Well, that didn’t take very long at all. Eleven-year-old Mason Ramsey, aka the Walmart Yodeling Kid, signed a joint deal with Atlantic Records and Big Loud Friday, and announced the release of his debut single, “Famous.”
“I’d been to Nashville a few times before, but never thought something like this would happen,” Ramsey said. “It’s a dream to sign with Atlantic and Big Loud. I loved recording ‘Famous’ and can’t wait for everyone to hear it.”
Ramsey’s yodeling performance in a Kentucky Walmart near his Harrisburg, Illinois home, went viral earlier this month, bringing him to stardom with appearances on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” the 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry concert stage.
Today, he will return to Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show to celebrate his big news with a performance of “Famous” and tonight he will team up with Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley to sing it again as a headliner at Stagecoach in Indio, California.
“I loved the video that went viral, and after spending time with Mason, I knew he was a star,” Ian Cripps, Atlantic Records Vice President of A&R, said. “He has the talent and emotional ability to really feel a song and sing from his soul. I’m blessed to have the opportunity to work with him and his family to help develop his career. Coachella, Stagecoach … World, here he comes.”
“The minute Mason and his family walked into Big Loud, I knew we had to work with him,” Seth England, Big Loud Partner, added. “He is a star, but most importantly he is a down to earth kid who loves country music. The Ramsey’s are an amazing family from a small Southern Illinois town just like me. We understood them, and their goals and simply fell in love with their story and vision. I want to give a special thank you to Julie Greenwald, Craig Kallman, Ian Cripps and Jeff Levin at Atlantic for also believing in Big Loud as their partner on this project. This would have never happened without you guys and we’re forever grateful. Most of all, I want to thank The Ramsey’s, Danny Kang and Dan Awad for trusting Big Loud and Atlantic to join them on this journey.”
The music video for “Famous” is currently in production. Joey Moi (Florida Georgia Line, Jake Owen) and Corey Crowder (Chris Young) produced the track, which was written by Hubbard, Corey Crowder, Sarah Buxton, and Canaan Smith.
“Famous” is available today at all DSPs and streaming services here.
Watch Ramsey taking the Grand Ole Opry stage today on the “Ellen DeGeneres Show” in the clip above.