Photo: Micah Pringle
RaeLynn joined singer-songwriter Jake Banfield on an emotional, soul-stirring duet that made its debut on Friday (September 12).
“Still Feels The Same” captures the feeling of losing “the person you thought was forever,” RaeLynn shared as she offered a sneak peek of the ballad earlier this month. The collaboration between the two Nashville artists will appear on Banfield’s upcoming debut studio album, Open Bars, due on September 26. The project blurs “boundaries of country, hip-hop, and pop,” states a press release issued Friday morning. “Still Feels The Same,” the sole collaboration on Open Bars, “is one of the more pop-leaning songs” on the album.
“This one’s about a hurt that doesn’t fade,” Banfield said in a statement of the song he wrote with Jason Walker and Emily Falvey. “Even after all the time that’s passed, it’s like nothing’s changed… it still feels just like the day they left. Having RaeLynn on it made it even more special. I’ve been a fan of her voice for years, and she brought exactly the emotion the song needed.”
“You think by now I wouldn’t have to miss it/ Everything around me is so different/ But still feels the same/ Hearing your name/ You put out the fire, but I still feel the flames/ I want it to change/ But maybe I don’t ever wanna find my way/ Out of this smoke/ In my mind, it isn’t real/ Tell me why time isn’t healing the pain/ It still feels the same”
“My music career came from the injury, which was like the saddest time in my life,” Banfield said, referring to a game-ending injury that ended his baseball career and prompted him to shift paths to music. “And then it ended up being a blessing in disguise and entirely changed my life. That said, it's gonna be fun to see people singing the songs live, comments and videos made. That’s what I’m most excited for.”
For RaeLynn, “Still Feels The Same” follows “Long Live Country Music” and “Heaven Is A Honky Tonk.” The Texas-born country artist is introducing her next era of music while performing on Jason Aldean’s headlining “Full Throttle Tour,” which also includes Nate Smith and Dee Jay Silver. See the remaining stops below, and listen to “Still Feels The Same” here:
FULL THROTTLE TOUR 2025 DATES:
Sat Sep 13 — Tinley Park, IL — Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
Thu Sep 18 — Lincoln, NE — Pinnacle Bank Arena
Fri Sep 19 — Des Moines, IA — Wells Fargo Arena
Sat Sep 20 — Sioux Falls, SD — Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
Thu Sep 25 — Lafayette, LA — CAJUNDOME
Fri Sep 26 — Birmingham, AL — Coca-Cola Amphitheater
Sat Sep 27 — Charleston, SC — Credit One Stadium
Fri Oct 03 — Tampa, FL — MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sat Oct 04 — West Palm Beach, FL — iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre