Previously on "Music City"... Hashtag ♪Alisacan'tgetaboyfriend. ♪
So we need all of Nashville to help.
He looks really hot.
I'm Lee.
Alisa.
Maybe we could hang out some time.
Yeah.
That's important, ladies and gentlemen.
I haven't heard him sing.
Is he good?
He better be.
I'm going to raise this up.
I would love to help you, because I believe in you.
I think that if you were to cross paths with Jessica again,
it would kind of be like playing with fire.
My co-writing game needs to step up,
so I'm going to go to this writer named Brooke Eden.
Kerry?
Hey.
If I didn't have a wife or a kid,
I would probably be on the road 365 days a year,
and I'd love every living day out of it.
[cheering]
Check, please.
[MUSIC - KELLY CLARKSON, "CHRISTMAS EVE"]
- Synced & Corrected by Dragoniod - www.addic7ed.com
♪ I'm hearing sleigh bells. ♪
♪ I'm seeing snow... ♪
How are you?
How are you doing?
What's going on with this midget?
You know.
Hi.
How are y'all?
Hey.
You got your stuff??
It is freezing.
What's up, my man?
Hey, can I leave Wolf with you for a second?
I'm going to go talk to Kerry.
Come here, buddy boy.
OK.
I'll be right back.
OK.
Be right back, Wolf.
Hey.
Are you good with kids?
Let's not find out.
[laughs]
Come on.
You don't want to try?
No, it's all good.
You look so great with him.
It's all you.
So your cousin looked beautiful, as always.
What, y'all saw her?
Yeah.
Oh yeah.
Our friends and family are all here except Savana.
Where is she?
Is she not here today?
She's actually going to a ball tonight downtown.
A ball?
Why aren't you going with her?
Did she take another guy?
No.
She's going with her friends.
Don't give me that look.
I'm just messing with you.
Are you?
I am.
You ready to work on some music together?
Yeah.
The sooner the better.
Yeah, no.
We'll get together.
Absolutely.
[theme music]
[music - "deck the halls"]
Hey!
♪ Deck the halls with boughs of holly.
♪ Fa-la-la-la-la...
Hi.
Merry Christmas.
Miss Alexandra Harper, Miss Tennessee.
Do you want to talk about last night?
Sure.
Today I've been, obviously, upset.
Mhm.
But it seems like you haven't even really noticed.
No.
I just know that when you're mad at me, it's better for me
to just stay out of the way.
No.
It's not... it's not best to stay out of the way
when we're struggling.
I'm mad because you were out all night.
I'm aware of what happened last night.
This is my job.
I'm not going out for fun.
But I feel like we've had this conversation so many times.
Well, you're just always frustrated
every time I tell you I'm going to ride
or I'm getting ready for a show or whatever it is I'm doing.
We're both kind of fighting different currents here.
You're trying to go on to your LSAT thing,
I'm trying to do this music thing.
And it would be a lot easier to support you
if I felt supported by you.
Well, what would you do if I came in and woke you up
in the middle of the night.
I support you, but I'm not OK with you
being out late drinking with a girl, even if it's for work.
It's not good for our family.
[MUSIC - EMILY HEARN, "HERE WE GO"]
♪ Here we go. ♪
♪ Here we go again. ♪
♪ And tears are falling. ♪
♪ Faces going red. ♪
♪ Is it... ♪
Thank you.
Cheers.
Cheers, yeah.
Cheers to day dates.
That's right.
Brunches, technically.
OK.
So tell me about your dating life.
My last relationship would have been about two years ago.
How about you though?
Oh my gosh.
The only guy I spend time with anymore is my writing partner.
His name is Bryant...
OK.
And he is like...
he's a producer and a drummer.
OK.
And he and I, we just write really well together.
So when you all make a song, do you start with the beats,
or do you start with the chords?
I start with the words.
That makes sense.
Yeah.
I don't play instruments, but Bryant's awesome.
He's in a band.
So he plays a bunch of stuff in the studio,
makes it up on his computer.
But he's good at putting his flow on it and spin on it.
And he comes up with the melodies, too.
So he's super talented in that.
I'm like, I'll just give you the words, and you do the rest.
And you do it?
Yeah.
[laughs] It's weird because I was in the studio with him,
and he's like, OK, tell me how you really feel.
So it was like a therapy session.
Oh.
I appreciate that he can get these thoughts out,
because they're things that I might think, but I don't know.
So were you all ever a thing?
No.
No?
Mm-mm.
Why is that?
We're just trying to put out good music.
We're not dating.
So.
[MUSIC - ZARALARSSEN, "I CAN'T FALL IN LOVE WITHOUT YOU"]
(SINGING) You.
