Cameron Whitcomb Announces Debut Album The Hard Way With New Single "Fragile"

Cameron Whitcomb, "The Hard Way" album cover art
August 8, 2025
 Eastern Daylight Time
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August 8, 2025
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MusicWire
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Acclaimed singer-songwriter Cameron Whitcomb has officially announced the release of his long-awaited debut album, The Hard Way, arriving September 26 via Atlantic Records. Pre-orders and pre-saves are available now HERE.

“This record is every piece of who I am,” says Whitcomb. “And I sincerely hope you enjoy it.”

The Hard Way sees Whitcomb offering up a deeply personal look at his turbulent journey, from his struggles with addiction at a young age through to his recovery and adulthood. The album announcement is accompanied by his most emotionally raw single to date, “Fragile,” available everywhere now HERE.

“‘Fragile’ is about being told to man up your whole childhood and pushing away everyone that cares because of your own insecurities,” shares Whitcomb. “It’s a song that came from a place of finally starting to understand why I was the way I was — and wanting to change that.”

Produced by frequent collaborator Jack Riley (Grace VanderWaal, Knox) and co-written with Nolan Sipe and Cal Shapiro (Alex Warren’s “Ordinary”), “Fragile” speaks to the universal hope of finding someone who will love you despite, and maybe because of, everything you’ve been through.

Cameron is celebrating the impending arrival of The Hard Way with his biggest live run yet, beginning tonight with a top-billed slot at Ontario’s Boots and Hearts Music Festival. He’ll then cross the Atlantic for the sold-out EU/UK leg of his Hundred Mile High Tour before returning to launch his I’ve Got Options Tour kicking off September 26 in Portland, OR and running through mid-November. Most shows are already sold out, including a highly-anticipated two-night stand at LA’s legendary Troubadour (Oct 4-5), with additional dates added in Atlanta and Nashville due to overwhelming demand. Support on select dates comes from Danielle Finn, Jonah Kagen, and Tayler Holder. For tickets and info, visit thecamwhitcomb.com.

With over 6M monthly listeners on Spotify, 3M+ followers across socials, and 400M+ global streams to date, Whitcomb is riding high in what’s shaping up to be a landmark 2025 which saw the release of his latest single “Gasoline & Matches,” a fiery anthem about the indelibility of heartbreak, produced by Jack Riley and co-written with Chance Emerson. Earlier this year, Whitcomb dropped the breakout single, “Bad Apple,” which debuted as the #2 Most Added track at Alternative Radio and marked a sharp turn toward a more alt-driven sound.

Featured globally on the cover of Apple Music’s Today Country and named to both Spotify and Amazon Music’s 2025 Artists To Watch lists, Whitcomb also joined forces with rising indie folk artist Evan Honer for the raw collaborative single, “My Expense” and shared his own singles, “Options“ and “Hundred Mile High”. ELLE quickly praised the latter, writing, “The return of modern folk was written in the stars…The banjos pump the song forward, beckoning listeners on a cross-country road trip.”

His year began with the release of “Medusa (Acoustic),” a stripped-back take on his fan-favorite single, now surpassing 150M streams. A relentless live schedule followed, with more than 80% of tickets sold during presales, including sold-out double dates in Vancouver, Kelowna, Edmonton, and a show-stopping set at Calgary Stampede.

All this follows a breakthrough 2024 that featured the release of Whitcomb’s remarkable debut EP, Quitter, available everywhere now HERE. Partly inspired by the fast-rising 21-year-old singer-songwriter’s journey in overcoming addiction, the acclaimed collection includes profoundly personal singles including “Love Myself“ and the soul-searching title track, “Quitter,” the latter of which was praised by Billboard as “an anthemic folk track in the mold of Noah Kahan powered by a kick-clap beat and Whitcomb’s growling vocal.” Now boasting more than 100M global streams, “Quitter” further made history as his first-ever single to reach the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 – his biggest chart success to date which Whitcomb celebrated by traveling North America on his wide-ranging headline Quitter Tour.

