Christian Lee Hutson
American musician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Christian Lee Hutson (born November 5, 1990) is an American singer, musician and songwriter.[2] He began his career as a member of The Driftwood Singers,[3] before signing to ANTI- as a solo artist in 2019.[4] He has released three full-length albums: Beginners (2020), Quitters (2022) and Paradise Pop. 10 (2024). The records were co-produced by his friend and fellow musician, Phoebe Bridgers.[5]
.jpg)
Christian Lee Hutson | |
|---|---|
Christian Lee Hutson performing at the Triple Crown Whiskey Bar & Raccoon Motel in Davenport, Iowa, March 2017 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | November 5, 1990 |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California |
| Genres | Indie folk[1] |
| Label | ANTI- |
Spouse | |
| Website | christianleehutson |
In addition to his collaborations with Bridgers, Hutson is known for co-writing and performing songs with Samia,[6] Marshall Vore,[7] Whitmer Thomas,[8] Conor Oberst, and Ethan Gruska.[7]
Early life
Hutson was born in Kansas City, Missouri on November 5, 1990.[9] He moved to Los Angeles at the age of five;[10] shortly after his mother remarried. According to a 2020 Under the Radar profile, he attended a fundamentalist Christian elementary school.[11] He began playing guitar at 12.[11] The first song he learned to play was Elizabeth Cotten’s ‘Freight Train’.[11] His earliest attempts at songwriting were influenced by vintage country records in his father’s record collection, including some Hank Williams albums.[10]
As a teenager, Hutson enjoyed the music of John Prine, Bright Eyes, and Elliott Smith.[10] He dropped out of high school to pursue a musical career, against his parents wishes.[11] Hutson’s adolescent experiences later inspired the lyrics of ‘Northsiders’ and ‘Seven Lakes’,[12][10] which are on his 2020 album Beginners.
Career
The Driftwood Singers (c. 2010–2013)
Before embarking on a solo career, Hutson performed with Pearl Charles in The Driftwood Singers.[3] According to a January 2011 Amarillo Globe-News article, The Driftwood Singers have “an affinity and talent for the traditional country folk sound”.[13] They began as an eight-piece ensemble, composed of students from the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California, before becoming a duo.[13]
Hutson and Charles released their first EP, Look!, in November 2011.[13] The Driftwood Singers released a single, 'I Don't Live Here Anymore' and a self-titled album in 2012.[14] By February 2013, Hutson and Charles had ended their musical partnership.[15]
Solo career and collaborations with Phoebe Bridgers (2014–2019)
Hutson recorded his debut EP, We Will Never Break Up, in 2012.[16] His first solo album, The Hell With It, was released on the independent label Trailer Fire Records in 2013.[3] Trailer Fire Records also released Hutson’s sophomore solo record, Yeah Okay, I Know, in 2014.[3] The album was produced by David Mayfield, who was nominated for an Grammy Award.[16] It spawned numerous singles including ‘They’re Gonna Hate Me’, ‘Dirty Little Cheat’, and ‘Mess’.[17] As with The Hell With It, Yeah Okay, I Know was not widely reviewed and is not available on streaming services.