♪ I can't fall in love without you. ♪
♪ You. ♪
♪ I can't fall in love without... ♪
This is so nice.
You want me to take this from you?
Sure.
Want me to get your jacket, or do you want to wear it?
No, I'm good.
OK.
I'll put this over here, all right?
Mhm.
Do you want a water or anything?
Yeah.
Actually, since we're practicing, I don't know.
How much trouble would it be to do tea?
Tea?
It's going to be trouble?
We'll just do water.
Water is great.
Well, I wish I would have known.
I don't have any tea.
[laughs]
No, give me water.
You sure?
Yeah, totally.
All right.
Thank you.
So what do you want to do?
You want to...
Yeah, let's... we might as well get started.
First I want to talk to you about your performance
at The Basement.
Oh yeah.
There were some high parts in there that...
you know.
Could have been better.
That's cool.
You just gotta tell me.
I don't want to have that... of like the birthday thing.
And I'll say, did you warm up at all before you went
on to...?
No.
I don't... I wouldn't even know what to do.
So that's pretty important whenever
you're going into a performance is to just warm up your vocals.
There's one that's like [high-pitched ee sound]!!
[laughs] There ain't no way.
You have to.
It's... it like...
Ee!
[laughs] Ee!
I can't even get up there.
That's not bad.
Ee, ee!
Ee!
I'll never forget that as long as I live.
All right.
So for your birthday, you need to pick
a song you love that means something to you.
Because the more it means to you,
the more you'll connect with it, and the audience
will feel that.
There's one song, it's "I Like Me Better When I'm With You."
He's young, he's in love in the city.
It has some special qualities to it,
but it's kind of nerve wracking to get up there and do
this stuff.
I believe in you.
I appreciate it.
Mhm.
I really appreciate you helping me out with the music.
So I would love for you to come.
I'm assuming Savana will be there, obviously.
Of course.
Yeah, she's going to be there.
Is that going to be cool?
Like...
Yeah.
It will be a fun time.
AYeah.e.
I definitely want her to feel comfortable with it.
[MUSIC - JEFF BOWMAN, "I'LL NEVER LET GO"]
♪ Oh, let it go. ♪
♪ Oh. ♪
♪ Let it go. ♪
♪ You're gonna like how you feel. ♪
♪ Ooh. ♪
♪ You're gonna like how you feel. ♪
♪ Ooh. ♪
Here's what I was thinking about wearing.
I love this, but it's so low-cut.
I love it.
Do you?
Then I think, do I want to wear colors, or...
I feel like that you're made for beads
and elaborate embroidery.
Full sequins?
Yes, full sequins.
Knowing Jackson, I think he'll like this one.
Ooh, I love that.
And I think that tonight is a really,
like, it's his birthday.
It's important to him.
Everyone's going to be there.
Yeah.
He's singing for the first time since The Basement
performance.
You have to work it out.
You have to do it 100 times before you get it right.
You know, he could just done so much better.
He's so cute on stage.
He's playful, I think he's interactive.
I just think he's precious when he's up there.
Yeah.
I think they all mesh really well together, too.
Why?
What does he say?
No, he's so happy too.
OK.
Good.
Well, I'm so glad that I made it happen.
I know, you're little Miss Matchmaker.
I know.
I should have my own website.
Match made by Ally dot com.
Oh my gosh, that would be perfect.
Who's going to be there tonight?
I think it's going to be a lot of people that he works with.
A lot of his friends from high school.
Is Jessica... is she going to... is she going to be there?
I don't know.
Well, I didn't know if she was at The Basement,
and I don't know if she would be.
Yeah, she just sort of popped up.
Are they like friends?
What's...
Yeah.
I mean, they're just friends.
I mean, they just do music stuff together.
Okay.
Y'all seriously could not be more different.
You don't have anything to worry about when it comes to her.
OK.
[music playing]
♪ I'm running wild. ♪
Look at the bridge!
Look at the river!
Nashville is the prettiest at nighttime.
I love that his party is right next to the river.
Going to be fun!
So we're all excited to hear Jackson sing.
He sounds better.
He's so much better.
OK.
And the friend thing is going fine.
Yeah, it's going really well.
I feel like we're in a good...
good spot.
Does he still have tight jeans?
[laughter]
He still has tight jeans.
Do we know anybody else that's going to be here tonight?
So Ally, Savana, and then he has a bunch of dude friends,
doesn't he?
[gasps] Oh gosh.
One of his dude friends is Lee, who I went out with.
The guy you texted me about?
From the photo shoot?
Mhm.
And I was really feeling like vanilla.
I can tell.
No sprinkles.
He was kind of probing me about Bryant though,
because I had mentioned that Bryant and I write together.
