As a songwriter and a singer, Cole Swindell is one of the linchpins of the breezy country-pop sound that became known as bro-country in the 2010s. He first came to prominence as a songwriter for Luke Bryan, a fellow alumnus of Georgia Southern University, but around the time Bryan took "Roller Coaster" to number one, Swindell began his own climb up the charts. He racked up several big hits in the middle of the 2000s -- "Chillin' It," "Hope You Get Lonely Tonight," "Ain't Worth the Whiskey," "You Should Be Here" -- that became emblematic of the sound of mainstream country of its era: friendly, melodic, and sunny, blending elements of rock and hip-hop with country. Swindell extended his hot streak into a new decade when "Single Saturday Night" reached the number one Country Airplay hit in 2020. Both that song and the chart-topping "She Had Me at Heads Carolina" anchored his 2022 album, Stereotype.
