Folk rock artist Kentucky, the project of songwriter Jordan Holman, returns with “Born American,” a stark and deliberate new single that turns its gaze outward. Where his debut album ‘Second Chance Music’ focused on survival and personal reckoning, this release addresses the fragile reality of birthright citizenship in the United States. The song pairs an almost buoyant melodic drive with a message that stays plainspoken and unresolved, letting the tension between sound and subject carry the weight rather than leaning on slogans or dramatics.
The track’s final moments strip back completely, closing with an unadorned a cappella fragment of the American national anthem that fades without comfort or conclusion. Its companion video reinforces that unease through restrained imagery, showing Kentucky lying beneath dripping red, white, and blue candle wax that scars the surface below. Together, the song and visuals frame “Born American” as an observation rather than a solution, placing the listener face to face with the question it raises and leaving space for reflection to linger.