Riley Green Is Glad He Did Not Rise To Fame In His 20s: “It Would’ve Been Ugly”

Glad it was gradual.

Riley Green has had a very successful year in 2025, which included winning multiple big awards for his duet with Ella Langley, “You Look Like You Love Me,” as well as selling out shows all over the country on his Damn Country Music tour. He didn’t put out a ton of new music, aside from the deluxe edition of his 2024 album Don’t Mind If I Do, in addition to his Midtown Sessions EP, but fans didn’t get a full album, though it sounds like that is coming soon.

While Green has achieved success that most artists dream of, and he has no plans of slowing down, if you had asked the “Worst Way” singer a few years ago, he thought he’d still be working his construction job and singing covers on the side.

Last year, during a conversation on the God’s Country Podcast, Green revealed that he never imagined the commercial success he’s now found with his music. Green admitted that he was comfortable playing dive bars for the rest of his life and going about his construction job.

“I never had any visions of major success. Like sign a record deal…no…and I know there are people who always dreamed… I played three sports in school and played a little football in college; I assumed I was going to play a couple of shows on the weekend for $150 a night and build houses for the rest of my life. That’s just what I thought I was going to do.”

Green then elaborates that it was even more shocking that people related to his songwriting when he began to pen his own tunes, because he never saw himself as a songwriter.

“I didn’t write because I thought I was good at writing songs. I got tired of playing the same covers all the time, so I tried to write some stuff that people might think is funny or whatever…”

@godscountrypodcas From building houses to a #CMA Awards Winner . @Riley Green on #godscountry talking music, songwriting, and his #nashville #countrymusic journey. #rileygreen #construction #dreambig #countryboy #songwriter #podcast ♬ original sound – thegodscountrypodcast

Riley Green’s story proves that deserving talent will make its way to the limelight. However, Riley Green says he is thankful the world didn’t discover his name and music until he was a little older.

On a recent sit-down with the Like A Farmer Podcast, the Alabama native shared that he feels that if the spotlight had been on him at a younger age, he might not have been able to navigate it well.

“I think if I would have had any type of success similar to this when I was in my early 20s, it would’ve been ugly.”

Riley Green says that with more life experience under his belt, he’s able to accept fame without getting caught up in it and knows how to step back and ground himself when needed.

“You get a little bit mature, and you can kinda step back from things a little easier as you get older. I was really fortunate that my success was really gradual.”

Wise words from the 37-year-old.

With looks like Riley Green, I can only imagine that he’d get caught up in girls swooning over him at a young age. All jokes aside, I think this is a really interesting perspective: he is glad he found fame at an older age, and it’s not something you hear often from folks. But when you see young stars reach insane levels of fame overnight, it can be tough to make the adjustment. Some handle it well, some crash and burn, losing touch with their roots and what made fans fall in love with them in the first place.

Riley Green is a perfect example of someone who has remained true to his roots, and introspective thoughts like this prove his humility.

Check out the entire interview below:

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