Canada’s Alexander Ludwig has released his debut album, Highway 99.
“Country music is some of the greatest storytelling on the planet, just like film and television,” Ludwig said, in a release. “Good songs can capture a moment in time, and Highway 99 brings me back to so many places, times, and stories in my own life.”
The 30-year-old Vancouver native – familiar for his role as Cato in The Hunger Games and Bjorn Lothbrok in the TV series Vikings – made his country music debut with last year’s self-titled EP.
The album is named for the B.C. highway that Ludwig’s family travelled to their cabin on Whistler Mountain, where he said he fell in love with country music. “I didn't grow up on a ranch, riding horses,” he said. “What drew me to country music were the backwoods, the mountains, and the outdoors. It was a style of music that truly fit the landscapes I loved.”
Ludwig co-wrote six of the 16 tracks on Highway 99, which was produced by Kurt Allison and Tully Kennedy.
He offered a preview in June with the release of “Faded On Me,” a song he said summed up the album. “The song spoke to me so much,” he explained. “As a kid, my parents taught me to roll with the punches, and this song is all about that. Taking whatever life throws your way and throwing it right back.”
Ludwig will be back home next month to present an award at the Canadian Country Music Association Awards in Calgary and to perform at the Palace Theatre.