Mason Ramsey, 17, Is Living Life and Finding Confidence on New Album: 'The Main Thing Is to Not Overthink' (Exclusive)

Mason Ramsey loves classic music, classic clothes — and classic cars.

"I just got a 1968 Chevrolet K10," Ramsey, 17, proudly proclaims to PEOPLE in a recent interview. "K10 stands for four-wheel drive versus the C10, which is a rear-wheel car."

The still-viral sensation proceeds to spout off more details of his new ride, making it more and more evident that the kid from Illinois found yodeling in the aisles of Walmart is now a senior in high school with a driver’s license.

He’s also got a classic-sounding new album I'll See You in My Dreams.

"I've always been wanting to do this style of stuff — I've just been waiting," says Ramsey of his ultra-traditional yet sonically explorative full-length debut. "I feel like [my sound] is kind of competing against the same ‘ole thing, and I just wanted to really step out and do my own thing and play the music that inspired me as a kid growing up. Those guys? They did it right the first time."

"Those guys" that Ramsey refers to our many, from Roy Orbison to Chuck Berry to Elvis Presley. "I just always listened to older artists and older styles of music," says Ramsey, whose stylist snags most of his swag clothes from vintage stores. "A lot of stuff that has always moved to me is from the '50s, '60s and '70s."

In fact, I’ll See You in My Dreams seems to be best enjoyed on a vinyl on a turntable, as it was that sound that Ramsey says he and his producer Dan Fernandez was looking for on this coming-of-age album.

"Dan likes the same style [of music] as me," says Ramsey, who scored a coveted spots on the Twisters soundtrack this past summer courtesy of the groovy song "Shake Shake (All Night Long)." "He grew up listening to '60s and '70s songs. He's not your typical commercial country writer. I feel like doing our own thing and stepping away from what everyone else is doing has honestly been more successful for us. Dan has helped me lean into my sound a little bit more, because it was kind of hard to find it for the past few years."

From the sounds of it, Ramsey found he was looking for on I’ll See You in My Dreams, especially on the ultra-satisfying "Cowboys Always Come Home."

"Its [sound is] kind of a blend of Glen Campbell with some Johnny Cash and Kenny Rogers mixed together," explains Ramsey, who first saw chart success in 2018 with his gold-certified hit “Famous” and then again in 2019 with Lil Nas X on a remix of "Old Town Road." "It's like the '60s, '70s, and '90s sounds blended together. And honestly, we weren't really aiming for this heavy of a country song, but the lyrics just kind of came together."

Ramsey also says the song had him thinking of his uncle.

"He's pretty much my father figure, and he has been a big part of my life for a long time, ever since I was really little," says Ramsey quietly. "I was writing a song about him because he's got to work all the time and I don't really get to hang out with him or spend any time with him because I'm busy or he's busy. But every now and then we'll catch up and hang out."

An ever-present shyness seems to seep into Ramsey's words as he speaks, but so does a maturity that can increasingly be heard in his songwriting and onstage as he continues his Falls Into Place tour.

"Just don't overthink it," says Ramsey of the premise of his songwriting journey. "And if you stay too long on it, that means you're overthinking it. Just go to the next [line] and fill in some spaces and then you can come back to it. And if it still doesn't work out, then maybe you reread some of the previous lines and then tweak something there for it to line up. But yeah – the main thing is to not overthink."

So, when his aunt doesn’t like one of his songs, it’s a good sign.

"My aunt was not a fan of 'Blue Over You,'" admits Ramsey with a laugh of the beauty he also wrote alongside Fernandez. "If she's not a fan of it and she doesn't really like it, then we know it is probably going to be good because everyone else loved it. So yeah, I don’t overthink anymore."

Next up for Ramsey? A holiday EP, titled Merry Christmas Baby, out Nov. 15.