Levi Hummon specializes in crafting bright and cheerful country-pop that percolates to an R&B beat not too dissimilar to the one that propelled the hits of
Thomas Rhett.
Hummon distinguishes himself from his peers by leaning into his inherent friendliness and pan-genre pop, an aesthetic showcased on the EPs Patient (2018) and 36/86 (2021).
The son of Reverend Becca Stevens and
Marcus Hummon, a country songwriter who released an album of his own on
Columbia in 1995,
Levi was raised in a musical household in Nashville. He started writing original songs at an early age, but he set aside his guitar as he approached high school graduation, discouraged by some negative feedback from family friend
Desmond Child.
Hummon resumed writing while attending Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he majored in visual arts. Eventually, he returned to Nashville, studying songwriting at Belmont while honing his original songs. This time around,
Child liked what he heard. He signed
Hummon to his publishing company and featured "Make It Love," a song
Levi co-wrote with his dad, in Two: The Story of Roman & Nyro, a 2013 documentary chronicling the "new modern family" he started with his longtime partner.
Two helped elevate
Hummon's profile, leading to
Levi landing the co-write "Red, White & You" on
We're All Somebody from Somewhere, the 2016 country album from
Aerosmith singer
Steven Tyler; the song reached 46 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart. That same year,
Hummon signed with
Scott Borchetta's Big Machine, releasing an eponymous EP in April. "Love You Hate You Miss You" received some traction online, but the EP overall didn't make much of an impact.
Hummon responded by going indie in 2017, releasing the singles "Don't Waste the Night" and "Stupid," and playing supporting gigs for the likes of
Kip Moore,
Michael Ray, and
Kelsea Ballerini.
Alison Krauss sang on his "Love Heals" single in 2018, one of many tracks he released that year, culminating in the EP Patient.
The singles "Night Lights" and "Drop of Us" followed in 2019, as did the
Kira Isabella duet "We Should Be Together." "Rock and Roses" and "Good Taste" arrived the next year, the latter of which appeared on his 2021 EP 36/86. 2021 also saw
Hummon team up with
Walker Hayes for the single "Paying for It." He kicked off the following year with the catchy "Bottled Up." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine