Brian Falduto has found a pretty convincing argument for falling in love: apparently, it can come with free coffee. The queer country artist has released a live performance video for “Free Coffee,” his addictive new single featuring Will Leet, and it arrives just in time to make your romantic playlist considerably more interesting.
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The song is the second single from Falduto’s upcoming EP I Could Be Happy, which arrives November 13. The live performance was filmed at NYC’s The Green Room during his three-night residency Something Borrowed, Something New, with Falduto, Will Leet, and an animated live band bringing the song to life.
And yes, “Free Coffee” is exactly the kind of title that makes you wonder whether Falduto is singing about caffeine or someone who has become equally essential to his daily functioning. The answer is, essentially, both. The acoustic love song is about that addictive rush of falling for someone who can pull you into the present moment, with playful lyrics including “you perk me up with your love” and “you’re fillin’ up my cup with the way you live.”
It is romantic without sounding like it needs to be accompanied by a dozen roses and a dramatic wind machine. Instead, Falduto mixes folk-pop rhythms with his theatrical charm and turns the whole thing into a warm, infectious celebration of being very, very into someone.
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Brian Falduto Is Letting Love Have Some Fun
“Free Coffee” also marks an important moment for Falduto as a songwriter. He describes it as one of the first love songs he had written, and working with Will Leet helped him find exactly the right balance between vulnerability and having a damn good time.
“I met Will, the guitarist for Sammy Rae & The Friends, after being a fan of the band’s music for a long time, and he quickly became one of the easiest people I’ve ever written with. I brought him the lyrics to “Free Coffee,” which was one of the first love songs I’d ever written, and he created such a warm, receptive space for me to be vulnerable while still having a lot of fun, which is actually a pretty perfect reflection of the relationship the song is about: my partner has this infectious energy that is capable of bringing you into the present moment.
I love that we captured that in a way that feels less mushy-gushy and more like a big, joyful jam session.”
That last part is especially telling because I Could Be Happy sounds like Falduto giving himself permission to stop worrying about whether everything fits neatly into one musical category. Country? Bluegrass? Grooves? Crooner territory? Ballads? Apparently, he’ll take the whole menu.
I Could Be Happy Is About Following the Good Vibes
Falduto says the new EP represents a shift from some of the more intentional themes of his previous work. Instead of focusing primarily on reclaiming ’90s country music or creating LGBTQ-inclusive Christian music, he wanted this project to feel like music made because making it felt good.
“A lot of my past music was built around reclaiming ’90s country music as my own and writing LGBTQ-inclusive Christian music, but with this project, I really just let myself have fun. The EP has bluegrass vibes, groovy vibes, country vibes, crooner vibes, ballad vibes. Its sound is a little hard to define, which feels fitting because I listen to and love so many different kinds of music.
With this project, I was also intentional about protecting the joy of making music. I think prioritizing joy and comfort throughout the process comes through in how great the project sounds and in where I was able to take myself vocally.”
Honestly, “I really just let myself have fun” might be the entire thesis statement.
And with “Free Coffee” leading the way, that approach makes sense. The song doesn’t need to reinvent romance. It just takes the familiar feeling of having a person who makes everything feel a little better and gives it a country-pop soundtrack.
I Could Be Happy will be available everywhere November 13.
From School of Rock to Gay Country
Of course, Falduto has been entertaining audiences since long before he started writing songs about love, coffee, and getting a little weak in the knees.
He first became widely known for playing Billy in the cult classic School of Rock, where Jack Black’s character famously nicknamed him Fancy Pants. The role became an unexpected part of Falduto’s coming-of-age story, particularly because he was publicly visible as someone perceived as different before he was old enough to fully understand his own sexuality.
“My story is one of what happens when we try to label something we don’t understand in order to avoid our own discomfort,” says Brian, a now-out-and-proud LGBTQ+ advocate.
As an adult, Falduto took that experience and turned it into a career in country music that was unapologetically his own. His debut album Gay Country (Deluxe Edition) included “Hottest Guy Here,” “Big Boys Club,” and his cover of Dolly Parton’s “Why’d You Come In Here Lookin’ Like That.”
He also released “Same Old Country Love Song,” an LGBTQ+ country music anthem that found a particularly enthusiastic audience on TikTok, inspiring fans to sing, dance, and make their own videos with the song.
Now Falduto is moving into a new chapter with I Could Be Happy. And if “Free Coffee” is any indication, this one comes with fewer rules, more musical freedom, and at least one very good reason to believe that being hopelessly into someone can actually be a pretty fun place to be.