Ben Chapman Reflects On Becoming A Father With 'Baby Blue'

Official Announcement | Published: May 10, 2026 1:22 PM EDT

(MPG) This year, Nashville-based singer/songwriter Ben Chapman has sang about everything changing, life on the road and communing with nature to center yourself, but today he's showing off a more vulnerable side to himself with a soft ode to his newborn son George "Baby Blue." Co-written with his wife Meg McRee, the song comes from his upcoming album Feet On Fire, which releases on May 22 via Soundly Music. Built around a warm organ, "Baby Blue" encapsulates the overwhelming sublimity of preparing for first time fatherhood.

"I wrote this song with my wife halfway through her pregnancy with our son, George," shares Chapman. "It describes the once in a lifetime anticipation of soon welcoming the greatest gift we could ever receive. I'll never forget the way I felt the day we recorded this one, it gave me chills. This one to me is the most honest song I've ever recorded, and shows a side of me that I sometimes have a hard time showing."

His second collaboration with GRAMMY-nominated songwriter and producer Anderson East, Feet on Fire is an album about leaving old patterns behind, making room for new beginnings and searching for stability in an ever-changing world. Or, according to Chapman, this record is a snapshot of the year he became a man following his marriage to McRee and the birth of their first child in September. Backed by a band of A-list instrumentalists, Chapman and East focused on live-in-the-studio performances, capturing each song with two or three takes.

From the album, Chapman has already shared the homespun "Everything's Different," which earned attention from Country Central, CMT, Holler, Whiskey Riff and many more, as well as the psychedelia-drenched sonic journey of the title track and the most recent pastoral single "Out In The Country." All of the tracks Chapman has released thus far work to build a truly sprawling sonic landscape, taking inspiration from R&B grooves, Stax-sized soul, psych-rock experimentation and Allman Brothers-worthy jams.

Aside from releasing his own music, Chapman has collaborated with a who's who of Nashville artists including Muscadine Bloodline (on the cosmic country outlier "Hittin' My Stride" from last year's ...And What Was Left Behind), Hayes Carll (on the late 2025 single "Satin Sheets") and his wife, along with fellow power couple Adam Chaffins and Brit Taylor, on the streaming smash "Gone As It Gets," which currently sits at over 3.7 million streams on Spotify alone. He's also written songs recorded by Brent Cobb, Shelby Lynne, Flatland Cavalry, Marcus King and more. A road warrior through and through, he's shared stages with country titans like Lainey Wilson, southern rockers like The Marshall Tucker Band and Americana contemporaries like Red Clay Strays. Additionally, he started the acclaimed Nashville performance series Peach Jam, which has featured performances from legendary artists and friends from his music community including Kaitlin Butts, Ashley Monroe and many more.

Now, he's about to release an album that captures that transition from the carefree spirit of youth to the responsibilities and realities of manhood, highlighting the difference that one year - and 12 sharply-written songs - can make.