Riley Green Looks Back at 2025
Riley Green is no stranger to the Backstage Country microphone, but this week, he returned with something a little different: perspective. Co-hosting alongside Elaina Smith, Green spent the week reflecting on what…
Riley Green is no stranger to the Backstage Country microphone, but this week, he returned with something a little different: perspective. Co-hosting alongside Elaina Smith, Green spent the week reflecting on what happened to him this year, including the milestones, lessons, unpredictable moments, and, of course, the music.
Riley Green Talks About His Year
Smith asked Green if, a decade from now, he looked back at 2025, what would stand out to him the most. Right away, the Alabama native quipped, “My first solo-written No. 1 song [‘Worst Way’]. I think I'm more motivated in as far as accolades in my career as a songwriter, that’s such a cool thing. I think it’s something that my granddad Buford would have been really proud of.”
He added, “I think he would have been a songwriter if I would have been doing that when he was still alive. It’s just cool to see that things you're coming up with are resonating with people and it’s working, and it makes you want to go write more songs.”
Songwriter vs. Artist
Green admitted that, in the beginning, he didn’t know writing songs could be a career: “I just did it because I got tired of playing the same covers at all these bars I was playing in Alabama. So, I started writing songs. I would go in there and try this thing, I’d go, ‘Man, that one line really worked.’ I didn't really have a goal for any type of career with it. Once I got to Nashville and signed a publishing deal, signed a record deal, I think that I've realized that’s where my passion is at.”
However, the “There Was This Girl” singer clarified, “I'd still enjoy playing shows. That’s a lot of fun. It’s something that, even though you spend 13 hours on the road to go play for 90 minutes, it’s still something that I think I would really enjoy doing. But songwriting is something that's never felt like work. It's not something that I could get off the road and be absolutely exhausted from 10 shows in a row and still want to sit down and write a song.”
2025 was a year that surprised and shaped Riley Green. From achieving significant milestones and discovering where his true passion lies, the year brought plenty to reflect on, and plenty of stories for Backstage Country listeners.
