For Mason Lively, success as a musician has been slow and steady. He didn’t have an explosive moment in which he was suddenly discovered and skyrocketed to fame, nor did he expect one. He just kept on writing, kept on singing, and kept on networking.
“Networking is like half the job,” he said. “You can be an incredible songwriter, but you have to be out there, and stay out there.”
He describes his career trajectory as “winning little victories that have accumulated over time.”
Lively has loved music his entire life. Growing up in Inez, Willie Nelson, The Eagles, Elvis, and George Strait were the soundtrack to his upbringing.
He wrote his first song around age 14, and in 2016, Lively wrote the class song for his graduating class at Industrial High School.
Almost a decade later, he is a touring musician with a substantial following, including 73,000 monthly listeners on Spotify alone. He plays for crowds all over the central Texas area and beyond, including what he calls “bucket list” venues like Gruene Hall.
Most recently, though, listeners may have found one of his songs in an unexpected place - on screen with Billy Bob Thornton and Sam Elliot. That’s right, Mason Lively’s song, Burn The Ground, was featured in the seventh episode of the second season of Taylor Sheridan’s hit show Landman.
Lively made the announcement on December 27 on his social media.
“It’s not lost on me what an amazing opportunity this is! I’m so grateful that my words and music will get to accompany a scene on such a popular and incredible show,” he said in the announcement. “It’s blessings like this that remind me how WORTH IT all the ups and downs of chasing this crazy dream is!”
The scene in which Burn the Ground was played was memorable, to say the least. It featured Thornton, Elliott, and a rattlesnake. No spoilers here, but Lively was thrilled with it.
“I was like ‘its so unique and I love it’ when I was finally able to see it,” he said.
Lively has released three albums, all of which can be found on Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming platforms. His show schedule, merchandise and other info can be found at mason lively.com.
Mason Lively was raised in Inez by his parents Matt And Lisa. He lives in the Austin area with his wife Kelly and their son Scott. They have one more little one on the way.
