Missing a flight can be a frustrating experience, but not when you’re in love. At least that’s what Brett Young suggests in his latest release.
The country star unveils a new song titled “Ticket to L.A.,” a sweet airport tale that finds Young meeting a girl and falling for her while waiting on his plane — and subsequently missing it. “It was midnight in the middle of JFK/ Trying to take my mind off the falling rain/ I was saying anything to make her laugh/ Never wanted anything so bad/ She got me wishin’ that she could say/ Doesn’t even know that I missed my plane/ Ain’t a single thing I wouldn’t trade/ For a ticket to L.A.,” Young sings on the undulating chorus.
Backed by a lighthearted acoustic guitar, the upbeat “Ticket to L.A.” is the follow-up to Young’s single “Here Tonight,” also marking the title track for the 37-year-old singer’s forthcoming sophomore album (due Dec. 7). Both “Here Tonight” and “Ticket to L.A.” have a very smitten feel, but when it came to picking an album title, the Southern California native couldn’t help picking the latter.
“I knew we had to name the album after ‘Ticket to L.A.’ because that title sums up such a big part of my life,” Young says. “I’ve spent a lot of hours flying back home to Los Angeles from Nashville. It was a tough season when I first made the move, but so much has changed in my life since then, and I’m in such a happy place. I think you can feel that shift in the new music too, so I can’t wait for people to hear to the album.”
Young has topped the Country Airplay chart three times, with two of those hits documenting a breakup that was very real for the singer. But now he’s happily engaged, and it seems the positive vibes in Young’s first two Ticket to L.A. releases won’t be stopping anytime soon — even if he’s missing a flight or two along the way.
Listen to “Ticket to L.A.,” premiering on Billboard below.