Cole Swindell

Biography

Colden Rainey Swindell (born June 30, 1983) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He has written singles for Craig Campbell, Thomas Rhett, Scotty McCreery, and Luke Bryan, and has released four albums for Warner Bros. Records Nashville. He has released thirteen singles, eight of which have reached number one on the Hot Country Songs and/or Country Airplay charts. Five more singles have reached the Top 10. Swindell is known for hits such as “Chillin’ It×Chillin’ It28 March 2013 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Chillin’ It2Kissed You While I Could,” “You Should Be Here×You Should Be Here6 May 2016 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Flatliner2:572Middle of a Memory3:473Broke Down3:254Home Game4:105Up3:146Party Wasn’t Over3:477Stay Downtown3:248You Should Be Here3:129Stars3:2110Making My Way to You3:3011No Can Left Behind3:4912Remember Boys3:0613Hoppin’3:2414Getting’ Forgotten3:19,” “Flatliner,” “Never Say Never,” and “She Had Me At Heads Carolina×She Had Me at Heads Carolina8 April 2022 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1She Had Me at Heads Carolina3:26.”

Early life

Swindell was born in Glennville, Georgia, on June 30, 1983, to William Keith Swindell and Betty Carol Rainey. He grew up in Dawson, Georgia, and has two brothers and a stepbrother.
Swindell attended Terrell Academy in Dawson. Swindell attended Georgia Southern University, where he majored in marketing. He met Luke Bryan, who attended the same university some years earlier and was also a fellow Sigma Chi member, at the fraternity house when Bryan came back to Statesboro to do a show. They kept in touch, and after Swindell left college in 2007 and moved to Nashville, he sold merchandise for Bryan for three years, and wrote songs on the road.

Songwriting

In 2010, Swindell signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing.
Swindell wrote Craig Campbell's "Outta My Head", Luke Bryan's "Just a Sip", "Beer in the Headlights", "Roller Coaster", "Out Like That", "I'm Hungover", "In Love with the Girl", Florida Georgia Line’s "This Is How We Roll" with Bryan, who was featured on the song. Chris Young also had a song on his A.M. album co-written by Swindell, "Nothin' but the Cooler Left"

2013–2015: Cole Swindell

In 2013, Swindell's independently released debut single "Chillin' It", buoyed by heavy airplay on SiriusXM satellite radio channel "The Highway", became a hit and Swindell signed a record deal with Warner Music Nashville. The demo of "Chillin' It" was sent to radio before it had been mastered.
Swindell released his self-titled debut album on February 18, 2014. Luke Bryan's guitarist, Michael Carter, produced the rest of the album. Along with Lee Brice, Swindell opened Bryan's 2014 That's My Kind of Night Tour. "Chillin' It" became a top-five hit on Country Airplay and number 1 single on Hot Country Songs. The album's second single is "Hope You Get Lonely Tonight×Hope You Get Lonely Tonight21 January 2014 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Hope You Get Lonely Tonight3:48", which Swindell and Carter co-wrote with both members of Florida Georgia Line, Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard. The album's third single, "Ain't Worth the Whiskey", was released to country radio on November 3, 2014. It reached number one on the Country Airplay chart in April 2015. The album's fourth single, "Let Me See Ya Girl", was released to country radio on April 20, 2015. It reached number two on the Country Airplay chart in November 2015.
On November 17, 2014, Swindell released a five-song digital EP, The Down Home Sessions×Down Home Sessions17 November 2014 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Ready3:032The Way You’re Lovin’ Me Now3:383Kiss4:004Workin’ on Me3:565Boomerang2:59. The release coincided with his headlining tour of the same name.
Swindell won the ACM New Artist of the Year Award in April 2015.

