In 2020, Brett Young entered a phase in his career that found him facing a new and what seemed like a daunting challenge as a songwriter. He had always strived to be authentic in his writing, delving into subject matter that allowed him to draw from his personal experiences, but he was now married to his longtime girlfriend, a woman he literally says is the love of his life, and a father of two little girls. Young knew his happy life wouldn’t make for a compelling album.
“It would have been really tempting to just write basically a lullabies record, love songs about my wife and songs about my children,” Young said in a recent phone interview. “So the challenge was that you can’t write just about what you’re going through in your life right now. That’s going to be boring.
” Young answered the songwriting challenge — both on his new album, “Across The Sheets,” and his 2020 release, “Weekends Look A Little Different These Days” — by learning a new skill with his songwriting after partnering with some co-writers who have been around the block. They knew how to put an authentic personal touch on a lyric and honestly convey a variety of emotions no matter what was happening in their lives at the time. Young is sharing his new music on a tour that brings him to the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom on Friday.
“It’s hard when you’re in the happiest place in your life and you’ve got to still write a sad song, and we did,” Young said. “I’d get in wi.