The C2C Sit Down with Zach Meadows
Zach Meadows is a rising star in the country music scene, whose unique blend of folk, rock, and soul is capturing the hearts of audiences across the globe. Originally from Orlando, Florida, Meadows is heading over to play his first UK shows at London's Country to Country Festival. Not only is he part of the London event, but Meadows will also be appearing in Berlin and Rotterdam alongside opening for Lainey Wilson on the European leg of her 2025 Whirlwind World Tour.
We are looking forward to you heading our way in really just a few days' time now.
Yeah, we're leaving on Saturday. It's crazy. It's crazy, it's coming up so quick.
You've got quite an extended trip coming up, because you're playing London, Rotterdam, and Berlin C2C festivals, and then you're also out supporting Lainey Wilson as well on four dates.
Yeah, we got four support shows with Lainey and a handful of the C2C dates as well. It's crazy. I'm coming to all these places for the first time. You know, it's truly surreal.
Is it going to be your first time in Europe ever, or is it just first time playing over this week?
No, my first time in Europe ever. My wife and I have been through the UK once up in Scotland, and we paid Ireland a visit as well. But it'll be my first time in every city otherwise.
When you get these calls, is it something a case of, yes, straight in the diary, no questions asked?
Yeah, I mean, I'm kind of like that even here in the States, I say yes to pretty much any gig that comes my way. But yeah, that was one of the easiest yeses I think I've ever given in my life. It's crazy, incredible, truly wonderful.
And then how did the Lainey Wilson support dates come around?
It's insane to me. It just so happened that signing on with WME last year, my agent sent her agent the record when it first dropped and her agent sent it to her, she checked it out, and then reached out to me personally via text. A few months went by, and I was like, that was cool and then come to find that I'm on a shortlist for some European dates. It just so happened that she texted me to come on for a handful of these shows, and then everything else just kind of fell into place outside of that. It's a very surreal experience.
You get to visit some pretty cool places with her as well, because you've got Zurich, there's a date in Belgium, you've got Copenhagen, and you finished with Paris as well. Not a bad kind of way to finish of a European tour
It's crazy to think about, man. We're flying into Zurich on Saturday, it'll be my first time in Switzerland. My wife is coming with me and she's got some of her girlfriends flying out just for France, you know. It's incredible.
We are looking forward to you heading our way in really just a few days' time now.
Yeah, we're leaving on Saturday. It's crazy. It's crazy, it's coming up so quick.
You've got quite an extended trip coming up, because you're playing London, Rotterdam, and Berlin C2C festivals, and then you're also out supporting Lainey Wilson as well on four dates.
Yeah, we got four support shows with Lainey and a handful of the C2C dates as well. It's crazy. I'm coming to all these places for the first time. You know, it's truly surreal.
Is it going to be your first time in Europe ever, or is it just first time playing over this week?
No, my first time in Europe ever. My wife and I have been through the UK once up in Scotland, and we paid Ireland a visit as well. But it'll be my first time in every city otherwise.
When you get these calls, is it something a case of, yes, straight in the diary, no questions asked?
Yeah, I mean, I'm kind of like that even here in the States, I say yes to pretty much any gig that comes my way. But yeah, that was one of the easiest yeses I think I've ever given in my life. It's crazy, incredible, truly wonderful.
And then how did the Lainey Wilson support dates come around?
It's insane to me. It just so happened that signing on with WME last year, my agent sent her agent the record when it first dropped and her agent sent it to her, she checked it out, and then reached out to me personally via text. A few months went by, and I was like, that was cool and then come to find that I'm on a shortlist for some European dates. It just so happened that she texted me to come on for a handful of these shows, and then everything else just kind of fell into place outside of that. It's a very surreal experience.
You get to visit some pretty cool places with her as well, because you've got Zurich, there's a date in Belgium, you've got Copenhagen, and you finished with Paris as well. Not a bad kind of way to finish of a European tour
It's crazy to think about, man. We're flying into Zurich on Saturday, it'll be my first time in Switzerland. My wife is coming with me and she's got some of her girlfriends flying out just for France, you know. It's incredible.
