New single “What It Isnt” arrives October 2, 2026
Sometimes a song starts with a heartbreak. Sometimes it starts with a conversation. And sometimes it starts with a trip to Nashville, a night on Broadway, and the name of a bar that sounds a whole lot like a prison sentence.
That’s the story behind Connor Priest’s upcoming single, “What It Isnt,” out October 2, 2026.
Priest found himself in Nashville to support a buddy playing at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row, the country star’s popular bar and live-music spot right in the middle of Broadway. Whiskey Row has become a recognizable part of the Nashville nightlife scene, with live music filling the venue and Broadway just outside its doors.
But for Connor, it wasn't necessarily the music that sparked the idea.
It was the name.
Whiskey Row.
As he looked at the sign, Priest started thinking about how the name sounded less like a bar and more like a prison sentence — Whiskey Row.
That thought stuck with him.
And eventually, it became a song.
Priest took the idea into a writing session with Will Atkins, where the two began turning that Nashville moment into what would become “What It Isnt.”
The song grew from that simple play on words into something more personal, exploring the space between what something appears to be and what it actually is.
It’s a fitting origin story for a song that came out of a night in Nashville. Connor wasn't in town specifically looking for inspiration. He was there to watch his buddy play at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row. But somewhere between the live music, Broadway lights and the name above the door, a song was waiting to happen.
That’s often how songwriting works.
A random thought becomes a line.
A line becomes a conversation.
And a conversation becomes a song.
For Priest, that chain of events started at Whiskey Row.
Now, the idea born on Broadway is officially making its way into the world.
Connor Priest’s “What It Isnt” drops October 2, 2026.
What began as a night out in Nashville — at country star Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row — ultimately became a song written with Will Atkins, proving that sometimes the best songs aren't planned.
Sometimes, you just have to be paying attention when the right idea walks through the door.
Or, in Connor’s case, when you happen to be standing underneath the right bar sign.
Whiskey Row.
