Throwback Thursday: Remember When Sam Hunt Released ‘Leave the Night On?’

Sam Hunt has been making headlines this past week when he broke young girl’s hearts all over the country when it was revealed that he is engaged to Hannah Lee Fowler, the girl behind many of the hit songs featured on his debut album, Montevallo. But before the press was buzzing all around his love affairs and before he took country music by storm with a top-selling album alongside 5 consecutive No. 1 singles, Hunt was just another aspiring artist who won over the genre’s fans with the summer hit, “Leave the Night On.”

Released in June of 2014, the upbeat track uses a play on words to tell the story of a guy and a girl making the most of the moonlit sky. The single was well received, debuting in the top 30 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and eventually making its way to the No. 1 spot. “Leave the Night On” also acted as Hunt’s first No. 1 as an artist on the Billboard Country Airplay charts when it claimed the top spot in Nov. of 2014, shortly after the release of his debut project. Since the single’s impact, it has sold over one million copies, marking it RIAA certified platinum.

“Leave the Night On” paved the path for the record-breaking release of Montevallo. The record was the third highest selling album across all genres the week of its release and was the highest selling country album, a title it claimed for nine weeks. As of February 2016, Montevallo has been RIAA certified 2X platinum.

Now before Hunt made his way into the country music scene as an artist, he served as a writer for some pretty big stars. He is behind Kenny Chesney’s 2012 hit “Come Over” as well as Keith Urban’s “Cop Car.”

Hunt dropped a new song minutes after the ball dropped this past New Year’s Eve, titled “Drinkin’ too Much.” The tune serves as an apology to his ex, to whom he is now engaged.