Are you performing on your own, or are you bringing any band members with you?
I'm solo acoustic, man. My musical journey, solo acoustic, has been at the forefront of everything that I've done. I feel it's only right to come overseas and do the supporting slot. I love playing solo acoustic, truly. I'm excited for the opportunity to come out here and just present me and a guitar. That's how all the songs were written, so I think it's a cool means to express myself in front of a brand new audience.
Is this then going to be an opportunity to take it back to that day you wrote some of these songs?
Yeah, I think a lot of these people are already just going to be unfamiliar with my music. I think it's a great way to introduce them to the songs and how they were written. It's a cool thing that we have here in Nashville the culture of writers' rounds and songwriting, you hear all the songs, most of the time, for the first time stripped down acoustic. I think there's something to be said for just hearing a song in its rawest, most authentic form and I'm excited to be able to bring that over to the EU.
We always hear artist say we're such a listening crowd, and they say it's almost even more so in Germany and in Copenhagen as well. Is that something you're looking forward to, to kind of move away from the rowdy bar scene?
That's a songwriter's dream, you know, like being able to just play to a crowd of people who care, who want to listen to what you have to say because as somebody who is very, so much intentional, I think, with the words themselves and the message behind the song that's all anybody ever wants, somebody to like really hear what you're saying.
The great thing about these festivals you’re coming for is that you play multiple sets as well. In London you're doing two days and Berlin you play twice on the Friday.
Yeah, yeah, I'm back to back. I think it's like an 11 o'clock one and like a one o'clock one. So, you know, pretty much back to back sets, and then we have the rest of the day to just kind of explore Berlin or the area nearby them. I'm so excited for every single one of these cities, they all have something so incredibly unique to offer and the history is just so fascinating to me. We're going to be taking it all in every single day, man. Yeah, it's just incredible that we're even doing this to begin with.
You'll realise, especially in London, when you do these almost back-to-back sets and you do day-to-day, you'll kind of see people appear at the end of the first show and then they'll be there at the next show or the third show. You spot the same people at every single show, which I assume you don't really get at a festival in America, do you?
Not as much. I've only played like a couple small-town festivals here in the States. From what I understand, I guess the atmosphere is a little bit, the culture around live music is a little bit different in Europe versus America
I'm solo acoustic, man. My musical journey, solo acoustic, has been at the forefront of everything that I've done. I feel it's only right to come overseas and do the supporting slot. I love playing solo acoustic, truly. I'm excited for the opportunity to come out here and just present me and a guitar. That's how all the songs were written, so I think it's a cool means to express myself in front of a brand new audience.
Is this then going to be an opportunity to take it back to that day you wrote some of these songs?
Yeah, I think a lot of these people are already just going to be unfamiliar with my music. I think it's a great way to introduce them to the songs and how they were written. It's a cool thing that we have here in Nashville the culture of writers' rounds and songwriting, you hear all the songs, most of the time, for the first time stripped down acoustic. I think there's something to be said for just hearing a song in its rawest, most authentic form and I'm excited to be able to bring that over to the EU.
We always hear artist say we're such a listening crowd, and they say it's almost even more so in Germany and in Copenhagen as well. Is that something you're looking forward to, to kind of move away from the rowdy bar scene?
That's a songwriter's dream, you know, like being able to just play to a crowd of people who care, who want to listen to what you have to say because as somebody who is very, so much intentional, I think, with the words themselves and the message behind the song that's all anybody ever wants, somebody to like really hear what you're saying.
The great thing about these festivals you’re coming for is that you play multiple sets as well. In London you're doing two days and Berlin you play twice on the Friday.
