Mikky Ekko Premieres “Time,” His Album’s Tearjerking Title Track

Nashville artist Mikky Ekko knows how to craft a tearjerker. His Grammy-winning duet with Rihanna pretty much makes me dewy-eyed just thinking about it, and "Time"—the title track from his forthcoming LP—warrants a similarly emotional response. The dusty, widescreen guitar ballad isn't explicitly sad, but it sounds weighed down by longing. Lyrics like We're too young to recognize that nothing stays the same feel fundamentally heart-rending, too. "[The song] is a reflection of where I am as an artist," he told FADER in an email. "It's a naked portrait—it's an honest picture of the album in its simplest form." Time, out January 20th, is Mikky Ekko's debut full-length.

Photo credit: Eliot Lee Hazel