Jack-of-all-trades Alexander Ludwig has announced the release of his debut album Highway 99, due out August 26 via Nashville’s BBR Music Group/BMG. The album features 16 tracks that tell universal stories about small towns, wild nights, broken hearts and big dreams, and is held together by a blend of electric guitars, climactic choruses and catchy hooks. To celebrate the album announcement, Ludwig released the anthemic first single from the album, “Faded On Me.” The summer-ready track combines country storytelling with rock ‘n’ roll energy, finding a balance between old-school twang and modern sounds. Listen to “Faded On Me” HERE.
“If my album could be summed up in one song, it would be ‘Faded On Me,'” Ludwig says. “That song spoke to me so much. As a kid, my parents taught me to live with setbacks, and this song is about just that. Taking whatever life throws your way and knocking it right back.
The album was produced by Kurt Allison and Tully Kennedy, two incredible songwriters who have written Grammy-nominated hits and are longtime members of Jason Aldean’s band, and is the follow-up to his 2021 self-titled EP and the great 2020 single “Let Me Be Your Whiskey.” Other collaborators on the album include Nashville greats David Lee Murphy (Sheryl Crow, Kenny Chesney) and Michael Dulaney (Jason Aldean, Reba McEntire). Country icons like Brett Eldredge and Jason Aldean have also rallied behind Ludwig, drawn to his laid-back blend of classic and contemporary country.
Ludwig, who has been writing songs since he was 12, grew up in Vancouver, Canada. Every weekend, he and his family would drive into the Canadian backcountry, up Highway 99 to his family’s cabin on Whistler Mountain. Those drives were filled with music, and it was there – looking out the window as the car pulled away from the Pacific coast and headed toward the snow-capped peaks – that he fell in love with country music.
In a genre rooted in down-to-earth honesty, Ludwig is “the real deal.” He knows what it’s like to roll up his sleeves, get to work and chase his dreams. And though he’s already had success in Hollywood – with starring roles in “Vikings,” “Lone Survivor,” “Tribute of Panem” and “Bad Boys For Life” – he doesn’t expect people to just roll out the red carpet for him in Nashville. He’ll earn it, one song at a time.
In addition to working on new music, the versatile entertainer stars in the STARZ television series Heels, whose second season is currently in production. Most recently, Ludwig starred alongside Uzo Aduba and J.K. Simmons in the STX college sports drama National Champions and the drama film Heart of Champions. He will soon be seen in Guy Ritchie’s “The Interpreter” alongside Jake Gyllenhaal for MGM and Amazon.