Oh.
Like jealous, or...
He's like, why are you talking about a guy to a guy?
But I was like...
Why were you talking about...
Because he was asking me about my music,
and I was like, yeah, I...
Uh-huh.
[laughter]
What flavor is Bryant?
We're not even in the flavor game with Bryant, OK?
Salty caramel?
[laughs] Oh my gosh.
All right.
Hey Rach, did you work things out with Kerry?
I'm so annoyed with him right now!
Why?
What happened?
He's just been spending what feels like a lot of time
co-writing with this girl.
Is it weird for you for him to write with other girls and...
Late at night?
Honestly, next time Kerry gets home past 1:00 AM,
he's going to come home to a locked door with no key.
Damn!
I'm not kidding.
Oop, there it is.
You ain't coming home.
[laughter]
That's kind of a sweet eight-ball.
I know, these balls are...
Vintage.
Old balls.
Old, wrinkly.
How was the hanging with Brooke?
It went really well, actually.
First thing she did when she sat down was order a Jack and Coke,
and I feel like any time a girl does
that, it's like, this is going to be a sick ride.
But you know, it's always kind of hard
to write with someone new, because you always have that,
like, first date tension.
Yeah.
She's cute, man.
She's a great singer, and...
Well, looks don't really help me.
It would be easier if she was ugly.
[laughs] What's Rachyl think?
Rachyls' not really cool with anything
right now because I came home really late from drinks
with Brooke, so she's pretty pissed right now.
That's tough, man.
It's just frustrating, because that's part of my job.
That's part of what I have to do as far as networking.
And so every time I do it, to kind of be in trouble for it,
it's just frustrating.
That's just the nature of songwriting.
It's a pretty intimate thing.
But you're hanging with the right people,
so that's what matters.
[MUSIC - FEDERAL EMPIRE, "I NEVER LIKED YOUR FRIENDS"]
♪ I never liked your friends. ♪
♪ I never want to see them again. ♪
Is this where we're going?
Is it?
Yeah.
Happy birthday.
Thank you.
I'm glad you're here.
I know.
27 is going to be good.
I'll be right back.
I've gotta go say hello.
Jackson!
What's up, y'all?
How's it going?
Good to see you guys.
You too.
So good to see you.
What's up, girl?
How you doing?
Good to see you.
How are you?
Hey, how are you?
Good to see you.
How do you feel?
Old?
I feel like turning 27 is like the age of wisdom in your 20s.
You've surpassed those "where am I" years.
Here we are.
We've arrived.
And then for guys, it just gets better.
Time to shine.
You ready for it?
I might have used whatever you told me in confidence.
I'm just going to own it.
Own it.
Have fun with it.
I appreciate all your help, though.
You got it.
Thank you.
Say a prayer.
[laughs]
[cheering]
ALL: (SINGING) Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday dear Jackson.
Happy birthday to you.
[cheering]
I'm having a good time.
Thank you so much.
[cheering]
Thank you all so much for coming out, y'all.
This is my best friend, Jonathan Peters.
I call him JP.
He's helped me out so much.
Jess, thank you so much for helping me out as well.
So glad you're all here.
This is "I Like Me Better."
We love you!
♪ in love in New York City. ♪
Go, Jackson!
♪ That's when I know who I am. ♪
♪ I still know that I'm good as long as you're here with me. ♪
♪ To be drunk and in love in New York City. ♪
♪ Midnight into morning coffee. ♪
♪ Burning through the hours talking. ♪
♪ And damn, I like me better when I'm with you. ♪
♪ I like me better when I'm with you. ♪
♪ I lived for the first time. ♪
♪ I stayed for a long time. ♪
♪ Because I like me better when I'm with you. ♪
[cheering]
Thank you all so much for coming out.
I enjoy every one of you all being here.
Jessica, thank you so much for helping me with all this music.
It's all you.
Y'all have a great night.
See you soon.
[cheering]
What's going on with Jackson and Jessica?
He's acting weird tonight.
But you have no idea.
To my knowledge, what I know now,
she helps him with music and kind
of maybe where he wants to go.
Well, I obviously know a lot about him,
but I think they had more than that.
So this was like...
it was a thing?
I mean, I feel like he was like interested in her,
but he tried to kiss her, and she denied him.
Wait.
So it was like, wait, wait, wait.
So wait.
He was interested in her, and she wasn't interested in him?
Correct.
[music - Edges, "Levee"]
♪ ... to the end of the day. ♪
♪ To the end of days. ♪
♪ Pressure air keeps falling on my shoulders. ♪
♪ From high and low. ♪
♪ Ain't no justice. ♪
Kerry.
