Hudson Westbrook isn't trying to be the 'perfect country singer'

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Set us as preferred Provided he’s got enough of his voice left by the time he walks offstage, Hudson Westbrook will occasionally keep the night going after a gig by rolling to a nearby karaoke joint.He might do something by John Mayer; if he’s feeling brave, he might try “I Believe I Can Fly.”“I like to sing Taylor Swift too,” says the up-and-coming country star.

“I gotta be a little drunk, though.”What’s his go-to Taylor jam?“ ‘You Belong With Me’ — that’s my song, bro.I actually think it’s a dude song — like they’d be the one to come on strong like that.” He laughs.

“I feel like a girl would be more chill about the approach.”Westbrook, 22, knows all about the dudely come-on: In 2024, just a year into his undergraduate studies at Texas Tech University, his song “Take It Slow” went viral on TikTok; not long after that, he signed a major-label record deal and began sending singles up the country radio chart, including “House Again,” which went all the way to No.1, and “Painted You Pretty,” which led to a nod for new male artist of the year at this past May’s ACM Awards.

Music The 27-year-old country singer brought her smash ‘Choosin’ Texas’ to the Greek on Tuesday night in the first of two sold-out shows.By turns flirty and heartsick, Westbrook’s 2025 debut album, “Texas Forever,” established him as a clean-cut romantic in a ball cap and pearl-snap shirt — “lover boy vibes,” as he puts it today.Now he’s back with a sophomore LP, “Made You Look,” that goes for something slightly grittier: In “Hits Me” he’s “lonely with a side of misery” as he longs for an ex he compares to “a bullet from an old Colt 45”; in ”Nowhere Bound” he’s “out on the loose,” eager to “go the wrong way, get a little lost / Find a roadside bar, get toss...