Heartland’s “What Happened?” — “…our prayer is that people will somehow find meaning and purpose within the lyrics…”
Founded in 1994. “…stay true to our roots and protect the history we’re so proud of.” What are the roots that led you to form the band?
We are definitely a product of where and how we were raised… sweet home Alabama. My brother Todd and I grew up in a very musical family and have always been immersed in music. We formed the band with the purpose of sharing our thoughts, beliefs, and heritage and to simply entertain folks through the power of music. It’s what we do.
Huntsville, Alabama. Which local bands influenced your early live shows?
There really wasn’t that great of a musical scene in Huntsville back in the early to mid 90s when we got going, but there definitely was some talented musicians. The scene is much better now though from what I understand. Most of our early influences revolved around the all-time great group Alabama, Skynyrd, 80’s rock, and the 1960’s records of our parents we listened to as kids. Later bands such as Little Texas, Shenandoah, and Garth Brooks played a role in our sound and live approach. We grew up on all the late 80’s and 90’s Country.
2006. Debut single, “I Loved Her First,” was written by Walt Aldridge and Elliott Park. What first drew you to the song?
So, Mike and my father were at a songwriter round in Muscle Shoals and heard Walt do an early version of the song. It was just fate really. We ended up approaching Walt on it because it was just such a different idea and concept than most of the songs out there and we knew we could do it justice. We put our spin on it, and it ended up working out pretty well ya might say. Ha!
The song topped Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Chart and went on to receive RIAA platinum, gold and streaming certifications. “‘I Loved Her First’ has allowed us to bond with people in such a personal way… it’s a blessing that we never take for granted.” How did the song help attract your fan base?
Well, the song hit like a ton bricks, it was hit from the start and resonated with the radio audience immediately. It’s amazing looking back how it blasted out of the gate like a rocket and didn’t stop until it hit #1. It opened doors that we would have never been able to get through without it. It’s created an amazing bond between us and the country music fan base that we always appreciate and never take for granted.
Band broke up in 2012. How has reuniting sparked a renewed sense of purpose and creative direction?
We definitely have a drive and purpose that we’ve not had since the early days and our creativity is at an all-time high for us as writers and performers. We are so comfortable with ourselves, and laser focused on what we want to achieve. It’s a true blessing that things have worked out so well this go around. We are truly appreciative of everything we’ve been afforded.
The first single in over a decade, “No Tomorrow,” has new lead vocalist Lance Horton. The band shared that it knew this was the right time to return. How did you choose this song for your return?
So, although we’ve written most of what will be on the upcoming album ourselves, we had a couple slots to fill, and I wanted to include some tunes from other writers to fill it out for balance. I listened to hundreds of songs and paired them down to maybe a half dozen or so for the other boys to listen to. There were a couple that we’ve recorded that will be on the album but “No Tomorrow” was the clear choice to make as our re-intro into the business. It’s all about living for today and being grateful to have the opportunity to do whatever it is that your heart desires you to do. It’s just a fantastic, well written song that we were happy to be able to bring to life. We shot the video in our hometown of Huntsville and it’s just really special all around.
Latest, “What Happened?” was written by the band. The song was inspired by conversations with friends, family and neighbors on the unity and turmoil the country has experienced the last few years. “We are living in such challenging times right now. We have made it through worse, and we will make it through this as well, but we have to come together. We have to unite as a people. We wanted to write a song that could somehow play a role in uniting folks and to get away from the current climate of division. As the song says, ‘United we stand… Divided we’ll fall… We’ll meet our fate together after all.’ I can’t say it any better than that, and our prayer is that people will somehow find meaning and purpose within the lyrics of ‘What Happened?’” Can you share a fan story of how the song has impacted their life?
So, the reaction to “What Happened?” has been pretty strong so far. I heard it on Fox News last night, matter of fact, which is really cool. It’s only been out about 2 weeks, so I’ve not really heard much feedback from the fanbase personally yet, but I’m looking forward to it. It’s also gonna be cool playing it out the first time. The whole process of writing, recording, and all the steps involved in the release was so quick, we just knew we had something to say and wanted to get it out to all the folks.
What’s ahead in 2025?
The album will be released the first part of the year, a new single and video, and some tour dates as well. We ended up doing a few shows this year for the first time in years and just enjoyed it so much. Definitely going to do a lot more of that in 2025 and get out and see our friends all over the country. It’s been far too long.