Yeah, yeah, I'm back to back. I think it's like an 11 o'clock one and like a one o'clock one. So, you know, pretty much back to back sets, and then we have the rest of the day to just kind of explore Berlin or the area nearby them. I'm so excited for every single one of these cities, they all have something so incredibly unique to offer and the history is just so fascinating to me. We're going to be taking it all in every single day, man. Yeah, it's just incredible that we're even doing this to begin with.
You'll realise, especially in London, when you do these almost back-to-back sets and you do day-to-day, you'll kind of see people appear at the end of the first show and then they'll be there at the next show or the third show. You spot the same people at every single show, which I assume you don't really get at a festival in America, do you?
Not as much. I've only played like a couple small-town festivals here in the States. From what I understand, I guess the atmosphere is a little bit, the culture around live music is a little bit different in Europe versus America
You released your first album at the back end of last year. Is it quite nice to be able to do this trip so fresh off that release?
Yeah, it's a very humbling experience, for sure. Getting to do this so early on, I feel like, in my musical journey, in my career here in Nashville that I don't take it for granted. It's truly, giving this opportunity is a remarkable thing and I'm just trying to take it all in as it comes. We're very excited and very happy to be given the opportunity to do this.
With that album release, you've been steadily releasing music now since late 2023 before they all kind of came together in the album.
Yeah, yeah. When we first started working on this record, we originally just got into the studio with a handful of singles that we wanted to cut and release, which we did towards the end of 2023. We felt we had something there. We went back into the studio in early 2024 and finished off what would be the rest of the record and then released it later that year. It's been a really cool thing to watch how people receive the music. I feel like I've been playing to crowds for the last few years. I come from the bar scene and the restaurant scene. You're just kind of like background noise for a lot of years, so to have people, even with the small amount of touring that I've done here in the last couple of months, to have my music really start to resonate with people and have people tell me what they like and what they don't like about it, it's a really surreal feeling.
You had Gabe Lee on the production team and you’ve just been on tour supporting him. Has that been a bonus to keep that link going?
Yeah, man. I've been such a fan of Gabe before I even moved to Nashville, I was a big champion of Gabe's music. From the time he released Farmland, and he released his fourth record back in 2023. He continues to write music that is so compelling and so inspirational as a storyteller. It was a dream come true to be able to work with him on not just the record, but now to be able to hop on a handful of shows with him here and there. We're doing a few dates in North Carolina together at the end of May and a little bit in Atlanta as well. It's crazy to me that I was just a fan once upon a time. Seeing how our relationship has evolved over these last few years, man, it's cool.
Is this some of those pinch-me moments, having gone from being a fan to having Gabe producing the record for you and then inviting you along for shows and almost introducing you to his fan base, which ultimately is you?
Yeah, man. I've gotten better at really, especially these last couple of years, I've gotten better at appreciating just how incredible everything that's happening is, even the small moments in time. I think back five years ago, none of this stuff seemed remotely palpable. To see it unfold in real time is just crazy. It's a trip, man. I welcome every opportunity that comes my way and working with Gabe is just one of those other opportunities. That was just a very life-changing experience for me and it's opened up my eyes to a lot of things. It's given me a newfound appreciation and respect for the culture and the songwriting craft itself. Gabe has been such an inspiration to me in my musical journey, so it's really cool to work with him in any capacity.
With those tours, do you notice your streaming numbers and things going up from those shows and even from being announced to play over here?
I'm not very prevalent online. I think it's a given to say I don't have a lot of fanfare going for me, but it is cool. You get out and you make fans in real time. There's something to be said for the road dog lifestyle and the touring business. It's a tried and true method of getting out there and creating fans. To see my numbers start to go up here and there after a run in the Midwest. We just did a run in Florida last week. You see that reflect in your online numbers. It's a cool, it's a very reassuring experience.
Do you think making these early steps in your career, getting on those support shows, getting on Lainey's support shows, coming to play the C2C festivals, is that just the start of a next step for you?
