Trey Calloway brings new sounds and co-creators into “Wanted Man”

By Max Bowen

For Trey Calloway’s recent release, “Wanted Man,” his own time in love provided a lot of the inspiration. Released back in October, the song features Trey’s powerful vocals amidst a country/rock sound. In this interview, Trey talks about his own life experience, the new sound he explored, and working with Grady Saxman and Andi Renfree.


Let’s begin with the message of the song. Is there a takeaway you hope people will have?
My new song "Wanted Man" is about an outlaw type who's given up on love after several failed relationships. The guy has a reputation as a rebellious, carefree heartbreaker, until he finally finds the one woman he believes is an angel on earth who brings him love. I hope the song speaks to listeners about needing love in their lives and gives them hope of finding it, through the story of a strong, tough independent person who thinks he doesn't need that kind of love until he finds it and realizes that it's all he’s ever wanted.

Does it reflect any real-life experiences?
"Wanted Man" does reflect my own experiences as a younger musician going through several failed relationships, and then when I wasn't even looking for love I met my fiance. The song tells the rest of the story, and I'll be a married man by this time next year!

How does this fit in with your more recent releases?
This song "Wanted Man" has more of a country rock feel than many of my other recent releases which are ballads or have more traditional country roots. "Wanted Man" is my first recording with my new producer Grady Saxman at Saxman Studios in Nashville, and I think we clicked bringing this song to life with a modern country vibe but rocking it out. I recorded an entire album of songs with Saxman this year, and when the full album is released in 2024, "Wanted Man' will be the title track.

I read that you co-wrote this song with Andi Renfree. Have the two of you worked together before and what was the writing process?
Andi Renfree and I met in Nashville through a mutual friend about three years ago, and we've been writing music ever since. The number of songs we've written together is in double digits, and in fact, two songs on my upcoming "Wanted Man" album were written with Andi. She's a great person and an amazing singer-songwriter, and she and her husband, who is also a musician, have become my good friends. When Andi and I write together it's a true collaboration, and our trusting and laid back approach to sharing ideas fosters creativity so our writing generally flows easily.

I really loved the sound of this song. Did this come together easily or was it a trial-and-error process?
With Andi, "Wanted Man" came together easily. We knew we wanted to write a country rock song about a desperado with a little edge. Kicking around ideas about this, we landed on the idea of a wanted man and then the twist that being a wanted man was actually a love song. Once we came up with this hook, the rest of the song came together easily. Because Andi and I have written so much together, we're both comfortable and familiar with each other's processes and respect each other's ideas and musical ability. "Wanted Man" is the culmination of our work together in Nashville over the past few years, and I hope your listeners enjoy it!