introduction to country music.”

Pretty cool right?

5) He Likes To Kiss

His new single finds him kissing his lover at any and every opportunity:

“I wanna kiss you in the parking lot / Under the moonlight / Kiss you running red lights / Baby set the mood right, just like / Everything you’re doing to me right now is making me crazy,” he sings to begin the chorus before:

“I wanna kiss you on the dancefloor / Kiss you like a lets go, come on / Baby let me hear you say oh, oh / I wanna kiss you with the neon light in your eyes glowing / Then I wanna kiss you in the morning.”