Madison Kozak’s ‘First Last Name’ Holds Special Meaning For Father’s Day
Send this song to your dad for Father's Day...
When Madison Kozak wrote “First Last Name” nearly three years ago, the budding singer-songwriter had no idea that the ode to hear dear dad Larry would change her life. The song first came to fruition as a Father’s Day gift, pulling details from her own personal father-daughter relationship and putting them to music.
“The lyric actually came together really quickly,” Kozak tells Sounds Like Nashville of writing the song with James Slater and Claire Douglas. “I had a lot of fond memories to pull from, like the way my dad would bring out a guitar after family dinners or his infamous ongoing concern, ‘How’s your car been running lately?’ I remember the song feeling really special when we sang it back, and I was proud to have poured so many personal details into it, but I never imagined it would be the song that would jump start my career. My dad was the one who taught me everything I know and love about Country music, so it felt very full-circle to then have a song I wrote about him land both my first publishing and record deal. It’s like ‘First Last Name’ was this domino that fell and led to a lot of dream-come-true moments for me this past year.”
The song quickly garnered attention around the world, earning Kozak not only her publishing and record deals, but also spots on different tours. And through all the major changes, the singer tight bond with her dad grew closer, as they’d chat every night about her adventures.
“I’ve been so blessed to have been able to join several tours in the last eight months and sing this song night after night in different cities across the U.S., Canada, and Europe, then call up my dad afterwards and fill him in on all the cool stories from the road. It’s been an ongoing bonding experience, you could say!”
“First Last Name” may have started as a Father’s Day gift to her dad, but the song has stretched internationally and become the perfect father-daughter dance at weddings.
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“It still feels surreal to me to get DMs from fans all over the world sharing their stories about how they have personally connected with ‘First Last Name,’ especially receiving videos of fathers and daughters dancing to it at weddings – that gets me the most!
“I hope ‘First Last Name’ finds a lot of dads and granddads this Father’s Day – we love ‘em and wouldn’t be here without them! Happy Father’s Day!”
