Austin Jenckes Looks Back on Lost Innocence in 'Fat Kid'

Austin Jenckes looks back wistfully on lost youth in his new song, "Fat Kid." The singer-songwriter has recorded a very special acoustic performance of the song that debuts exclusively with Taste of Country.

Celebrated songwriter Lori McKenna teamed with Neil Mason of the Cadillac Three and the late Andrew Dorff to write "Fat Kid," which finds Jenckes reflecting on the early events that shaped him and how those youthful experiences stay with us for the rest of our lives.

"Ain't life just like high school sometimes / Probably sittin' in the back of the cafeteria by yourself / Feeling like the fast girl, the math nerd, the fat kid / If you grew up in a small town in a big world like I did / If you grew up like I did," he sings in the chorus.

Released on March 8, the studio recording of "Fat Kid" features McKenna, and it's the lead single from Jenckes' debut album, If You Grew Up Like I Did, which is slated for release on May 31. The album takes its title from the lyrics to "Fat Kid," which is the only song included on the project that Jenckes did not write or co-write. He connected with the song immediately when he first heard it.

"'Fat Kid' represents all the versions that I see of myself growing up," Jenckes shares. "And I felt like I could be every person in the song. There's a difference between writing a song about the world around you and then seeing a song that is about you. I've always been the kind of person that feels compelled to say what I want to say and write songs that I want to write. As soon as I heard the song, I was just like, 'Man, it just sums up everything that I feel like I've been through in my life.' And it was the first time that I had heard my story right in front of me so clearly.”

Jenckes grew up in a suburb of Seattle, but he moved to Nashville six years ago to pursue his musical ambitions. He's been named one of Rolling Stone Country’s Artists You Need to Know and has shared the stage with Brothers Osborne, Lee Brice, the Cadillac Three and Ashley McBryde. He finished in the Top 10 when he competed on Blake Shelton's team on Season 5 of The Voice in 2013.

For more information about Austin Jenckes, visit his official website, or follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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