Kashus Culpepper Talks Zach Bryan, Samuel L. Jackson and New Music (Exclusive)

Kashus Culpepper entered the music industry with several lifetimes' worth of experience under his belt — but he admits the success he has had since captivating listeners worldwide in 2023 still "doesn't feel real."

In conversation with PEOPLE ahead of his first-ever headlining performance at The Basement East in Nashville, Culpepper takes us on a journey to the genesis of his hauntingly beautiful country-Americana-inspired sound, with a voice that harkens back to yesteryear and a perspective road-worn from gospel singing in his youth, military service as an adult and true-grit living throughout.

"I love music with a passion, man," he shares, but admits, "I was never that dude in church to be like, 'Look at me, I can sing. Look at me.' Everybody could sing. And I never thought that I could go anywhere with it because no one said, 'Oh, Kash can sing so well in church.' "

Despite not receiving his flowers at that time and music becoming an activity he mainly enjoyed as a "listener" while he worked as a fireman and EMT in Alabama, Culpepper's foundation as the artist he is today began when he took up the guitar and singing again while on deployment with the U.S. Navy.

"My buddy found a guitar for me and I just started learning," he recalls of his humble beginnings. "I started learning songs and we threw these parties on [the base where we were stationed]. We couldn't leave, man. We couldn't do nothing. I mean, we couldn't leave base, we couldn't work. So we just sat in our rooms, played games, and drank. And then I was like, while I'm doing this, might as well pick up something I want to do."

Culpepper notes that at the time, performance as a solo artist was so new to him that he began accepting payments for gigs in alcohol. With "well over 200 songs I knew in my head, just off the top and a hell of a lot of sangria" in his closet, he returned from deployment and continued pursuing music.

During that formative period, he remembers "going around the [Gulf] Coast" and "playing cover band shows and open mics," but questioning if music was a sustainable career path.

However, after being convinced to share his talents on social media, Culpepper quickly saw fan interest piqued by his unique vocal styling, particularly a cover he shared of "Messed Up Kid," which was originally made famous by Tyler Childers.

Shortly after that, in November 2023, Culpepper shared a snippet of his original single "After Me?" on social media, which racked up millions of views across multiple platforms and solidified his position as an artist to watch — despite not having a single song officially released at the time.

However, his next monumental moment came soon after, in the form of a co-sign from the one and only Samuel L. Jackson.

"I woke up and at this time I was just getting follows after follows and stuff after me," he says. "And this priority thing came up ... said Samuel L. Jackson. I hadn't even put my contacts in at this point, bro. And I was like, ‘What?’ And I clipped it and I was like, 'This is f---ing Samuel L. Jackson. It's the real deal.' I was like, 'This motherf---er follows me, yo.' I called every person. I think I called Jay first, my manager. I was like, 'Yo, Samuel L. Jackson. He knows who I am.' "

According to Culpepper, he "texted him and said 'Thanks for the follow.' "

"[Jackson] was like, ‘Man, I love that stuff, man. I love your work, you out here killing it,’ " he continues. "And I was like, ‘Appreciate you, man.’ He's like, ‘But now I need that full “After Me?” song.’ And I tried to send it to him the acoustic. He was like, ‘Nah, man, I don't want to cheat you out your money, man. Just let me know when it's good, when it's about to come out and I’ll help you out.' I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ "

He adds, "I was almost having a panic attack. I was like, 'Is this a dream?' "

The wheels started turning afterward, with Culpepper being scooped up by Big Loud Records, a decision announced in June. Just days after the long-awaited official release of his first single, "After Me?," Culpepper joined the lineup at Buckeye Country Superfest in Ohio where he had his next major celebrity encounter: Zach Bryan.

The singer says he went to the gig that day not expecting Bryan to tap him — despite the "Something in the Orange" creator having followed him on social media for some time — but that all changed when Bryan's manager got him backstage.

"He takes me back. We get backstage, I say, what's up to Charley [Crockett], because I was just about to go on tour with him. So I dap him up. I talked to him for a while, saw my boy from 49 [Winchester], and Zach was in the corner ... ended up dapping him up, [saying] ‘Fine to meet you.’ He was like, ‘You drink Bud Heavy?’ I was like, 'Yeah, yeah.’ He was like, ‘Yeah, man, let's go in the green room in the back and chill out a lil bit.’ "

Culpepper recalls that the ensuing chat "really wasn't even all about music," noting, "We talked about our time in the military, and how I feel so connected with him … how we felt so connected already, not even knowing each other for real."

"You build friendships in the military because you go through the same struggle. It's something about going through a struggle with somebody. You just come out on the other end … just a stronger friendship," he adds, highlighting how the conversation then pivoted to "talking about music in Nashville, stuff like that."

But when Zach "had to get ready" to perform, Culpepper recalls, "[Bryan] was like, ‘You coming on stage tonight, right?’ I said, ‘For what? What are we doing?’ He was like, ‘For “Revival.” I was like, ‘I mean, I guess I could do that.’ "

In the time since, Culpepper says he has touched base with Bryan — particularly after the release of The Great American Bar Scene — to offer his kudos, but the burgeoning crooner has been hard at work preparing for the next steps in his career.

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Culpepper followed up "After Me?" with two more moving singles: "Who Hurt You?" and "Out of My Mind," and he's looking ahead to a 2025 filled with "more songs."

"A lot more stuff is coming out 2025," he teases, adding that the to-be-shared music "means a lot to me."

Though the singer's remaining body of work remains unreleased, fans at his live performances have been treated to early renditions of the forthcoming original tracks before they hit streaming.

Culpepper concludes by joking, "I write so much. So I would say 2025 is definitely a year where people are going to be like, ‘Damn, Kash, you’re releasing again? Chill out.’ "

"After Me?," "Who Hurt You?," and "Out of My Mind" are available on all major streaming services now.