Fresh off celebrating his 10th #1 hit with “Outskirts,” Sam Hunt is reflecting on where it all began and how far he’s come from his “moody” ways.

Chatting with Audacy's Rob + Holly during the Friday Night Takeover, Hunt reflected on one of his first #1 songs, “House Party,” saying he originally did not want to release it.

“I wanted to be a more serious, poignant songwriter and I thought it [‘House Party’] was silly,” Hunt shared. “Early on in my career, all my songs were moody and serious. I still have those songs — but after putting out ‘House Party,’ putting that one out reluctantly and seeing it do well and how well it did at the shows… A lot of the folks who come out to the show want to smile and have a good time.”

Hunt admits seeing “House Party” top the charts and the fans react positively at live shows changed his perspective completely and revealed to him not all of his music has to be perfectly penned to have an impact on fans.

“I have to check myself and remind myself, ‘You’re a fan of songs that are fun and happy,’” he said. “‘How many songs do you play around the house that are sort of guilty pleasures that when you put your artist hat on, you may not say, ‘there’s so much depth to this song, that’s so lyrically powerful,’ but it makes you feel good.”

While he still prides himself in top notch songwriting, Sam admits he makes it a point to release good time anthems from time to time which is exactly what he did with the track, “Country House,” on his latest EP, Locked Up.

"I’ve made a point since then to go out of my way to play to that sect of our audience and ‘Country House’ is one of those songs that lives in that world,” Sam said after describing the track and “lightweight and fun.”

Hear “Country House,” on Sam’s newest EP, Locked Up, in addition to “Last Hurrah,” “Outskirts,” and the title track, available now. Plus, catch up on all details surrounding his “Locked Up” music video and more by checking out his entire conversation with Audacy’s Rob + Holly above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Rob + Holly