Griffen Palmer

Palmer was raised in Pickering, Ontario, and credits his early love of music to his father, who played in bands while Palmer was a child.[1] He began playing instruments when he was eight years old, and gained a strong interest in country music while he was a teenager in high school.[3][1] After graduating high school, Palmer moved to Ohio to play rugby and study at Bowling Green State University, while continuing to play in bands.[4] Palmer cites John Mayer, Elton John, and Kings of Leon as artists he listened to as a kid, but considers Chris Stapleton and Sam Hunt to be more recent musical influences.[3] Canadian television personality and former professional football quarterback Jesse Palmer is Palmer's first cousin.[5]

After completing his degree, Palmer returned home to Pickering and met songwriter Geoff Warburton at a house party.[4] They formed a partnership, and Palmer signed a management deal with Starseed Entertainment.[6] Shortly after, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he promptly signed a publishing deal with Big Loud Publishing in 2019.[7] In 2020, Palmer appeared on the NBC television show Songland, where he performed the original song "Second Guessing" for American country duo Florida Georgia Line and the judges.[8] After working on the track with the show's judges, it was selected as the winner of that episode, and Florida Georgia Line released it, later including it on their Life Rolls On album.[9] That same year, two songs Palmer wrote became radio singles as Keith Urban recorded "Polaroid", and MacKenzie Porter recorded "Drinkin' Songs".[10][11] Additionally, he has written songs that were recorded by other artists including Jade Eagleson, The Band Camino, Chelsea Cutler, Tyler Shaw, and Nate Haller.[12][13][14]

In January 2023, Palmer signed with Big Loud Records, and released his own version of "Second Guessing" as his debut single.[15][16][17][18] The next month, he returned to national television in the United States and performed "Second Guessing" on ABC's reality television show The Bachelor.[19][20] In March 2023, Palmer released the songs "25 to Life" and "Unlearn", with the latter being released concurrently with the announcement that his debut album Unlearn would be released on April 28, 2023.[21][2][22] He received a nomination for "Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year" at the 2023 Canadian Country Music Awards.[23]