Tucker Wetmore’s rise to fame has been rapid and a little unexpected. Born and raised in the forest of Kalama, Washington, Wetmore grew up immersed in music. His grandfather was a pastor, and gospel songs soundtracked Wetmore’s formative years, reggae played at large family barbecues, and the soft rock of the Eagles, Jim Croce, and Billy Joel.
Wetmore is of Samoan heritage on his father’s side. He grew up in a Samoan family and has spoken about the strong musical traditions within his family. His family’s love for singing influenced his passion for music. At the age of 11, he began taking piano lessons and also dabbled in guitar and trumpet.
Initially, however, Wetmore wanted to excel in sports above all else. Football was the plan until he sustained an injury in college. He resumed his musical path at his mother’s urging and began writing songs.
In 2020, Wetmore relocated to Nashville to further develop his craft. The self-taught musician quickly immersed himself in the singer-songwriter scene, building a fan base on TikTok. In 2023, he signed an exclusive publishing and artist development deal with Back Blocks Music.
By 2024, he released his first EP, Waves on a Sunset, which spurred two singles that went on to become RIAA-certified gold. “Wine Into Whiskey” and his mega-hit, “Wind Up Missing You,” firmly established Wetmore on the country music landscape and were certified with a platinum plaque.
Not only that, in 2024, Wetmore had two songs featured on the star-studded Twister’s soundtrack, and he made his highly anticipated Opry Debut. One of the first places he visited upon arriving in Nashville was the Grand Ole Opry. He turned to his mom and said, “I’m going to play here someday.” And she said, “I know.”
He recalled, “I didn’t step into the circle during soundcheck. I wanted the first time to be when I was playing the show. I stood back from a circle and the band was playing, and I was fixing to sing, and I stepped in. And I made it kind of like a moment for me. I took that moment for myself to fully appreciate it.”
Now, in 2025, he has released his debut album, which includes 19 tracks, 11 of which he co-wrote. With the prior success of “Wind Up Missing You,” Wetmore is in the exclusive club of having a number one before putting out a debut record.
The title track, “What Not To,” sets the tone for the album Wetmore wrote with his best friend Jacob Hackworth, Chris LaCorte, and Nashville powerhouses Chase McGill and Jameson Rogers. A deeply personal song to Wetmore, “What Not To” is about struggle, compassion, and salvation. He gently sings, “Momma said you don’t pray no more/ breaks my heart, so I do it for you.”
“That song was easy and just fell out on the paper, even though it was probably the hardest at the same time because it’s not easy talking about stuff like that,” he stated.
As someone who has been writing songs nearly every day for the past four years, it was a challenge for the singer to pare it down to just 19 songs.
Wetmore shared, “I didn’t want it to just be songs. I wanted to be musical. I wanted to be purposeful and say something. If you really dive deep into the record, you get to know a little bit about me, where I’m from, and why I’m an idiot sometimes or why I’m a good time sometimes, or why I feel some things.”
He continued, “I try to write songs that pull from my own personal experiences, but I try to say things in a way that people can relate to no matter what they’re doing.”
Produced by LaCorte, What Not To is rich in interconnected themes (“Like red yarn connecting a bunch of pins on a wall,” Wetmore said). Songs like “Casino” and “Bad Luck Looks Good on Me” compare life and love to a gamble. “Goodbye Whiskey” and “Whiskey Again” stand in for an up-and-down romance. And “Brunette” is a metaphor for Wetmore’s own battle with anxiety, especially when it comes to relationships. Although he didn’t write it, the poem has gone viral on TikTok because so many people relate to it.
Other tracks are steeped in hooky melodies and clever turns of phrase. The infectious “3, 2, 1” — as in “three words, too late, damn girl, you’re the one that got away” — is a radio hit now climbing the charts. “Silverado Blue” aims to capture the fleeting energy of young love destined to fade. And “Takes One to Break One,” another easygoing sing-along, touches on all the themes of the LP.
“The album is bookended by ‘Whatcha Think Is Gonna Happen,’ a foreshadowing song, and ‘Whiskey Again,’ and every song in between tees up the other,” he said. “The first half begins with my experiences with a girl. We broke up and, in ‘Goodbye Whiskey,’ I wonder if whiskey was the problem. But then you get to ‘What Not To,’ and we learn that maybe the problem is something else…”
In conclusion, Wetmore explained, “Like me, there is more to music than just streaming or sales numbers on a page. Music makes you feel something. When I was going through things as a kid, I turned to music, and it didn’t let me down. I hope What Not To does the same for everyone who listens.”
Wetmore will support Thomas Rhett on tour this summer. Follow him on his website, Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and all streaming services.
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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and X.
