Texas Music Icon Wade Bowen Takes the Lead Role in Music Video for New Single 'Rainin on Me' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

An icon in the Texas music scene for over two decades,Wade Bowenhas released a total of nine records thus far in his career — following a somewhat standard philosophy for each.

“As artists, we want our albums to feel cohesive,” Bowen, 47, tells PEOPLE in a recent interview. “You want [the songs] to go together, and you want it all to make sense.”

But during the making of his tenth studio album, he felt the tide turning a bit. “I feel like I had a little bit more freedom with this album because I feel like people are more prone to listen toindividualsongs a little bit more than theyeverhas,” says Bowen of his upcoming albumFlyin, set for release May 10. “I let [the songs] breathe and let them be its own thing a little more than I’ve ever done with the previous albums.”

Wade Bowen’s Flyin.Courtesy

Courtesy

Indeed,Flyintakes listeners on a sonic roller coaster of sounds but finds its cohesiveness in the way each song contains an honesty made to fill the soul. It’s a similar adventure Bowen says he would find himself on when listening to the Eagles back when he was a kid.

“Their songs soundedsobig and hadsomuch energy, but then there were mid tempos and melody driven ones that seemed somewhat magical,” recalls Bowen, who often includes the Eagles' 1979 hit “Heartache Tonight” in his ever-changing setlist. “I think when you have a song like ‘Take It to the Limit’ that is so smooth and beautiful and amazing, and then you have ‘Life in the Fast Lane’ that hits you right in the ass… that’s what it’s all about. That’s the influence the Eagles had on me.”

And it’s this influence that can be heard loud and clear onFlyin, an impressive 12-track record including three songs which came directly from outside writers.

“I love to write songs,” explains Bowen, who will begin a special run of shows during May in his hometown of New Braunfels, Texas alongside long-time friend and collaborator,Miranda Lambert. “But every now and then when a buddy sends me song and I cut it, you know that I absolutely love it or that it’s something that I wouldn’t write.”

Wade Bowen.Nick Livingston

Nick Livingston

One of those buddies was fellow country artist Chase Bryant, who serves as a writer on tracks offFlyinsuch as “Mary Jane.”

Bowen says he also fell in love with “Mary Jane” because it was so very simple.

“It’s justsosimple, yetsobeautiful,” explains Bowen. “Sometimes the simple songs really turned out to be the best ones. When I heard it, I really believed that this just might be one of those that can really catch on fire for our career and really be a home run for us."

Another ‘home run’ looks to be the upcoming album’s first single “Rainin on Me,” an infectious song Bowen wrote alongside his good friend Randy Montana and whose music video premieres exclusively on PEOPLE.

“I really wanted to make a video that I’ve never made before — one that had a lot more movement,” says Bowen, who takes on the leading role in the video. “This song has a lot of energy to it, so I wanted there to be lots of clips and lots of moving back and forth and lots of anger and lots of yelling and screaming at the screen!” He laughs. “I wanted people to feel a little bit of angst when they’re watching it.”

“I had his posters on my walls as a kid,” admits Bowen with a laugh. “So that was really fun for me.”

Funis the name of the game for Bowen these days, as hinted at in the title track “Flyin” that he wrote alongside Heather Morgan and Eric Paslay.

“As I got closer to finishing this record, I realized that a lot of that song was actually about me,” says Bowen. “I was caught up in some things, caught up in my life and really wasn’t really taking the time to just enjoy. And I was kind of running really, fast without taking the time to stop and enjoy life. I’m smiling my way through it, and I hope people feel that when they hear this record.”

source: people.com