John Driskell Hopkins releases long-awaited new album

ATLANTA - As a founding member of Georgia’s own Zac Brown Band, John Driskell Hopkins has already performed on stages around the world, delivered chart-topping hits, and collected multiple Grammy Awards.

Now, the songwriter and musician is going back to basics, focusing on a more acoustic and intimate sound with his new solo album, "Lonesome High."

"Lonesome High" will be released Friday, and features collaborations with Zac Brown Band groupmate Coy Bowles and Emily Saliers of the Grammy-winning duo Indigo Girls.

"[Saliers] is a hero of mine and I see Coy, in a regular world, every week and spend lots of time with him. All my collaborators are either people that are really close to me or people that I really admire that I want to get closer to. You become a better artist when you're able to collaborate with other artists," says the musician.

It’s been a long road toward release for "Lonesome High," which the artist says was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We ended up finishing it in the spring-summer of last year and were going to put it out in the fall, and the pandemic just never went away," Hopkins said. "And so, now, we're embracing the fact that we're going to just put the music out there without being able to immediately tour in support of it, and I think that's the best way forward."

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But with songs like "Missing You All, All the Time," the Grammy winner says perhaps the current climate of isolation and social distance will bring an added layer of meaning to his music.

"I never thought that my song 'Missing You All, All the Time' would be so poignant in this moment," he says.  "Once you've locked down for three months you just start to wonder what life really is. It's like, your whole reality changes. Until you get those bubbles going, you do miss everyone all, all the time. And we're just having to learn to live a new way."

Click here for more information on John Driskell Hopkins.  "Lonesome High" will be available on all major music platforms Friday.

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