On Tuesday morning, queer country music artist Brian Falduto unveiled a live performance video of “Free Coffee,” the latest single from his upcoming EP I Could Be Happy, featuring singer-songwriter Will Leet. The performance of Falduto’s original song was filmed at The Green Room in New York as part of the singer’s three-night Something Borrowed, Something New music residency. Falduto officially released the single last week.
Along with his previous single release, “Takin’ This City Back,” Falduto’s intent on bringing queer songs to the country music canon.
“A lot of my past music was built around reclaiming ’90s country music as my own and writing LGBTQ-inclusive Christian music, but with this project, I really just let myself have fun,” he stated. “The EP has bluegrass vibes, groovy vibes, country vibes, crooner vibes, ballad vibes. Its sound is a little hard to define, which feels fitting because I listen to and love so many different kinds of music.”
Falduto’s newest track is every bit a rom-com love song that came to life with Leet as his collaborator.
“I met Will, the guitarist for Sammy Rae & The Friends, after being a fan of the band’s music for a long time, and he quickly became one of the easiest people I’ve ever written with,” the singer said in the single’s release announcement. “I brought him the lyrics to ‘Free Coffee,’ which was one of the first love songs I’d ever written, and he created such a warm, receptive space for me to be vulnerable while still having a lot of fun, which is actually a pretty perfect reflection of the relationship the song is about: my partner has this infectious energy that is capable of bringing you into the present moment. I love that we captured that in a way that feels less mushy-gushy and more like a big, joyful jam session.”
Falduto first came into prominence at a young age playing the role of Billy, nicknamed Fancy Pants by Jack Black in the film School of Rock. He made his music debut with the 2023 album Gay Country. That album featured the tracks “Hottest Guy Here,” “Big Boys Club,” and his cover of Dolly Parton’s “Why’d You Come In Here Lookin’ Like That,” as well as the anthemic queer song “Same Old Country Love Song.”
I Could Be Happy is slated for release on Nov. 13.
Watch Falduto perform “Free Coffee” below:
–Rich Lopez