Yeah, and that's what it's all about for me at the end of the day. When I try and visualize my career and its trajectory, I want it to be a live music focus. I want to get out and play shows on the road. I want to connect with people in real time. I want to see that expand. Truly, that's what I've always wanted out of music. I think that'll always be the forefront of my career, getting to play shows
Yeah, it's a very humbling experience, for sure. Getting to do this so early on, I feel like, in my musical journey, in my career here in Nashville that I don't take it for granted. It's truly, giving this opportunity is a remarkable thing and I'm just trying to take it all in as it comes. We're very excited and very happy to be given the opportunity to do this.
With that album release, you've been steadily releasing music now since late 2023 before they all kind of came together in the album.
Yeah, yeah. When we first started working on this record, we originally just got into the studio with a handful of singles that we wanted to cut and release, which we did towards the end of 2023. We felt we had something there. We went back into the studio in early 2024 and finished off what would be the rest of the record and then released it later that year. It's been a really cool thing to watch how people receive the music. I feel like I've been playing to crowds for the last few years. I come from the bar scene and the restaurant scene. You're just kind of like background noise for a lot of years, so to have people, even with the small amount of touring that I've done here in the last couple of months, to have my music really start to resonate with people and have people tell me what they like and what they don't like about it, it's a really surreal feeling.
You had Gabe Lee on the production team and you’ve just been on tour supporting him. Has that been a bonus to keep that link going?
Yeah, man. I've been such a fan of Gabe before I even moved to Nashville, I was a big champion of Gabe's music. From the time he released Farmland, and he released his fourth record back in 2023. He continues to write music that is so compelling and so inspirational as a storyteller. It was a dream come true to be able to work with him on not just the record, but now to be able to hop on a handful of shows with him here and there. We're doing a few dates in North Carolina together at the end of May and a little bit in Atlanta as well. It's crazy to me that I was just a fan once upon a time. Seeing how our relationship has evolved over these last few years, man, it's cool.
Is this some of those pinch-me moments, having gone from being a fan to having Gabe producing the record for you and then inviting you along for shows and almost introducing you to his fan base, which ultimately is you?
Yeah, man. I've gotten better at really, especially these last couple of years, I've gotten better at appreciating just how incredible everything that's happening is, even the small moments in time. I think back five years ago, none of this stuff seemed remotely palpable. To see it unfold in real time is just crazy. It's a trip, man. I welcome every opportunity that comes my way and working with Gabe is just one of those other opportunities. That was just a very life-changing experience for me and it's opened up my eyes to a lot of things. It's given me a newfound appreciation and respect for the culture and the songwriting craft itself. Gabe has been such an inspiration to me in my musical journey, so it's really cool to work with him in any capacity.
With those tours, do you notice your streaming numbers and things going up from those shows and even from being announced to play over here?
I'm not very prevalent online. I think it's a given to say I don't have a lot of fanfare going for me, but it is cool. You get out and you make fans in real time. There's something to be said for the road dog lifestyle and the touring business. It's a tried and true method of getting out there and creating fans. To see my numbers start to go up here and there after a run in the Midwest. We just did a run in Florida last week. You see that reflect in your online numbers. It's a cool, it's a very reassuring experience.
Do you think making these early steps in your career, getting on those support shows, getting on Lainey's support shows, coming to play the C2C festivals, is that just the start of a next step for you?
Yeah, and that's what it's all about for me at the end of the day. When I try and visualize my career and its trajectory, I want it to be a live music focus. I want to get out and play shows on the road. I want to connect with people in real time. I want to see that expand. Truly, that's what I've always wanted out of music. I think that'll always be the forefront of my career, getting to play shows
Now you've got the signed up with WME, that must be such a huge boost so early on.
I truly didn't understand the gravity of that until we got the Lainey dates. I was like, that's crazy. I'm still a pretty small-time artist. We have an independent label that we work with here in Nashville. We're doing everything from building it from the ground up. It's cool that anybody's even given me the time of day to send me overseas to play some songs!
