“Darlin'” singer Chase Matthew began to enjoy success at country radio when he added a little bit of pop to his music.

Longtime fans should recognize the themes he relies on across his Chase album and even the sound of songs like “Drives My Truck” — a rock-fired love song — but everything is a little bit brighter, like he’s singing with a smile on his face when there used to be scowl.

It’s a familiar progression. Country music fans and critics like to define authenticity as “Never Changed” but nothing could be further from the truth.

Mid-’90s recordings from Jason Aldean are surprisingly traditional. Miranda Lambert broke as a spitfire but didn’t begin to ascend to superstar status until she shared vulnerable songs like “House That Built Me.” Walker Hayes first released music that is generic relative to what he creates today.

Usually, artists try to distance themselves from their first recordings, but not Matthew. In 2022 he released Born for This on Ryan Upchurch’s Holler Boy Records, and he says fans should absolutely go back to find it.

“I feel like one of my best bodies of work was my first full-length album, the Born for This album,” Matthew tells Taste of Country Nights host Evan Paul. “(I’m) talking songs I’d sat on for years and years and years and some of the most heartfelt stuff I’ve ever written in my life.”

We’ll stop short of a post-release album review, but a deep dive into his catalog shows an evolution.

Co-producer Austin Shawn has remained with Matthew, but the two men have steered toward arrangements with energy, not moodiness.

To say he added “pop” isn’t a dig or suggestion that he’s become a pop-genre singer. He’s simply added a brighter tone that explodes across stereo speakers while finding ways to better highlight his vocals.

There’s a clear focus across Chase, which he says is intentional. The album title isn’t just his first name, but a reminder to keep chasing his dreams. The alternative is relying on the past, which for Matthew is dark. The high school dropout battled addiction and lost his best friend to murder before his life turned around six or seven years ago.

How long can you really expect a man to live with those demons?

While Chase was released earlier this year and “Darlin'” became his first No. 1 hit on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart in November, he says his eyes are still set forward. New music is forever in the works, and he hopes to share more in 2026.

Matthew is the guest on this week’s episode of the Taste of Country Nights, On Demand podcast. An audio version including Jackson Dean will be released on Friday.