Winston-Salem, NC Rock and Power Pop Artist Clay Howard Releases New Single “Lovin'” (Sunshine Mix)
Winston-Salem, North Carolina singer-songwriter and guitarist Clay Howard has released “Lovin'” (Sunshine Mix), a bright, danceable reimagining of a standout track from his 2026 album A Little More Nothin’, and finds Howard distilling three decades of Southeastern stagecraft into three irresistible minutes built around a simple, universal message: love one another.
Howard has spent more than 30 years performing throughout the Southeast, moving fluidly between solo shows and full-band projects that draw on classic rock, power pop, Americana, and country. That range is on full display across ‘A Little More Nothin’,’ which produced international independent radio airplay and sent its title track to the Top 10 on the Radio Indie Alliance chart. “Lovin'” extends that momentum, following singles like “Magic” and his take on “A Cowboy’s Work Is Never Done” as the next chapter in a catalog built on hook-filled songwriting and lyrics that connect.
The origin story behind “Lovin'” began as a dare: a friend sent Howard a 55 second video of a June bug flipped on its back on a North Carolina sidewalk, daring him to write a song about it. Howard, off work that day, sat down at his keyboard and sketched out the bones of what he called “Buggin’,” a catchy, playful sketch he was content to leave exactly as it was. Four years later, while assembling demos for his producer Joey Barnes, a former drummer for modern rock band Daughtry, Howard tucked the old song in almost as an afterthought. Barnes heard something bigger in it, asked Howard to rework the lyrics and add a bridge, and helped turn a joke about a bug on a sidewalk into an anthem about connection.
At the heart of “Lovin'” is an uncomplicated message about choosing connection over division. Howard opens by acknowledging the noise and weight people carry every day, singing, “People come into our lives / they’ve got so much to say / it holds us back and weighs us down / every single day,” before pivoting toward hope in the chorus: “If you want to love me / I can love you too… We aren’t around forever / so we’ve got a lot of lovin’ to do.” Later, the bridge drives the point home with the realization that “the love I seek is sometimes standing right in front of me,” reinforcing the song’s optimistic belief that the connections people are searching for may already be within reach.
The Sunshine Mix keeps the original album version’s instrumental tracks and vocals intact while giving the percussion a full overhaul, stripping the arrangement back into a lighter, more danceable groove. The music was tracked at Barnes’ studio, while Howard recorded vocals in his own music room in the woods outside Winston-Salem, a fitting split for a song that grew out of both collaboration and quiet, solitary reflection.
At its core, “Lovin'” is a plainspoken call for connection. Whether the love in question is romantic, platonic or brotherly, Howard frames it as the force that actually moves the world forward—a message that lands as easily on the dance floor as it does in quiet reflection.
Howard’s creative life runs alongside a second career as Regional Director for the North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center, where he helps entrepreneurs across the Triad start and grow their businesses. It’s a dual path that mirrors the pragmatic optimism running through “Lovin'” itself, a songwriter equally comfortable building small businesses and building bridges between people through music.
Beyond his solo output, Howard fronts the popular yacht rock outfit Camel City Yacht Club and Blacklight Idols, and has performed with Clay & Fran and Stratocruiser, giving him one of the more varied résumés on the North Carolina live circuit. That range will be on full display throughout the summer and fall as Howard brings “Lovin'” to stages across the region.
Hi, Clay! Good to meet you! Care to introduce yourself to the readers for those not familiar with your music?
When I was younger this would be a completely different answer designed to dazzle.. ha!! I’m just a musician. I’ve been writing and performing for a long time- I’ve raised 4 kids, had a 25 year marriage come and go, watched one of my kids have two kids of her own, another kid jump into music as a budding guitarist, another become a publisher’s agent and publicist in the writing world as yet another finishes college- and through it all, I’ve always been writing and performing- music is my life’s constant companion , truly a part of who I am.
“Lovin'” started with a joke about a June bug on its back. What does that say about your songwriting process that one of your most meaningful songs began with something so unexpected?