I read that you write songs to tell a story, you don't write a song to tell a story. I think that will massively come across with the crowd in Europe. How important is that to you?
When I think about sitting down and songwriting and stuff, and I think about my journey through songwriting these last few years, I've gotten to a point where I really appreciate being able to share my experience with the world. Even some of the more negative aspects of my life, or my history in the last ten years, being able to translate that into something meaningful, that gives me a lot of purpose. I get really passionate about being able to talk about things that happened throughout my life, the good, bad, and the ugly, all of it. I think everything has a reason for happening, and I think finding a way to communicate that, it's very important to me as an individual and an artist, to be able to articulate that in my songs.
The trip for you is just a few days away and we can’t wait to see you in Berlin and London.
Thank you. We got the confirmation the second week of January that we got the offer. I've just been counting down the days. I get to play some of the new songs. I've been doing a lot of writing these last couple of years. I'm really excited to tell some of these newer stories in my life and just get out and see how the music resonates with people.
Have an excellent flight over, and make the most of the Lainey days. That's going to be absolutely epic.
It sure is, thank you
C2C 2025 take place at The O2 London from Friday 14 to Sunday 16 March 2025. Tickets are on sale now via www.axs.com/c2c / www.gigsandtours.com / www.ticketmaster.co.uk
To stay up to date with all the set times for the weekend be sure to download the C2C app. The app will feature stage times, artist info plus notifications about competitions and more. The official C2C app can be downloaded for free at https://C2C.lnk.to/AppiOS for iOS and https://C2C.lnk.to/AppAndroid for Android.
C2C 2025 Berlin takes place at The Uber Eats Music Hall and outside in the Uber Plaza from Friday 7th to Sunday 9th March 2025. Tickets are on sale now from https://www.eventim.de/artist/c2c-country-to-country/
I truly didn't understand the gravity of that until we got the Lainey dates. I was like, that's crazy. I'm still a pretty small-time artist. We have an independent label that we work with here in Nashville. We're doing everything from building it from the ground up. It's cool that anybody's even given me the time of day to send me overseas to play some songs!
I read that you write songs to tell a story, you don't write a song to tell a story. I think that will massively come across with the crowd in Europe. How important is that to you?
When I think about sitting down and songwriting and stuff, and I think about my journey through songwriting these last few years, I've gotten to a point where I really appreciate being able to share my experience with the world. Even some of the more negative aspects of my life, or my history in the last ten years, being able to translate that into something meaningful, that gives me a lot of purpose. I get really passionate about being able to talk about things that happened throughout my life, the good, bad, and the ugly, all of it. I think everything has a reason for happening, and I think finding a way to communicate that, it's very important to me as an individual and an artist, to be able to articulate that in my songs.
The trip for you is just a few days away and we can’t wait to see you in Berlin and London.
Thank you. We got the confirmation the second week of January that we got the offer. I've just been counting down the days. I get to play some of the new songs. I've been doing a lot of writing these last couple of years. I'm really excited to tell some of these newer stories in my life and just get out and see how the music resonates with people.
Have an excellent flight over, and make the most of the Lainey days. That's going to be absolutely epic.
It sure is, thank you
C2C 2025 take place at The O2 London from Friday 14 to Sunday 16 March 2025. Tickets are on sale now via www.axs.com/c2c / www.gigsandtours.com / www.ticketmaster.co.uk
To stay up to date with all the set times for the weekend be sure to download the C2C app. The app will feature stage times, artist info plus notifications about competitions and more. The official C2C app can be downloaded for free at https://C2C.lnk.to/AppiOS for iOS and https://C2C.lnk.to/AppAndroid for Android.
C2C 2025 Berlin takes place at The Uber Eats Music Hall and outside in the Uber Plaza from Friday 7th to Sunday 9th March 2025. Tickets are on sale now from https://www.eventim.de/artist/c2c-country-to-country/
