‘Nashville’ Star Chris Carmack Announces ‘Pieces of You’ EP

As Will Lexington on ABC’s Nashville, Chris Carmack’s singing has been heard on several of the show’s soundtrack releases. On December 11th, fans will get to know the real voice behind the character when Carmack releases his debut EP Pieces of You. Reflecting his many influences — which range from blues, jazz and funk to folk and country music — Carmack says listeners can expect the unexpected from the new release.

“All of those elements exist in all of these songs, but some are more highlighted than others,” he tells Rolling Stone Country. “There’s some hard-hitting blues electric guitar and I’ve got some mellow acoustic guitar. I play guitar on every track and I sing on every track.”

Unlike his character — whose storyline this week had Will writing his very first song after breaking up with boyfriend Kevin — Carmack has been writing nearly all his life, starting with “silly songs” in kindergarten. He isn’t the only Nashville star pursuing music outside the series, but when one of them is playing out in a Music City club, it’s very likely that other cast members are in the crowd.

“I think because we’re all in the same boat, we’re very supportive of one another,” he says. “If somebody’s playing in town — if somebody’s playing the Opry — we go and support each other. Sometimes there’s so much going on you don’t hear about it. I’ll hear that Chip [Esten, who plays Deacon Claybourne] played the Opry and I’ll be like, ‘Why didn’t you tell me? I would have come.'”

During CMA Awards week earlier this month, Carmack was one of the performers for a CMA Songwriter Series event billed as “The Men of ABC’s Nashville.” Additionally, he performed at the Grand Ole Opry’s 90th Birthday Bash in October.