Drew Baldridge Makes the Best of ‘Senior Year’ During a Pandemic
Find out how he's making a tough time special for deserving students.
For many, senior year of high school is an unforgettable time filled with big experiences. But this year young people everywhere are missing out those moments, and country singer Drew Baldridge is helping make things right.
After COVID-19 cancelled graduation celebrations all around the country, fans have been finding comfort in his nostalgic single, “Senior Year,” an uptempo anthem about the friends and coming-of-age memories that time is all about. And even though graduation ceremonies have mostly been scrapped, he’s found a way to bring the song to them.
Opening up about the song’s creation, Baldridge says the track’s flood of emotions are tied to his own senior year … still fresh in his mind even after 10 years.
“That morning before the [song was written] I was on Facebook scrolling through, and I came across a family friend’s daughter’s picture,” he says. “It was a picture of her and her friend and underneath it the caption said ‘First day of senior year.’ The emotions immediately rushed over me. I just got to thinking about my senior year and all the amazing memories I had. I brought the idea in to Jordan [Walker] and Tim [Nichols] and the song just kinda wrote itself. I really believe God put those words on our hearts that day almost two years ago for this moment and for these kids of 2020!”
Baldridge released the song last year, but it’s taken on an important new life in recent months. He’s performed it as part of more than 60 Zoom graduation events and even in person for a few drive-thru graduations, including one June 6 in the Boston area. Local news outlets captured the scene with a whole community turning out to do the best they could do for their deserving grads, and Baldridge was game to help. Now, he’s been seeing the song’s impact everywhere.
“The best reaction I’ve had from a fan was when I was playing a Zoom concert for a class,” he notes. “I was singing ‘Senior Year’ and I saw a mom and her daughter hugging and holding onto each other and crying. It took everything I had to get through the song without breaking down. I’ve had kids tag me in videos at their summer pool parties. I’ve had kids tell me we listened to your song all the way down to Panama City and just screamed it out at the top of our lungs cause this is our story. As a songwriter that’s all you hope to do is write something that can have an impact and this song is doing that.”
Baldridge aims to keep supporting this year’s high-school classes with his just-beginning Senior Year Tour, helping send students into the world with the celebration they’ve earned. He’s got more graduation events scheduled through early July.
