Sam Hunt’s New Song Reflects ‘Run-Ins With The Law’

Sam Hunt's new song "Locked Up" has been making waves on radio since its release on Friday (3/23).

Sam told us how the song came about. He revealed, "Well, 'Locked Up' is a song that started with a title. I had that title in my phone. I wanted to write a song called 'Locked Up.' I had no idea about what it may be about, although I have had a few run-ins with the law in my lifetime."

He continued, "My producer was playing me some music; he had built some tracks and was playing through a few songs, and I was looking at my phone, and I saw the title in the songs. The music sounded like the title, which is always a good start, and I just started singing that chorus. I think I filled in, 30-40 percent of the lyric in one take."

Photo- UMG/Nashville 

Hunt also explained how the music video came about. He said, "We found a really cool old prison in East Tennessee, and we had this idea originally to recreate the Johnny Cash Folsom Prison concert that he did back in the day and dressed up in all black, a suit. I got a bunch of local guys to come out and dress up as inmates and had a really good time with it, sort of a period piece idea."

The official music video for the song was shot at the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Petros, Tennessee, and reimagined the infamous 1968 Johnny Cash performance at Folsom State Prison. Taking on the feel of newly discovered footage from the archives, the video features Hunt with his longtime band and with the centerpiece of the song, his wife, Hannah.

He admitted, "I don't know if I did Johnny Cash justice. I doubt I did, but I enjoyed making the video and had my family out there with me and met a lot of cool folks who came out to help us with this video, so that was one of the more fun video experiences I've had."

Sam co-wrote the song with Zach Crowell, Jerry Flowers, Shane McAnally, and Josh Osborne. "'Locked Up' describes the decisions that landed him that short jail sentence and thanks his wife, Hannah Lee Fowler, for supporting and staying with him through all that.

Sam will perform the song at the 2024 CMT Music Awards on April 7, airing Live on CBS from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Sam Hunt celebrates his 39th birthday today (12/8) as a new dad to he and his wife Hannah's second child. Sam kept the birth of his new baby under wraps until after Thanksgiving when he posted a photo of his family on Instagram. In the picture, you see his wife Hannah, daughter Lucy, and a new baby.

Recently, a rep for his management told People magazine that he and his wife Hannah welcomed a baby boy named Lowry Lee on Tuesday, October 24.

Their second child's name comes from his parents — Lowry is Hunt's middle name, and Lee is Fowler's. Lowry joins big sister Lucy Louise, who is 18 months old.

Sam announced quietly Baby Hunt No. 2 had arrived with a social post on Instagram, including a photo of him and his wife, his 2-year-old daughter Lucy Louise, and his wife holding the new baby.

He captioned the photo the day after Thanksgiving (11/24), "Thank you, Lord."

You can see the post here.

Hunt recently announced his "Outskirts Tour 2024," which Live Nation produced. The five-time Grammy nominee and Diamond-selling artist sets course for his arena headlining tour with a February 22 kickoff in Grand Rapids, plus stops in Louisville, Nashville, Milwaukee, Green Bay, and more.

Special guests include Brett Young and fellow Georgia native Lily Rose.

Sam also released a new song in October (2023) called "Came The Closest." He wrote the new tune with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne.

Hunt has been making a name for himself in country music since 2014, when he released his debut country album, Montevallo. Since then, he has released some great music videos. As Sam celebrates his birthday with his family today (12/8), we look at some of his best music videos.

It's hard to believe that Sam Hunt never had an official music video release for his biggest song, which is diamond-certified for moving 10 million units. However, the popular song does have an official lyric video. The video, which has over 27 million views on YouTube, features the song and lyrics over vintage video clips of youngsters doing motocross.

Two music videos were produced for the song. The first music video premiered in August 2014. The video shows Sam performing at a festival and clips of him playing sports with band members and having fun in various situations with the band on the road.

A second "alternate" music video premiered in June 2015. this video is a little more produced, with Sam singing to the camera and showing him partying and performing at a small Nashville club.

The video was shot in Macon County, Tennessee. This dramatic video shows Sam's acting skills as he works through a tough breakup in a small town, complete with his small house burning. The song was inspired by his breakup with his then-girlfriend Hannah Lee Fowler, whom he has since married and now has two kids.

This video won Breakthrough Video of the Year at the 2015 CMT Music Awards in Nashville. In the video, Sam sings while he portrays a Yellow Cab driver in Nashville. The video also features his cab passengers, many wearing cowboy hats and drinking, dancing along as Hunt sings the uptempo catchy song.

The video's dramatic storyline involves domestic violence. In the video, Sam's character witnesses several instances of a tattooed man abusing his young girlfriend in public, including at a biker bar and a coin-operated laundry. Together, the two have a baby. Near the end of the video, the woman tries to leave with her baby when the boyfriend comes outside to stop her. When he begins hitting her, Hunt, who happens to be walking by the tattooed man's house, sees this and begins to fight with the man.