COLUMBIA, S.C. — Millions of people grew to love 11-year-old Mason Ramsey when he took over the internet in 2018 after singing Hank Williams' "Lovesick Blues" at a Walmart in his hometown of Illinois.
Ramsey's viral moment spread like wildfire across many social media platforms. It also inspired hundreds of funny memes and recreations by people online.
Fast-forward six years, and Ramsey is releasing his debut country album, "I'll See You In My Dreams," at the age of 17.
In a Zoom interview, News19 spoke to the up-and-coming singer about how a simple song request turned into a viral moment in the aisles of a Walmart and how that era in his life helped shape him into the artist he is today.
"I was just kind of shopping around Walmart, kind of just doing what you would normally do at a Walmart. I happened to run into this one lady, and she asked if I could sing her a song, and I did. It was a really cool moment; I didn't know that I had really taken off until about a week later," Ramsey said. "My life was like a rollercoaster of events for months."
We all know going viral online is like striking gold in this day and age. You just never know what content will shoot you to the top.
When asked if his moment in the limelight helped propel his music career, Ramsey says, "It was very hard at first to be taken seriously for my music because of the meme thing, and there are many gatekeepers in the industry so they did not see me as an entry artist at the time until this year, I believe, whenever I wrote the song that went viral from a TikTok video I did."
Another viral moment involved him on stage with singer Lana Del Rey earlier this year. During a June concert in Boston, Del Rey surprised fans by bringing out Ramsey for a duet of his single "Blue Over You."
Ramsey credits artists like Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Donnie Hathaway and George Jones for shaping his sound.
"I love meeting and seeing people at my shows. I'm just super excited to honestly play my music for them and see their reaction." Ramsey tells me.
Midlands fans will have the chance to do just that. Ramsey is currently on his "Falls Into Place Tour," which will stop in Columbia on Oct. 5 at The Senate.
Ramsey said this is his first time back in South Carolina after visiting years ago, and he is excited to share his music with fans next month.