Struggle Jennings‘ last name carries a lot of weight. The grandson of Waylon Jennings, Struggle knows that there is both an expectation and a responsibility that comes with having the same last name as one of country music’s biggest legends..

“I don’t really feel the pressure anymore,” Struggle tells Everything Nash. “Of course at first I did, but I had to create my own path. There were definitely no doors opened because of that name. If anything, a lot of time there’s a stigma that comes with the name. And what I was doing was so outside of the box of country, I didn’t get any love because of that name. Of course, through relationships I did, but there was no like, ‘Oh, he’s Waylon Jennings’ grandson, let’s bring him in and give him a record deal.’ There was nothing like that.”

Struggle might not have gotten any special treatment because of his last name, at least when it came to making his own unique style of music, but he is still forever grateful for the musical heritage he is fortunate enough to be a part of.

“The benefits of the last name and the family are the lessons that I learned from Waylon, the relationship that I had with Waylon, the relationship I still have with my grandma, Jessi [Colter] and my uncle Shooter,” Struggle reflects. “And the things that that I learned growing up, being around them, those were the benefits of that. Of course, there was pressure in the beginning, feeling like you gotta live up to that. Like, I’m supposed to fill Waylon Jennings boots? But then I realized, that’s not my path. If anything, I know he wanted, and if he was here, he would still want me to be my own person. And I’ve done that.”

Struggle shares his musical talents with his grandfather, but he also shared in his challenges as well. Both battled addiction, and both rose above it to create a rich legacy, made even sweeter by the hardships they overcame.

“I’ve defied all odds,” Struggle boasts. “I’ve had my own path, my own story created, my own kind of music that really nobody else was doing. So my journey, it’s been right in line with his, but just because he was doing the same thing that I was doing, and that’s just being himself, and creating something new and different. So of course there was a little pressure in the beginning. I don’t feel it now, ’cause I could care less. I live in nothing but gratitude. I don’t care what anybody thinks.

“I came through so much, made it through so much, and already reached heights that I was told I could never reach,” he adds. “And so really at this point, it doesn’t matter what anybody thinks or what happens next. I’m gonna keep pushing, making the music.”

Struggle just released his “Hard to Hate” collaboration with Jelly Roll. He will also join Jelly Roll, serving as the opening act for part of Jelly Roll’s Backroad Baptism Tour. Find all of Jennings’ music, as well as a list of his upcoming shows, at StruggleJennings.com.