Jeff RayChase Bryant's upbeat, autobiographical new single, "Upbringing," arrives today, at the end of a week where he shocked the country music world by revealing he'd attempted suicide in 2018.

Fortunately, though he believed he'd fully loaded his gun, the chamber that was supposed to contain the bullet that would end his life turned out to somehow be empty.

Now, the 28-year-old who scored top ten hits with "Little Bit of You" and "Take It On Back" lives to open a new musical chapter.

"I feel good," he tells ABC Audio. "I'm here in Texas now, I have kind of my little routine of things that I like to do."

"And all I want to do is be happy, love hard, love strong, and live a great life, and keep doing what I love," he declares. "And that's make music and make great records."

Appropriately, Chase is back in his home state, as he peels back the curtain on his most honest personal expression yet.

"This sums up these last few years, and this sums up my entire life..." he explains. "It's like my autobiography in three minutes."

"Now, the process on the recording side of things was different for me," he continues. "We were in Austin. There's no time frames. It's not cut six or eight songs in a session. You're in there cutting for two weeks. It's very old school, and that's what I loved about it."

Ultimately, in surviving his suicide attempt, Chase says he's found his purpose again.

"Moving forward, I just hope I can be a light for somebody..." he says both earnestly and excitedly. "I want to use my story, and I want to use my music, and I want to use myself to be somebody [who's here] for somebody else."

If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, or worried about a friend or loved one, help is available. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 [TALK] for free confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even if it feels like it, you are not alone.

By Stephen Hubbard
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