Here’s a song with some of the most disarmingly simple advice you’ll ever hear in a country hit. “Kiss Somebody” by Australian singer-songwriter Morgan Evans is an upbeat, singalong anthem about getting back out there after a broken heart. It was his breakthrough in Nashville, it climbed to number one on country radio, and it has one of the most relatable origin stories around. If you’ve ever needed a gentle push to get back out there, consider this song your friendly nudge from a mate. Let’s find out what “Kiss Somebody” is really about, how it was written in a couple of hours, and why this cheerful little tune struck such a chord.
From Australia to Nashville
Before this song, Evans was already doing well back home. He was a singer-songwriter and television personality in Australia, but he knew that if he truly wanted to make country music, he needed to be in Nashville. So he packed up and moved to the other side of the world. Nashville can be a lonely place when you first arrive, and it was the kind of leap that makes a good song feel earned.
Within a couple of years, a lot happened. He moved countries, he met country singer Kelsea Ballerini in 2016, and he lost someone very close to him. “Kiss Somebody” came right at the beginning of this whirlwind, and it became the first song for what would be his US debut album.
A Quick Writing Session
The song was written with producer Chris DeStefano and songwriter Josh Osborne, and the story goes that it came together in around two and a half hours. According to Evans, Osborne walked in singing the phrase, saying he didn’t know what it was but it felt good. That’s often how the best songs start. A little scrap of an idea that feels right, and the instinct to follow it.
Evans has said it was the first song they wrote together after he’d begun working with DeStefano, and it came about a couple of months into their partnership. It’s a great reminder that a strong hook can matter more than hours of fussing. If a phrase sticks, chase it.
The Friend Behind the Song
Here’s the part I love. Despite what many people assume, “Kiss Somebody” isn’t about Kelsea Ballerini. It’s actually inspired by a friend. Evans has explained that during the writing session he told Osborne and DeStefano about a mate he used to stay with before moving to Nashville, a guy who was still heartbroken over a girl a year after they’d split up.
His advice was blunt and friendly. He told him that he needed to kiss somebody, because it’s one way to get over someone. That’s it. That’s the whole idea. And honestly, there’s something brilliant about how plain it is. It doesn’t try to be profound, but it taps into a feeling most of us have had at some point, when we’re stuck on someone who’s already moved on.
What the Song Really Means
On the surface, “Kiss Somebody” is a cheeky invitation to a night out. But the meaning goes a bit deeper. It’s about not letting a heartbreak freeze you in place. It’s about getting out of the house, putting yourself in a room full of people and remembering that a new connection, even a fleeting one, can remind you what it feels like to be alive.
The word “kiss” works on two levels. It can be taken literally, as a flirty moment with a stranger, or figuratively, as a symbol of opening yourself back up to the world. Either way, the message is the same. Don’t stay home sulking forever. Dust yourself off and take a chance. The song never says you have to fall in love again. It just says you have to start moving.
Release and Success
Evans released the single in July 2017, and it became his breakthrough. Over time it went all the way to number one on the Mediabase country radio chart, which is a major achievement for an artist who’d only just arrived in the United States. The following year, in October 2018, he put out his US debut album, Things That We Drink To.
He and his team released the songs from that album one at a time over the course of a year, so that listeners could get to know the story gradually. “Kiss Somebody” was the starting point, followed by other fan favourites like “Day Drunk” and “American”. It was a smart way to build momentum, and the opening track gave the whole project a sense of fun and optimism.
Light and Shade
It’s interesting that such a carefree song came just before a very heavy moment. A couple of months after the single came out, Evans lost his manager, Rob Potts, in a motorcycle accident. On the day of the memorial in Nashville, he went back to the studio with Osborne and DeStefano and wrote the album’s title track, “Things That We Drink To”, as a celebration of his friend’s life.
That context gives the album emotional depth. On one side you have the playful, fun-loving “Kiss Somebody”. On the other you have a song about loss and gratitude. Together they show how life swings between joy and sorrow, and how music can handle both. The first song feels even more precious when you know what came next.
Celebrating at the Tin Roof
After the trio finished writing, they didn’t just pack up and go home. They headed to a Nashville bar called the Tin Roof to celebrate. Evans has said that it was the first time he’d ever felt that way about a song, which is a pretty strong statement from someone who’d already written hundreds of them. It tells you he knew he’d struck something special.
I love that detail because it matches the spirit of the song itself. A tune about getting out among people was celebrated by getting out among people. It’s a neat bit of life imitating art, and it hints at why the finished track has such a natural, easygoing energy.
Why Country Radio Embraced It
Country music has always loved a story that feels like real life, and this song fits right in. It’s friendly, a little cheeky and built on an everyday situation anyone can understand. There’s no big production number or heavy message, just a likeable voice telling you to get out and live a little.
For an Australian newcomer, that relatability helped. Listeners didn’t need to know where he came from or what he’d done before. They just needed to connect with the feeling. By keeping it simple and sincere, Evans gave country radio something it could happily play on a Friday afternoon, and that’s exactly how a breakthrough hit gets made.
Final Thoughts
“Kiss Somebody” works because it tells the truth in a friendly voice. Heartbreak is real, it can last longer than we’d like, and sometimes the best way forward is to get out among people and let life surprise you. Morgan Evans took a simple piece of advice he’d given a friend and turned it into a hit that helped launch his career in Nashville. It’s proof that a great song doesn’t need to be complicated, only honest, and that sometimes the best advice comes from a casual chat with a mate. Next time you’re feeling stuck, put it on, grab your friends and remember the message. Sometimes the cure really is that simple.