From Proposals and Periscope To a Mixtape of New Music, Lee Brice Delivers For His Fans

Pictured backstage at this weekend's "Windy City Smokeout" in Chicago 

(L-R): Enzo DeVincenzo, Red Light/377 Management; Brett Young, Artist, Universal Republic; 

Risha Rodgers, William Morris Entertainment; Lee Brice; Ed Warm, Windy City Smokeout; 

Wade Bowen and Randy Rogers. Photo Credit: Chase Lauer, The Lookout Collective

Lee Brice closed Chicago's third annual "Windy City Smokeout" on Sunday, July 12, with a 90-minute set capped off by a nervous young man's on-stage proposal to his girlfriend as Lee sang his award-winning, "I Don't Dance." (In case you're wondering, she said yes! Here's a 15 second link to the couple's special moment — https://youtu.be/3_yxUK49b5E )

Lee has a gift for connecting with people, whether it's making a dream wedding proposal come true, or paying tribute to veterans, police officers and firefighters during "I Drive Your Truck." That connection translates to social media, which Lee views as a forum for broader conversations with fans about music and life.

In recent USA Today feature (7.9.2015), he talks about how Twitter's Periscope app has helped expand that dialogue. "It's just nice to be on that personal level in real time." 

It's that "real time" conversation with fans that helped inspire his new EP — a six-song set of original tracks called 'Mixtape: 'Til Summer's Gone.'

"I'm constantly working on new music and I thought, 'Why can't I just share what I'm doing more often than every 18 months?' So I created a mixtape to give out during my CMA Fest Fan Club party," shares Brice. "Word about the mixtape spread pretty quickly, so we're making it available on Apple Music and iTunes on July 17th."

While fans can experience Lee via 'Mixtape' and on the road over the Summer, they can also catch his CMA Fest performance on the “CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock," airing Tuesday, Aug. 4 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.