Zack Knudsen
When it comes to relentless optimism, country star Drake White has what you might call “real-world experience.”
Back in August of 2019, the “Livin’ the Dream” singer was in the middle of a concert in Virginia when he suffered a sudden brain bleed, nearly collapsing onstage. Just months earlier he had been secretly diagnosed with AVM (arteriovenous malformation), and although the “abnormal” tangle of arteries and veins causes no problem at all in some patients, in White it created a massive stroke.
Right there onstage, the passionately upbeat singer-songwriter lost the use of his left side—news that blazed through the country community like wildfire. But it never burned away White’s spirit. Throughout the journey since, White has been open with fans about his struggle and the intensive physical therapy he’s endured, and last year he was finally able to return to the stage—albeit without the ability to play guitar (yet). Now he’s ready to take another step forward with the release of this month’s The Optimystic, saying the full album captures the same mix of positivity and spirituality that helped get him through his own struggle. But make no mistake, he’s not a mushy, free-hugs kind of guy.
“I’ve always been considered a glass-is-half-full kind of dude, and a lot of times people can come across as kind of bullshit when they’re always positive, trying to rah-rah or whatever,” White admits. “But I’ve also always enjoyed the Clint-Eastwood types: the guy who is gonna go out there and do what he says he’s gonna do. So The Optimystic, for me, is remaining that glass-is-half-full adventure-seeking dude, through life’s mystery.”
Speaking with Nashville Lifestyles over the phone, White explains that, in the aftermath of his stroke, the core of that mystery got real simple, real fast: Will I ever walk again? It was like White’s left side was just switched off, he says, and as time went on things got worse. His broad shoulders lost all their muscle mass. The hemorrhage combined with fatigue and stress made it difficult to concentrate. Normally a colorful speaker full of country wisdom, White says he could hardly put words together, and gave up trying to use his phone. And as if that wasn’t enough, there were other concerns.
Right in the middle of the ordeal, White says he was dropped by two record labels and his management team had serious doubts about whether he’d ever write or play music again. “Just having faith in what was possible was hard,” White explains. But he overcame it all, and now he’s ready to share the music it inspired.
“The truth was I could do whatever I wanted to do, but I had to remain positive,” he says. “Your realistic side, your logic, all that shit’s out the window. You gotta sink into, ‘Alright, this is what I want to do. This is what I’m gonna do. And I’m gonna run through hell to do it.’ I now have the authority to speak on this stuff, because I made it through that battle between my ears. Now I have an opportunity to practice what I preach.”
Calling it “pure determination” that jumpstarted his songwriting, White says it suddenly felt like he could “trim all the fluff ” and get down to what really matters. For him, that’s always been a swampy, sweltering mix of country, soul, and Southern rock paired with a powerful message.
In June of 2021, “Hurts the Healing” and “Angel Side of You” started this new chapter off, one a blood-pumping reminder that real progress never comes easy, and the other a tender thank you to his wife, Alex. Now they’re joined by 12 more songs produced by The Cadillac Three’s Jaren Johnston, adding up to an against-the-odds soundtrack.
“It Takes Time” finds White shouting his new perspective like a tent-revival preacher. “Best Things in Life Are Free” links a Gospel choir to a story of letting go (with an intriguing hip-hop vocal delivery). And even “The Optimystic” itself speaks to the secrets White has uncovered while sonically fusing swamp rock and psychedelia. Elsewhere, White celebrates the old-soul mentality that hasn’t changed on “50 Years Too Late,” along with his “Alabama soul, funk brother not-give-a-shit about what the rest of the world says” sound. Each one features the soulful, barrel-chested vocals White was not sure he’d ever sing again, and soon he’ll prove once and for all that his optimism was well founded. For a guy who loves the stage as much as White (and experienced such trauma on one), going out on tour with roots rockers Whiskey Myers might be White’s biggest accomplishment to date.
“There’s just so much joy and anticipation,” he says of the spring tour, which so far is scheduled through March. “We worked so hard to be able to walk, like literally, to walk up the stairs to a stage, so there’s an appreciation for that hallowed ground. It’s almost putting gasoline on the fire.”
In the end, that fire has helped White live up to his album title, and he now calls his stroke “the greatest thing that ever happened to me.” His humbling story is one of resilience, faith, and family, the finding of inner strength and an amazing recovery, and it gives him the right to be as annoyingly positive about life as he wants. But he intends to let his music do the talking.
“I hope people take away that there’s a bigger power out there at work,” White says of the album. “There’s definitely evil in the world, but I always think the good will outlast, and I think there’s more good than bad out there. I hope people find inspiration in that.”