Christian Lee Hutson

Christian Lee Hutson (born November 5, 1990) is an American singer, musician and songwriter.

Hutson was born in Kansas City, Missouri on November 5, 1990.

He relocated to Los Angeles, California at the age of five; shortly after his mother remarried.

The Driftwood Singers were described as having “an affinity and talent for the traditional country folk sound” in a 2011 Amarillo Globe-News profile.

They began as an eight-piece ensemble, composed of students from the California Institute of the Arts, before reforming as a duo.

Hutson and Charles released their first EP, Look!, in November 2011.

The Driftwood Singers also released a single, 'I Don't Live Here Anymore', and a self-titled album in 2012.

Hutson recorded his debut EP, We Will Never Break Up, in 2012.

His first solo album, The Hell With It, was released on the independent label Trailer Fire Records the following year.

By February 2013, Hutson and Charles had ended their musical partnership.

Trailer Fire Records also released Hutson’s sophomore solo record, Yeah Okay, I Know, in 2014.

The album was produced by Grammy Award nominee David Mayfield.

It spawned numerous singles, such as ‘They’re Gonna Hate Me’, ‘Dirty Little Cheat’ and ‘Mess’.

As with The Hell With It, Yeah Okay, I Know was not widely reviewed and is not available on any streaming services.

The first was assisted by Dawes and Dash Hutton, a former drummer for the band Haim, and recorded in 2015.

The third version was produced by Ethan Gruska, who has previously collaborated with Fiona Apple and Blake Mills.

Meanwhile, the second and fourth versions were produced by unknown parties and failed to materialise.

The final version of Beginners features contributions from Lucy Dacus, Conor Oberst and Meg Duffy of Hand Habits.

Hutson was introduced to Phoebe Bridgers by her touring guitarist, Harrison Whitford, in 2018.

Hutson has since co-written numerous songs on three projects featuring Bridgers – boygenius (2018), Better Oblivion Community Center (2019) and Punisher (2020).

He began his career as a member of The Driftwood Singers, before signing to ANTI‐ as a solo artist in 2019.

He also supported Bridgers on her 2019 world tour, and performed in the same capacity for boygenius’s 2019 European tour.

Hutson performed as a touring guitarist for Jenny Lewis during this time, in addition to supporting musical acts like Julia Jacklin and Okkervil River.

Hutson was signed to ANTI– in 2019.

Hutson has since released two full-length albums: Beginners (2020) and Quitters (2022).

Both records were co-produced by his friend and fellow musician, Phoebe Bridgers.

In addition to his collaborations with Bridgers, Hutson is known for co-writing and performing songs with Samia, Marshall Vore, Whitmer Thomas, Conor Oberst and Ethan Gruska.

According to a 2020 Under The Radar profile, Hutson attended a fundamentalist Christian elementary school.

Hutson began playing guitar at the age of 12; the first song that he learned to play was Elizabeth Cotten’s ‘Freight Train’.

His earliest attempts at songwriting were influenced by vintage country records housed within his father’s record collection, including those released by Hank Williams.

As a teenager, Hutson enjoyed the music of John Prine, Bright Eyes and Elliott Smith.

He ultimately dropped out of high school to pursue a musical career – a decision that was not supported by his parents.

Hutson’s adolescent experiences later inspired the lyrics of ‘Northsiders’ and ‘Seven Lakes’, which are included on the 2020 album Beginners.

Prior to embarking on a solo career, Hutson performed with Pearl Charles in The Driftwood Singers.

He released his first studio album, Beginners, on May 29, 2020.

Beginners was named after the Raymond Carver short story cycle of the same name.

Maeri Ferguson describes the album as “a spare and quiet collection of songs about the tenderness of adolescence, first love, heartbreak and the value of having a little perspective”.

It was preceded by the single ‘Northsiders’.

Beginners was produced by Phoebe Bridgers.

Prior to the recording sessions with Bridgers, four versions of Beginners were completed.