Ian Flanigan has a new video, out now. The talented singer just released the video for “I Don’t Smoke,” giving Everything Nash readers an exclusive first look.
“The video for ‘I Don’t Smoke’ is of a live performance at the Late Great in Nashville, Tennessee,” Flanigan tells Everything Nash. “We had an intimate showcase for some of our industry friends. I’ve been alcohol-free for nine years now and I love this song because it’s all about how ‘I don’t drink, I don’t smoke’ and it still feels like a party.”
“I Don’t Smoke” is not an original, but Flanigan chose to release it in honor of the two artists who first released the song.
Thank you for all the love on “I Don’t Smoke” Here’s the full song!
@thelategreatnash @revivermusic pic.twitter.com/abUbIeMg4P
— Ian Flanigan (@IanFlanigan) June 4, 2024
“’I Don’t Smoke’ was originally cut by the one and only Lee Brice featuring Warren Haynes,” Flanigan explains. “Two of my favorite artists. I’m from Woodstock, New York, and Warren was always a huge influence in my life. My producer Jon Stone, who co-wrote the song, and I thought it would be the perfect song to kick off this new record of mine. We cut the song with our own spin and energy. The band in the video is the majority of the band that cut the record with me at Curb Studios here in Nashville.”
Flanigan has been open about his sobriety, and what led him to drinking from a young age.
“I started playing dive bars when I was 17, and I would get paid in liquor, and only paid in liquor in tips,” Flanigan previously told Everything Nash. “So by the time I was 25, my self-worth in my musical career was equivalent to being paid a lot in booze and free food or something. I had created this really unhealthy standard of what I thought normal was. You want to be the best you can, so you gig every night, but then you’re also drinking hard every night until you’re drinking in the mornings.”
Fortunately Flanigan, who came in third place on Season 19 of The Voice on Blake Shelton‘s team, ultimately realized that the thing that he was holding onto was also the thing that was prohibiting him from fulfilling his dream of being a country music singer.
“I would take other things to keep going, and it really just spiraled into this self-analysis and realization that I’m destroying my life. I’m destroying my music career, I’m getting in more bar fights than I’m ever getting landing single deals,” Flanigan recalled. “I got in a bad wreck one night, and I decided, ‘I need to focus on [music]. I got lucky. I’m gonna go check myself into a rehab.’
“I went into this six-week rehab down in Florida, got clean for a while, relapsed a few times, and went back to a couple of detoxes … But the main thing that really got me was my love of music,’ he continued. :Wanting to make something good to leave behind and help other people became greater than my need to feel better.”
Find “I Don’t Smoke” and all of Flanigan’s music and upcoming shows at IanFlaniganMusic.com.