2015–2018: You Should Be Here

The album's first single, "You Should Be Here×You Should Be Here6 May 2016 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Flatliner2:572Middle of a Memory3:473Broke Down3:254Home Game4:105Up3:146Party Wasn’t Over3:477Stay Downtown3:248You Should Be Here3:129Stars3:2110Making My Way to You3:3011No Can Left Behind3:4912Remember Boys3:0613Hoppin’3:2414Getting’ Forgotten3:19" was released to country radio on December 14, 2015. It was written with Ashley Gorley. It reached at number one on the Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts in April 2016. The album's second single, "Middle of a Memory" released to country radio on May 2, 2016. It reached at number one on the Country Airplay in November 2016. The album's third single, "Flatliner" (featuring Dierks Bentley) released to country radio on January 23, 2017. It reached at number two on the Country Airplay in August 2017. The album's fourth single, "Stay Downtown" released to country radio on September 5, 2017. "You Should Be Here", "Middle of a Memory" and "Flatliner" all hit No.1 on Mediabase country radio singles chart.
Swindell also released a music video for the song which featured a video of him telling his father he received a record contract and subsequent montages of Cole and his brothers grieving outside of the family home and at their father's grave. The video also shows images of Swindell's rising popularity while clearly conveying that he wanted to be able to see his father and share this fame experience with him.

2018–2024: All of It and Stereotype

Swindell released "Break Up in the End×Break Up in the End23 February 2018 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Break Up in the End", the lead single from his third album, on February 23, 2018. Swindell's third album, All of It×All of It17 August 2018 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Love You Too Late3:252All of It3:393Somebody’s Been Drinkin’3:464Sounded Good Last Night3:275Break Up in the End3:216I’ll Be Your Small Town3:157The Ones Who Got Me Here3:21820 in a Chevy3:049Reason to Drink3:3110Her3:3311Both Sides of the Mississippi3:2112Dad’s Old Number3:30, was released on August 17, 2018. After the album became available for pre-order in July 2018, Swindell released the number-one track "Love You Too Late×Love You Too Late13 July 2018 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Love You Too Late3:24" as a promotional single. "Love You Too Late" was announced as the album's official second single, being released to radio on November 19, 2018.
The lead single from Swindell's fourth studio album, "Single Saturday Night×Single Saturday Night22 May 2020 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Single Saturday Night3:08", was released on May 22, 2020. It was followed by "Never Say Never", a duet with Lainey Wilson, on November 19, 2021. Swindell released his fourth album Stereotype×Stereotype8 April 2022 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Stereotype3:422Every Beer3:383Never Say Never2:574She Had Me at Heads Carolina3:265Sayin’ You Love Me2:586I’m Gonna Let Her2:577Down to the Bar3:168How Is She3:339Miss Wherever3:2710Single Saturday Night3:1011Some Habits3:3612Girl Goes Crazy3:1213Walk on Whiskey3:43 on April 8, 2022. Swindell followed the album up with its third single, "She Had Me at Heads Carolina×She Had Me at Heads Carolina8 April 2022 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1She Had Me at Heads Carolina3:26", a remake of Jo Dee Messina's 1996 single "Heads Carolina, Tails California". This single has gone on to become the biggest single of Swindell's career so far, having spent four weeks at number one on the Country Airplay chart, as well as becoming his first Top 20 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified three-times Platinum by RIAA.

2025–present: Spanish Moss

On March 25, 2025, Swindell announced his fifth album Spanish Moss×Spanish Moss20 June 2025 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 21 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1A1Kill a Prayer3:07A2Dirty Dancing3:51A3Dale Jr.3:36A4Spanish Moss3:26A5We Can Always Move On3:22B1Georgia (Ain't on Her Mind)2:50B2Lost Heart2:46B3Bottom of It2:57B4Left to Get Right3:04B5Longneck List3:08Disc 2C1Country Boy Can't Survive3:05C2Happy Hour Sad2:46C3Wild2:52C4One Day2:52C5Forever to Me3:00D1Someone Worth Missing3:14D2First Second2:54D3'99 Problems2:47D4It Don't Hurt Anymore3:41D5Take Me Down3:29D6Heads Up Heaven3:30. It was released on June 27, 2025. The title track was released on March 28, 2025.
On September 26, 2025, Swindell released "Make Heaven Crowded", a song inspired by the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Personal life

In 2019, Swindell was confirmed to be dating professional wrestler and model Barbie Blank, best known for her time in WWE under the ring name "Kelly Kelly". The couple broke up three months after making their first public appearance at that year's Academy of Country Music Awards.
In 2024, Swindell married Courtney Little, a former member of the Charlotte Honey Bees. On March 3, 2025, the couple announced that they are expecting their first child. On August 7, 2025, their daughter was born.