Michael Ray officially has a Top 5 hit. The Florida native, whose debut “Kiss You In the Morning” single hit No. 1 in 2015, is celebrating “Whiskey and Rain” landing in the Top 5 on the charts, with the song still climbing up the charts.

“Feeling a little extra grateful lately,” Ray shared on social media. “I get to live this crazy dream of writing, singing and performing COUNTRY music because of good people like y’all who spend your hard-earned money to support artists like me. WE TOP 5 BABY!!! HEADED TO THE TOP!!”

Feeling a little extra grateful lately. I get to live this crazy dream of writing, singing and performing COUNTRY music because of good people like y’all who spend your hard-earned money to support artists like me. WE TOP 5 BABY!!! HEADED TO THE TOP!! #whiskeyandrain pic.twitter.com/4NrFE1r5Xp

— Michael Ray (@Michaelraymusic) December 2, 2021

“Whiskey and Rain,” which also landed in the Top 100 on YouTube’s all-genre list of songs in the United States, was the first introduction to his fans of the kind of music that he wanted to release moving forward, especially with his latest Higher Education EP.

“It’s what I’ve always had in my head,” Ray tells Everything Nash. “I guess I always knew that I wanted more of a traditional country sound. That’s what I grew up on, what I listen to, to this day. And I just always felt like that was the record I wanted to make. It took this year, I guess, to really realize that on my own. So this song, it was just that catchy, hooky melody, that throwback to the Gary Allan. It sounds like Gary Allan, Dwight Yoakam — all of that. It just stood out. And really, we felt was a great way to introduce this new record and new sound.”

Ray’s plan succeeded with Higher Education, making the music he always dreamed of making.

“It’s what I’ve had in my mind for a long time,” Ray shares. “It’s truly what I was trying to get out for years. I think if I had to describe it, I would describe it as a touch of the ’80s, ’90s and early 2000’s, mixed with today.  I hear influences from all over. I was raised in that middle ground of Southern rock and classic rock, classic country and ’90s country, and you’re going to hear a blend of that. It’s like, if those two came together, and were on the same record.”

Find “Whiskey and Rain” and all of Ray’s music at MichaelRayMusic.com.

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