Honesty and a hard-working attitude are just side effects of Cody Hibbard’s blue collar raising. The United States Naval Academy-recruit-turned-pipeline-worker incorporates the same grit and plainspoken truth learned from his work ethic into his music, with his Droptine Records debut “Looking Back Now” portraying an honest self-reflection of why a relationship went amiss. Watch the official music video below.

Written by Jordan Walker, Matt McKinney and Jordan Kiser and produced by Grady Saxsman – with the music video directed by Wales Toney (Whale Tale Media) – “Looking Back Now” is a 20/20 hindsight view of the narrator’s past mistakes, as Hibbard realizes the relationship’s ending was a culmination of little acts he overlooked. (“Looking back now I would have done things different / a lot of could’ve should’ve would’ve dones…but I didn’t / Now I’m standing alone in the kitchen…just wishin”).

“In the pipeline industry, you know, we travel so much to go to work, and to try to provide for a living,” Hibbard shared with Country Now. “Whether you call it work or a dream, to just be successful, you know, the music industry is not any different, and that’s how I took this song. The looking back now part was where we tend to go and chase dreams and do stuff like this, and sometimes we tend to forget other relationships. That song hits home for myself and other people that I know.”

Known in Nashville circles for his expert A&R ear, music veteran Jim Catino of Droptine Music first discovered Hibbard’s music while diving into streaming services on the lookout for new artists to capture his attention. With recent development for Dalton Dover leading to a publishing deal with Droptine and Sony Music Publishing along with a record deal with UMG Nashville, Catino is excited to see Country’s tent expanding to encompass even more prowess.

Hibbard’s latest release and first on Droptine, “Looking Back Now,” is available on all streaming services.

L to R: Droptine Founder Jim Catino; Hibbard’s manager, Jenna Heideman; Cody Hibbard; Hibbard’s attorney Molly Shehan, Milom Horsnell Crow Kelley Beckett Shehan PLC; and agent, UTA’s Cass Scripps.
Photo Courtesy of Droptine Recordings.

Adair, Oklahoma native Cody Hibbard knows the value of hard work. Growing up on his family’s ranch, he worked from the day he could help shovel ‘til the day he left for the United States Naval Academy. With an injury keeping him from a career in service, he instead rolled up his sleeves to earn a living in pipelining. Working wherever needed, his day-job led to a lot of new cities where the only constant was his guitar and the guarantee of a campground or a bar where the conversation would ultimately turn to the Asian Pacific American performing for his fellow blue-collar crowd.

“People would say ‘Man, you do not sound how you look,’” Hibbard remembers. “My buddies would respond for me: ‘If you can’t believe how country he sounds when he talks, you ought to hear him sing!’ It helps to have that shock factor that grabs people’s attention at first, but it makes this career worthwhile when it goes beyond that, and the ‘anomaly’ can inspire and relate through the music.”

Known in Nashville circles for his expert A&R ear, music veteran Jim Catino of Droptine Music first discovered Hibbard’s music while diving into streaming services on the lookout for new artists to capture his attention. With recent development for Dalton Dover leading to a publishing deal with Droptine and Sony Music Publishing along with a record deal with UMG Nashville, Catino is excited to see Country’s tent expanding to encompass even more prowess.

“I have never been more excited about artist development than I have since I started my new venture, and I’m particularly excited to sign Cody,” shares Catino. “His energy and passionate delivery of a song caught my ear on a first listen of his hit ‘Dying Breed.’ I knew right away he was a perfect fit for Droptine as well as an artist I could help take things to the next level. He’s a seasoned performer and knows a great song.”

Hibbard’s latest release and first on Droptine, “Looking Back Now,” is available on all streaming services.

Listen below.

Cody Hibbard Upcoming Tour Dates:

Friday, March 24                    Fort Worth, Texas                   Rhinestone Saloon
Saturday, March 25                Stillwater, Oklahoma              The Tumbleweed
Friday, March 31                    Durant, Oklahoma                  Bubba’s Brewhouse
Saturday, April 1                    Manhattan, Kansas                 The Manhattan
Saturday, April 15                  Terrell, Texas                          Silver Saloon
Friday, April 21                      Spring, Texas                          Sawyer Park Icehouse

Cody Hibbard Debuts Official Music Video for "Looking Back Now"

Droptine Recordings Signs Cody Hibbard to Development Deal