Heartache ripped through his life, and he lived to tell the tale. With “North of Hell,” Graham Barham admits that he isn’t “pissed off.” In fact, he actually has “never felt more alive,” he sings.

Guitars shine like neon, reverberating throughout the arrangement. Barham shares the pain with a shrug, as though he is not so much affected as he is simply telling his side of things. “She flipped me the bird and walked out that door,” he continues in the chorus. “It all went south but I’m thinkin’ to myself at least I’m north of hell.”

Initially, Barham received a text from a friend asking to cut the song. When he thought about it, Barham decided maybe it was a perfect time to launch his solo career. “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he says on Instagram, smirking. “Damn, I’ve got my problems just like everybody else, but I know that when I wake up in the morning, even when everything’s gone south, at least we’re north of Hell.”

“North of Hell” (co-written with Beau Bailey and Cole Miracle) serves as the titular cut to Barham’s just-released debut EP.

Listen to “North of Hell” below.

Barham picked up the guitar when he was just 10 years old. Eight years later, he made the move from Louisiana to Nashville to pursue his high-flying ambitions. He began writing songs for others, but it was a TikTok video that catapulted him into the spotlight.

On the back of viral success surrounding his song “Preachers Need People,” Barham signed a global publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music and Cornman Music earlier this year. He later signed with UTA for worldwide representation.