Luke Grimes on Why ‘Red Bird’ is His Most Honest Album: ‘Snapshot of My Soul’

Looks like Riley Green’s influence on co-star Luke Grimes, lead of the Yellowstone spin-off Marshals, is rubbing off in a big way.  

Grimes, who is also carving out his own path in music, recently released his second album, Red Bird. He also appeared in Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” music video, another shared connection with Green, who teamed up with Langley on “You Look Like You Love Me,” the award-winning track that earned them several major country music honors.  

In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Grimes revealed his sophomore album is his most honest one, with songs that are based on his experiences lately. “If it's a snapshot of my soul, then we have to put it all in there,” he shared. With his acting and music career making him a household name and juggling that fame with becoming a father to a son with wife Bianca Rodrigues, Grimes sure has a lot of material for his music.  

“There is that immature guy in there that still raises his head and shows a bit of ugliness. That guy needs to grow up, but he's in there. We've got to represent him," he shared. "Then there's the guy that's completely in love with his wife and his child, and that's sad that his dad is gone, and all of these things are happening simultaneously.”  

Following his self-titled 2024 debut, which featured 13 tracks, Red Bird comes in shorter at just 10 songs, though that wasn’t originally the plan. Grimes explained, “We cut 16 songs and then only chose 10 because they felt like the ones that were the most honest. If there's any through line or anything in those songs, that's all it is, really, is just the ones that felt like they really came from inside myself and where I was at the time.”  

Grimes also shared that the album serves as both a love letter to his son and a eulogy for his father, whom he lost in 2022. “Life is a mixed bag, and sometimes the greatest and worst thing can happen to you simultaneously. That's recently what my life has felt like. There's been a lot of love and loss at the same time. There's losing my dad on this album and having my child on this album, and sometimes in the same song, because that's how it feels sometimes.” 

"Haunted" was featured in the first episode of Marshals. Listen to it below.