Hutson was introduced to Phoebe Bridgers by her touring guitarist, Harrison Whitford, in 2018.[12] Hutson has since co-written many songs on three projects featuring Bridgers – boygenius (2018), Better Oblivion Community Center (2019), and Punisher (2020).[18][19] He supported Bridgers on her 2019 world tour[11] and also opened for boygenius’ on their 2019 European tour.[11] Hutson performed as a touring guitarist for Jenny Lewis during that time,[20] in addition to supporting Julia Jacklin, a singer from New South Wales, Australia and a band, Okkervil River.[11]
Beginners and The Version Suicides (2020–2021)
Hutson was signed to ANTI– in 2019.[4] He released his first studio album, Beginners, on May 29, 2020.[4] Beginners was named after the Raymond Carver short story cycle with the same name.[21] Maeri Ferguson of No Depression said it has “a spare and quiet collection of songs about the tenderness of adolescence, first love, heartbreak and the value of having a little perspective”.[22] It was preceded by the single ‘Northsiders’.[3] Beginners was produced by Phoebe Bridgers.[12] Prior to the recording sessions with Bridgers, four versions of Beginners were completed.[10] The first version featured the band Dawes and Dash Hutton, a former drummer for the band Haim, and it was recorded in 2015.[10] The third version was produced by Ethan Gruska, who previously collaborated with Fiona Apple and Blake Mills from Malibu, California.[10] Meanwhile, the second and fourth versions were produced by unknown parties and failed to gain traction.[10]
The final version of Beginners features contributions from Lucy Dacus, Conor Oberst, and Meg Duffy of Hand Habits.[21] It was well-received by critics; earning a score of 7.8 from Pitchfork,[19] alongside a Metascore of 75 signaling ‘mostly positive reviews’.[23] Hutson released three EPs between 2020 and 2021, collectively known as ‘The Version Suicides’.[24] The three volumes contain contributions from musicians including Shamir, Fenne Lily, and Julia Jacklin, and have a combination of humorous and sincere covers.[24] Liz Phair’s ‘Why Can’t I?’, Taylor Swift’s ‘betty’, and The Cure’s ‘Just Like Heaven’ are among the songs Hutson has covered.[24]
In 2021, Hutson was featured on Saving for a Custom Van, a compilation and tribute to music by the late Adam Schlesinger. Huston performed "Red Dragon Tattoo", a song by the Fountains of Wayne. Before the release of Quitters in 2022, he performed on projects released by Hand Habits, Ada Lea from Montreal, Canada, Whitmer Thomas, and Sasami.[8]
Quitters (2022–present)
Hutson began writing Quitters, his second album to be released via ANTI-, during the COVID-19 quarantine.[25] The record was produced by Bridgers and Conor Oberst and eventually released on April 1, 2022.[26] Quitters was preceded by the lead single ‘Rubberneckers’, co-written by Alex Lahey.[27] Two more singles, ‘Age Difference’ and ‘Strawberry Lemonade’, were released in support of the album.[28]
Hutson said Quitters lyrically touches on “adult experiences and changes and trying to become okay with yourself”.[7] The LP draws from numerous influences including Somewhere, directed by Sofia Coppola; The Sarah Book by Scott McClanahan, and the Paolo Sorrentino film Youth.[7] Quitters was recorded directly to analog tape, rather than digitally to add warmth to the arrangements.[29]
Like its predecessor, Quitters was reviewed by music publications including Pitchfork and The Line of Best Fit.[26][30] Pitchfork gave the album a rating of 7.5.[26] It received a 74 Metascore suggesting ‘generally favorable reviews’.[31] Between 2022 and 2023, Hutson opened for Phoebe Bridgers on her international Reunion Tour.[32]
Musical style
Rolling Stone said that Hutson’s music is a combination of “folk”, “Americana” and “retro-country”.[10] Hutson cites Elliott Smith, Hank Williams, Gillian Welch,[10] Randy Newman[33] and John Prine as being his influences.[10]
Hutson plays acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin and fiddle.[13] His early recordings possess a DIY or lo-fi quality;[10] Bridgers attempted to preserve the “homespun” nature of Hutson’s original Voice Memo demos when producing Beginners.[34] He enjoys the prose of George Saunders, Haruki Murakami, Sally Rooney,[20] and Raymond Carver.[21] He says that the authors have inspired his songwriting.[20]
Personal life
Hutson was married to Sharon Silva, a Los Angeles singer-songwriter. Since 2023, he has been in a relationship with actress and singer-songwriter Maya Hawke.[35][36] Hutson and Hawke married in New York City on February 14, 2026.[37]
Hutson has been diagnosed with primarily obsessional OCD (pure O);[38] he said writing the Quitters song "OCDemon" was a "therapeutic exercise".[38] In 2020, he gave free guitar lessons on Zoom in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.[39] He has supported various bail projects throughout the U.S.[39] He has several tattoos; one is a tribute to Hank Williams.[12]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| The Hell with It |
|
| Yeah Okay, I Know |
|
| Beginners |
|
| Quitters |
|
| Paradise Pop. 10 |
|
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Will Never Break Up |
|
| Christian Lee Hutson on Audiotree Live |
|
| Jam in the Van – Christian Lee Hutson |
|
| The Version Suicides, Vol. 1 |
|
| The Version Suicides, Vol. 2 |
|
| The Version Suicides, Vol. 3 |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| "Northsiders" | 2019 | Beginners |
| "Strawberry Lemonade" | 2021 | Quitters |
| "Rubberneckers" | 2022 | |
| "Age Difference" |