We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Clayton Mullen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Clayton below.

Clayton, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

The moment I knew I wanted to pursue music more seriously came just a few months before I moved to Nashville, Tennessee. I was interviewing for jobs around Dallas for after college graduation and at the same time, I got my first publishing deal offer. Before that, I didn’t realize there was a real path to making a living in music. It was a mix of realizing I didn’t want a desk job and falling deeper in love with songwriting. I always knew I had a passion for music, but I never imagined I could pursue it professionally. It wasn’t until the publishing deal opportunity that it started to feel real and I knew then I had to chase it.

Clayton, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Clayton Mullen, I’m an independent singer/songwriter and I grew up in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. My dad played guitar around the house when I was growing up and interestingly enough, my two older sisters were classically trained singers. I messed around with the guitar here and there, but it wasn’t until college that I found a real passion for it. It all really started in my dorm room at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, where I discovered artists like Parker McCollum, Cody Johnson and Koe Wetzel. They were all carving out their own paths in country music, and I found that incredibly inspiring. At first, it was just me and my guitar playing music with some buddies on the weekends, but once I started writing songs, I quickly fell in love with the process. My sophomore year of college, I joined my fraternity band and we would play cover gigs at tailgates, parties and football weekends – honestly, anywhere we could. Word started to spread around campus and our gigs just grew from there. I’ve been pursuing music for about five years now and moved to Nashville two years ago to chase it full-time.

I’m proud that I get to call this my job and that I get to work hard at something I love every day. I’m also proud of trying to make my parents proud. Just recently, my dad told me how far I’ve come and hearing him say he was proud of me, meant a lot. That moment made me a proud son.

The biggest thing I want people to know about my music is that my songs come from real stories of my own experiences. I hope listeners can make their own stories with these songs, too. I’ve always connected with music that felt personal and relatable, so I try to write from a place of nostalgia. At the end of the day, I’m just a guy who picked up a guitar, fell into this world of music and now I’m taking it one step and one song at a time – learning more about myself as I go.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part is seeing how my music connects with people. I get messages from fans telling me a song helped them through a breakup or a tough time and that means the world. Another huge reward is playing live shows. There’s nothing like giving people a chance to forget everything else and just enjoy the music for a night. That’s a special kind of connection.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My biggest goal is to stay open – to keep trying new things and let the music lead. I’m still figuring out who I am as an artist and what I want to say. Every day, I try to peel back another layer to understand more about who Clayton Mullen is and not just as a musician, but as a storyteller.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.claytonmullen.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claytonmullenmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/claytonmullenmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeCIAbgRPs9US5ZZFu2jMsQ
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@claytonmullenmusic

  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6iRDBNeREg0Je2y9LZzD2g

Image Credits

Jordan Dziekan
Brandon Cangro