Coal (song)
"Coal" is a song by American country music artist Dylan Gossett. It was released on July 27, 2023, as the second single from his debut extended play No Better Time. The song was written and produced by Gossett and became his commercial breakthrough after it went viral on TikTok, reaching the top twenty on the Hot Country Songs chart, placing on the Billboard Hot 100, and charting in several international markets. It was later included on his 2025 debut album Westward.
Background
Gossett had not recorded the full version of "Coal" when he first teased it on social media, so after its success on TikTok, he recorded it on a small microphone and a laptop in his bedroom. It was released independently on July 27, 2023, and later reissued when Gossett signed to Big Loud Texas and Mercury Records.In an interview with Holler, Gossett explained that he wrote the song in 2021 to help him overcome personal struggles, stating "Coal's a very personal song. It's funny because sometimes I'll see comments saying I look like a happy guy - and I am, I'm a goofy, happy dude. But at that point in my life, about two and a half years ago, I just felt like I was stuck in a rut, where nothing was really working. I was just throwing stuff at the wall, and nothing would stick. I started it with the main line, 'If pressure makes diamonds / How the hell am I still coal?' And then the rest of the song came in 20-25 minutes." During the interview, Gossett also declared the song one of his favorites to perform live because of the audience reaction.