Brennan Villines – Ahead Of Your Time

Beauty comes from struggle. There are no diamonds without unimaginable pressure. No sky as magnificent as the one after a raging storm…enter Brennan Villines!

Brennan Villines grew up queer in rural western Kentucky and knew he was on a path that was unique to his upbringing and postal code. As he navigated life in a largely conservative and religious part of the world, his voice began to grow inside him.

And while there were good times, mostly centered around music – moments spent listening to Neil Young with his best friend and playing Debussy and Rachmaninoff on the piano – he didn’t have anyone to confide in. On those years, and their influence on his new single, “Ahead Of Your Time,” he says “It’s an ode to my childhood. Growing up queer in a time and environment that wasn’t quite evolved and ready for that yet, and is still playing catch up when we look at what’s going on across the country with anti-LGBTQ legislation – I felt as though I was ahead of my time. This is for those out there who aren’t quite comfortable being themselves quite yet and a reminder they aren’t alone.” Villines came out in high school and soon found himself on an entirely new journey – personally and geographically.

Cutting his musical teeth in Memphis, then New York City, Brennan released his debut EP, Make it Work, with a long-time friend and producer. That friend is GRAMMY award-winning and multi-platinum-selling drummer and percussionist Benny Reiner, who also produced “Ahead Of Your Time.” The fighting spirit and courage his childhood cultivated in him made him more than ready when he was chosen to be a contestant on FOX’s The Four: Battle for Stardom. There he was judged by no less than (exaggerated stage gulp) Sean Combs, DJ Khaled and Meghan Trainor.

Fast forward to today, Villines’ songcraft and command of his voice are more steady, confident, and powerful than ever. A powerful mix of folksy Americana hooks, Country twang, and a truckload of heartfelt Soul shining through, “Ahead Of Your Time,” is a gorgeous pop gem full of lush chords and lighter-than-air harmonies. And he has lyrical chops – in this call to anyone out there still finding themselves, still hiding, he get right to the heart of it, singing, “It gets better from here soon it will all be clear you got nothing to hide / Baby keep it rocking and soon you’ll arrive you’re just ahead of you time.” Fans of Sam Smith and Coldplay have every reason to fall in love with this single, but Villines’ influences run even deeper and farther back, and you can hear Nancy Wilson and Joni Matchell if you listen close enough. For all the song’s inviting pop majesty, the lyrics were undoubtedly a weight off once he got them down on paper. Lyrics like “80 years in the soul, put your high heels on when nobody’s home.”

At first, the stirring music video may look like any other clip on MTV or CMT – the red, white and blue adorns the wall behind Villines, clad in a white leather jacket but viewers will quickly realize they’re watching something far more special. Directors Zach Wright and Zack Bass knew they wanted to release the single for Pride Month, so, according to Brennan, the team “came up with the concept of showcasing a cast of people in the queer spectrum as themselves, dancing and spreading joy, while also holding up a picture of their younger selves. We wanted a simple set and chose to go with an upside-down American flag, which indicates distress. The song itself treads on the Americana/country genres, which I find fitting not only because of my rural roots but also because of the juxtaposition it creates with the subject matter.”

“Ahead Of Your Time,” addresses some hard truths and speaks directly to people leading lives that aren’t all that easy to lead – or to sing about. But the track does it beautifully, and Brennan Villines never wavers from his optimism. There’s an important message and it’s one that Brennan Villines is living proof of. We can make it through rough times without those times making us rough. Let’s hope this gets in front of everyone who’s ahead of their time.

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Tags: anti-LGBTQ, Benny Reiner, Brennan Villines, LGBTQ

About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.