Good to see you.
You as well.
Thanks for having me.
I hope you didn't get in trouble for hanging out
at Barcelona the other night.
The wife wasn't super happy.
Yeah.
That's OK.
So we're finally doing this.
Our first co-write.
I love it.
Let's write us a tune.
This is when we get to dig into you.
Isn't that exciting?
Let's see here.
Something about a girl.
You always have something going on with girls.
There's always something going on with a girl.
Like with one specific girl.
With one girl.
And how old were you guys when you got married?
23?
Most 23-year-olds are still trying to just chase lots
of tail.
You know?
Yeah.
At some point, you've got to stop running and kind of dive
into it.
Like, is it going to work out?
Only way to find out, let's...
Kind of like any bachelor.
They're kind of an outlaw until they
meet the Bonnie to their Clyde.
Yeah.
Here's something I've been working on.
Listen.
Like the chorus could be something like...
♪ like an outlaw on the run. ♪
♪ I always da-da-da. ♪
♪ All I want to do is make you, make you my partner ♪
♪ in crime for the rest of my life. ♪
♪ When I kissed you, I knew I had to draw. ♪
♪ Say goodbye to my outlaw. ♪
Yeah, definitely.
Cool.
There's something about having the freedom,
not being in a relationship, like an outlaw.
But then when you're in the right relationship, how
that freedom is still there.
You don't feel caged in just because you
have a ring on your finger.
Yeah.
[music playing]
♪ I won't let you go. ♪
How was your tour?
Tour's been great.
Yeah?
It's the longest drive, and I'm always tired,
but I love it, so I'll deal.
You don't want to be back?
And I get to hang out with you, so that's great.
Yes.
Yeah.
So what else is new in town?
I did that photo shoot.
Yeah?
I was going to ask about that.
It was cool.
It was fun.
Sarah came with me.
Did you meet anybody?
Do you mean did I meet any men?
Any men?
One of them was pretty interesting.
OK.
His name's Lee.
Yeah.
He's kind of like pretty boy, but with tattoos.
But he was really nice.
Did you get a good vibe from him?
Yeah, he seems cool.
I'm like, we can go on a date.
I don't know if I'm going to fall in love with you,
but we can go on a date.
He's a personal trainer.
I'm always been like, I don't want to date a musician.
Because I always feel like, if you work together, it can be,
OK, so when do we stop work, and when do we start personal?
Well, it sounds like you won't have
that problem with this guy.
If that's your issue, you won't have
to mix business with pleasure.
[music - Iolite, "Danger"]
♪ On top of the world. ♪
♪ Dangerous. ♪
♪ Nothing's got a, nothing's got a hold on us. ♪
♪ On fire. ♪
♪ Burning up. ♪
♪ Just running, running wild, so I'm dangerous. ♪
What if that made a hole?
I'd die.
What's your technique?
My technique is just don't let it fall.
Thank you.
Welcome.
So I saw Jessica at your birthday party.
Did y'all say what's up?
I saw her, but I didn't talk to her.
I didn't know she was going.
The thing about her is she's helping me with music.
She's so sweet and been a huge fan of mine musically,
and we're good friends.
I'm a big fan of your music.
[laughs] I understand.
But you know what I'm saying?
TBH, I did not know that you and Jessica went on
like multiple dates.
We tried it out.
She's a great human being, but we're
in a very good place in our friendship.
And going forward, I want her to be around to help me with music
because I value that in her.
I just want you to be OK with that
and know that I would never do anything to mess
what I have with you up.
But you spend a lot of time with you ex-girlfriend,
essentially.
I mean, if you want to look at it like that.
It's just...
It does make me just a little bit uncomfortable.
Just because of the way I feel about you.
And so I just wish that you wouldn't.
Spend that time with her?
I understand.
I mean, this relationship with Jessica
is more just all about seeing where this music
thing is going to go.
Would you rather have that, opposed to like...
or me?
Is this a joke?
It's either her or me.
[music playing]
♪ ...our ground and fight. ♪
♪ I remember the night when you packed all your bags ♪
♪ in the doorway. ♪
♪ Said I don't want to fight. ♪
♪ You can leave. ♪
♪ But remember, I'm always on your side. ♪
Next time on the season finale of "Music City"...
10...
This would be a great time to make a little...
Nine!
I've got one more resolution, and I
wanted to do it for a while.
Eight!
So you have to choose between Savana and Jessica.
Seven!
Where are you going with this?
Six!
We're going to head up to California
so I can look at schools.
Five!
This is kind of where I have to be.
Four!
I've been wanting to hear you say that for four years.
Three!
Do you feel like you made the right decision?
Two!
One!
I hope so.
[cheering]