One of the most captivating new songwriters of his generation, Cameron Whitcomb turns the most candid details of his real-life experience into songs with a strangely exhilarating power. Hailing from British Columbia’s Vancouver Island, Whitcomb left home at age 17 and got a job working on a pipeline, later spending much of his downtime singing karaoke and posting covers on Reddit. When an American Idol executive took note of his undeniable vocal talent, he landed a spot on the show’s 20th season and emerged as a top 20 finalist. Whitcomb then immersed himself in learning to write songs while deep in the process of getting sober. After making his label debut with 2024’s “Rocking Chair” – which amassed over 40M combined views across socials prior to its premiere – Whitcomb took off on a fast ascent that soon found him embarking on his first-ever headline run, the sold-out Quitter Tour.

Cameron Whitcomb, Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez
Cameron Whitcomb, Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez

Cameron Whitcomb On Tour 2025:

August

8 – Oro-Medonte, ON – Boots & Hearts Festival †
10 – West Chester, OH – Voices of America Country Music Fest †
14 – Montreal, QC – Théâtre Beanfield (LASSO pre-party hosted by SiriusXM)
16 – Montreal, QC – LASSO †
22 – Cologne, Germany – Sound of Nashville Open Air
23 – Munich, Germany – Backstage Werk (SOLD OUT)
24 – Berlin, Germany – Kesselhaus
26 – Copenhagen, Denmark – VEGA (SOLD OUT)
28 – Stockholm, Sweden – Nalen (SOLD OUT)
29 – Trondheim, Norway – Festningen †
30 – Tromsø, Norway – Rakettnatt Music & Arts Festival †

September

1 – Oslo, Norway – Rockefeller
3 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso (SOLD OUT)
4 – Paris, France – La Maroquinerie (SOLD OUT)
5 – London, UK – Electric Brixton (SOLD OUT)
7 – Manchester, England – O2 Ritz Manchester (SOLD OUT – UPGRADED VENUE)
8 – Glasgow, UK – SWG3 (SOLD OUT – UPGRADED VENUE)
21 – Calgary, AB – Recovery Day Alberta †
26 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom + (SOLD OUT)
27 – Eugene, OR – WOW Hall + (LOW TICKETS)
30 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades * (SOLD OUT)

October

1 – San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom *
3 – San Diego, CA – Music Box * (SOLD OUT)
4 – West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour * (SOLD OUT)
5 – West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour * (SOLD OUT)
8 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren *
10 – Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre + (SOLD OUT)
11 – Salt Lake City, UT – RedWest Country Music Festival †
12 – Fort Collins, CO – Aggie Theatre + (SOLD OUT)
15 – Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge * (LOW TICKETS)
17 – Fort Worth, TX – Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall * (SOLD OUT)
18 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn * (SOLD OUT)
21 – New Orleans, LA – Tipitina’s *
23 – Oxford, MS – The Lyric Oxford *
24 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl Nashville * (SOLD OUT)
25 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West * (SOLD OUT)
27 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West *
29 – Oxford, OH – Brick Street Bar + (SOLD OUT)
30 – Lakewood, OH – The Roxy + (SOLD OUT)
31 – McKees Rocks, PA – Roxian Theatre + (SOLD OUT)

November

3 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall ^
5 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom ^ (LOW TICKETS)
7 – Knoxville, TN – The Mill & Mine ^ (SOLD OUT)
8 – Birmingham, AL – Saturn ^ (SOLD OUT)
9 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl Nashville ^
12 – Columbia, SC – The Senate ^
13 – Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre ^ (SOLD OUT)
14 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm ^ (SOLD OUT)

† Festival Performance
+ Support From Danielle Finn
* Support From Jonah Kagen
^ Support From Tayler Holder

THE HARD WAY Tracklist:

1. The Hard Way
2. Options
3. Lose Me
4. Fragile Ego (Interlude)
5. Fragile
6. Call For You
7. Quitter
8. Holiday
9. Pretty Little
10. Hundred Mile High
11. Missed Calls (Interlude)
12. As I Stand Before The Coffin
13. Digging Holes
14. Medusa
15. Polly (Interlude)

Cameron Whitcomb, Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez, August 2025
Cameron Whitcomb, Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez

Connect with Cameron Whitcomb:

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE

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Cameron Whitcomb, "The Hard Way" album cover art
Release Summary

Cameron Whitcomb’s new single “Fragile” tackles toxic toughness while previewing his debut album The Hard Way, arriving Sept 26 via Atlantic Records.

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