I used to think music was only created through inspiration, but 15 years ago or so, I realized it’s really as much about the process. For about 5 years, starting during the pandemic, I wrote and recorded a song a week- I think that process opened me up to being ready to write about anything, and when my friend Chad presented that challenge about the June bug- it was just more of the process of creating. It (the song) didn’t take a turn into any meaningfulness until my producer for this record, Joey Barnes, convinced me there was more to it and to take another look at the lyrics.
The message of “Lovin'” is remarkably simple: choose connection. In a world where people often expect songs to be clever or complicated, do you think simplicity has become underrated?
Yes! It’s funny you ask that.. about 6-7 years ago I found a used LP at a thrift store – a copy of Bryan Adam’s Reckless.. I hadn’t listened in years, but when sitting down with it and really listening after decades, was struck by how brilliant it was in its simplicity. How bold it was to write what now seems so obvious. (It’s a truly brilliant pop record- what a record) I marvel at how some of the truly great popular songwriters are able to tap into that.. Petty, Adams.. Simplicity packed with meaning.
(And back to the song for a second- today more than ever, we need connection- real connection)
Your career has never seemed driven by chasing trends or viral moments. Was that always a conscious decision, or did you simply realize that longevity mattered more than popularity?
Nothing conscious about it, I’ve just always wanted to play. I’ve been in so many kinds of bands: melodic rock, funk, power pop, straight up rock- anything to just be playing. My writing certainly doesn’t chase anything, I write what I write.. not sure I could purposely write a song of a certain style in demand…
The longevity thing just kinda happens to those of us lucky to live long enough to be considered old by someone else. 
After three decades of making music, what keeps you excited enough to write the next song? Is it still about proving something, or has your definition of success changed completely?
There is nothing like getting lost in the creation of a new song. Digging in, everything else turned off.. tripping over the solution to a melodic mystery that you couldn’t solve a few minutes before.. and emerging with something that you as the creator want to hear again. To me- if I write something that I dig, it’s successful. If someone else likes it- that is truly something! That is the definition of success to me.
I’m lucky to have my health, great friends, day jobs that have let me stretch my creative jones and the encouragement of so many over the decades. I may not have sold millions of records, but if a song of mine has made someone smile, I’m doing pretty great.
Upcoming Shows:
July 31, 2026 – Winston-Salem, NC – Joymongers (8-11 PM)
August 7, 2026 – High Point, NC – Private Event at High Point Country Club
August 8, 2026 – Boonville, NC – RagApple Lassie Vineyards (5-8 PM)
August 15, 2026 – Greensboro, NC – ONETHIRTEEN Brewhouse (8:30-11:30 PM)
August 22, 2026 – Winston-Salem, NC – Summer on Fourth (7-10 PM)
August 30, 2026 – Jamestown, NC – The Deck (4-7 PM)
September 4, 2026 – Jamestown, NC – Music in the Park at Wrenn Miller Park (6-8 PM)
September 6, 2026 – Banner Elk, NC – Sorrento’s Italian Bistro (7-9 PM)
September 11, 2026 – Greensboro, NC – Private Event at Greensboro Country Club (7-10 PM)
September 12, 2026 – Greensboro, NC – Tunnel to Towers Benefit (8-11 PM)
September 20, 2026 – Kernersville, NC – Gypsy Road Brewing (3-6 PM)
October 9, 2026 – Greensboro, NC – Joymongers (8-11 PM)
October 24, 2026 – Radford, VA – Radford Homecoming
October 25, 2026 – Jamestown, NC – The Deck (4-7 PM)
November 14, 2026 – Yadkinville, NC – Private Party
November 27, 2026 – Winston-Salem, NC – Ramkat (8-11 PM)
December 5, 2026 – Greensboro, NC – Private Event at Starmount Country Club
December 26, 2026 – Greensboro, NC – Ziggy’s (8-11 PM)