COUNTRY NEWCOMER WES-TONE scores major brownie points with his girlfriend for his debut single, “Diamond in the Rough.” One of three winners of the 2015 Grammy Amplifier contest, the Minnesota-based musician wrote the power ballad himself, drawing lyrical inspiration from his partner and fellow singer-songwriter, Danielle Diamond.
While recording the song at Nashville’s Ocean Way Studio with producer Ben Fowler (who’s worked with artists ranging from Eric Clapton to Taylor Swift) and a handful of A-list sidemen, Wes-Tone recruited Diamond to add her vocals to the track. The result is a lush, layered love song, performed as a duet with the very person the song is about.
“She’s the diamond in the rough to me,” he says in a behind-the-scenes video. “[And] I’m the diamond in the rough to her.”
Country trio the Band Perry, reggae legend Ziggy Marley, singer-songwriter Allen Stone and producer Mark Ronson all had a hand in choosing Wes-Tone as a Grammy Amplifier winner, with the mentoring acts choosing from a long line of video performance submissions.
“It’s so gratifying to see aspiring artists being given their chance to develop and realize a dream,” says Kimberly Perry. “The opportunity for Wes-Tone to work with Ben [Fowler] will no doubt provide him with not only an unforgettable experience, but with knowledge that he’ll take as he moves along through his musical journey.”