Exclusive: Shane McAnally Shares Path to Becoming a Hit Songwriter-“People Didn't Know Who I Was Because I Didn't Know Who I Was”

Shane McAnally has a specific analogy that reflects the course of his life as a songwriter. Admitting that he’s never been adept with geography, McAnally relies on GPS to get him to his destination—even if it takes him on an unexpected route. “When you have the map, you put your destination in and I do not question it,” he begins. “If it takes me left where I think I’m supposed to go right, I still go left and I get to the place I’m going, even though it isn’t the way I thought. That has been something I think about whenever it feels like I’m going left and I’m supposed to go right. But the universe is clearly saying, ‘Go left and trust.’”