MULTI-PLATINUM singer/songwriter ERNEST takes his “game” to the next level in the music video for “Sugar,” getting animated in Grand Theft Auto-style VFX.
 
A first-of-its-kind in Country music, the video is directed by Justin Clough and brings ERNEST’s beach-town jam to life in 3D heartbreak. Turning the hyper-creative artist into a series of avatars and dropping them into a “South of the Border” game map, it plays through a breezy but bittersweet love story – all about a vacation romance that never checked out of his heart.
 
"This is not the video I was expecting, but I couldn’t be more happy with the outcome," shares ERNEST. "I’m very thankful for the team that came together to make this odd dream a reality. These are different times, and that didn’t allow us to do your typical Country music video. The song was written with a wink and a smile, and I think the video does a good job of portraying that. I hope people enjoy it as much as I do.”  

Featuring laidback vocals and a salty, sand-under-your-feet vibe, “Sugar” is featured on ERNEST’s debut Big Loud Records project, Locals Only – nine bold tracks combining his Country roots and island influences into his distinct sound.
 
Now emerging as one of the most in-demand songwriters in Music City, ERNEST’s penned smash hits for Diplo feat. Morgan Wallen (“Heartless”), Gryffin & Chris Lane (“Hold You Tonight”), Chris Lane (“Big, Big Plans”) and Florida Georgia Line (“Blessings”, “I Love My Country”), plus two songs on Sam Hunt’s SOUTHSIDE, Morgan Wallen’s current single, “More Than My Hometown” and Mitchell Tenpenny’s new “Broken Up.” 
 
In April, the lifelong Nashville native kicked off his weekly podcast, “Just Being ERNEST,” and since then has welcomed big-name guests like Diplo, Keith Urban and more – including Chris Young, who is featured in a brand-new episode out now. Check it out here.

ABOUT ERNEST:
Adopted at three weeks old and victim to a freak heart attack at 19, surmounting ridiculous odds has always been ERNEST’s gift. He learned banjo and guitar before he was a teen but quickly developed a passion for Hip-Hop and R&B as well, citing Eminem, Ludacris, and George Strait as some of his earliest influences. Discovering an equally powerful love of songwriting, ERNEST began working alongside Nashville songwriting royalty like the Warren Brothers and has since earned cuts from Florida Georgia Line (“I Love My Country,” "Blessings"), Chris Lane (“Big, Big Plans”), Diplo feat. Morgan Wallen (“Heartless”), Sam Hunt, Jake Owen, and more. Beginning his career as an artist, the Tropical Cowboy showcases his distinct sound on his Big Loud Records debut project, Locals Only, out now.